OCR Text |
Show I REPORT OF THE CONMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. 37 pose of the same for medical purpeses only; and, it being impossible to keep out venders of these articles, who return as oftpn as remol-ed, he suggests the penalty of a heavy fine or imprisonment be imposed in snch cases, vith forfeitnre of all horses, wagons, and property vhaterer, found 1 in their possession. CAocta~rs aid Chickasazos, originally from the State of 3fississippi, number, the former 12,500, and the latter 4,500, and are little if at all I behind the Cherokees in the progress made by them in Christian cirili-zation. and their efforts at self-dependence. Their country is flonrish-ing, crops abundant, and a feeling- of confidence in their resources for colufort and prosperity prevails among tl~epeoyle. Both of these tribes have a commou or neighborhood school system successfuUy in operation, and a limited number of their youths are sent into the States for a more thorough course of educatiou than they could receive at home. The Choctaws have sixt,y-nine district schools with 1,847 scholars, and they are preparing for theestablishment of two large boarding schools. Creeks, who emigrated many years ago from Alabama, havea popula-tion of about 12,000; and are i~dvwcingin all respects as a people, and their national school is doing for them a good work. During thegast year a number of refugees have been removed into the nation from tho Choctaw conntr,v and Texas. There still remains in the Cherokee conn-try a party of disaffected Creeks, Congress having decided it nuneces-sary to provide for their retorn. Reports, it is to be regetted, repre-sent that dissension and strife exists at the present time in the nation between the adherents of the. Chetcoe government and those of the Sands party, who are endeavoring to get up arevolot.ionary movement, and who are opposed t,o schools and civilization. The chief Chetcoe is in power by the suffra,gc of the people, an? the constitution in force was adopted by the people who favor educat~on and progress. Appre-hension is entertained that unless measures are adopted to prevent it the Creeks will become involved in a civil war. As directed by Cou-gress, paTment has been made to the freedmen of their share of the $20O,OUU, stipulated to be paid to the Creeks undertheir treaty of 1866, to enable them to restore their farma, the Creeks hnvlng before resisted the claim of the freedmen to participate therein. The elainl of the loyal Creeks,fre@dmen. and refugees, for losses sustained during tlie late rebel-lion, nndcr the same treaty, are being investigated by t.he soperintend-ent of Indian affairs and the agent of the tribe, and it is expected areport will shortly be made in the mattcr to the department, when the further action required by the treaty mill be taken. Attention is called by the agent of the bribe to a claim of the orphans to a balance du8 them of t,he proceeds of the sale of twenty sections of land selecten for them, under the treaty of 1532, which moneys mere invested and heldin trust by the United States for their benefit. As many of the orpha,ns are very old, and, by death, many claimants, as heirs, arebeingaddedto the list,, which complicates the matter more, it is urged that t,here be a set-tlement of the claim upon some basis just to all. Seminoles number 2,105, hare no organizedgovernment, but are under town governors, who act in harmony in all mat.terspertaining to t,he set-tlement of the reservation, and to school and other interests of the na-tion. The tribe is reported as being in avery satisfactory condition. ' Accepting fully the results of the war,and grauting to the freedmen in their midst ~~nconditioncailt izenship, they are said to be in a more per-fect state of peace than any of the other tribes in the Indian country. Encouraged by exaruple set them of good farming, a spirit of competi-tion has incited them to work, and the result is that many have good |