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Show REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. YII read. JIut~ytb orrsnnds to.dny aro engaged in cirilize~ol cenpations. But the road out of barbaris~~isr a l o n g o ~ ~tldif icult o ~ ~ eE.v ru in enlight-ened Eurone there are millions of Deonle whose ancestors a few sen&a-tious ago &ere as ignor a~a~rt~ dp odr a i d degraded as our ~ ~ ~ndo\rsnntc ed 111dia1t1r ibes I I O ~ Fa re. Cirilirntion IS n vague, indefinite, coml)nr;~tire term. Ourcliil(lreo'a -e rn~~dch~ldnrrear~ lio ok nnon orrr~~ivili%ataiosv~er rv rude and imperfect. It is not my wis6 to any rose eoIored view gt" the present condition of our Indians. Many of them are as miserable and degraded as men can be; hut it cauuot be denied that others are making reasonably satisfactory progress. Within a few Fears the Government hasundertaken somewhat system-atically to bring them into civilized life. The 'pLe ace policy" has sought to throw around them healthful afisociations; to place at the several ae.. e nciesa.w . uts andemn. lo"r 6sof good moralandGhristiau charactor andof active s y~u p n t l~iie~~n;d nn ear~~:ste tfort has hecu made to tr:rcll 111~li;cnx to labor an11 to rmd. It is too aoun, pcl.lrnps, to aysrrt tllat rllia cn'ort bas roved a suecess. but the accom.u an"v in.g. reo. orts of agents abun-cl:~ nily sl~orrt hat, ~ ~ ~ ~ t \ r ~ i t l r a t11u11u s~ulrir~oucn~d ing ditlic~iltiru,l n11c11 413s Lwn ac~co11!l3liahe1tol \rartl estnblisl~itrgi ind mainrr~il~illpge nce, ! toward ~r o t e c t i nIin dians from evil influences. and toward awahnine I in tl~e~n'rlctl.e sich for :I bntrer u~oduot'liic. s~rrcessusio me of our agents, \\Lo 11.1ru laboreti rr~ldcrr enro~~:ibliyf rrori~blec ir~:~r~~rstnucrs, ~ l m r r ~aells u rilise. nod II:IH full,\ . e a. ~~nltehde ionilest l~onrao f tho friends I ot tho pe:+ceApolir.~*C. ul.taioly e~~uugilmi lbrorr~nenrG LIS i)e611u ~;ldet o . ' . .lustrf,r tlre eo~~t i l r~~ont'n rrbne pnaseut bcrccvol+~e~FF~otr t.;. In considering whether modifications of existing methods may not be tlcsirablr, I have arrived at the conwictiou that the welfare and progress of the Indians require the adoptiou of three principles of policy: ! First. Concentration of all Indians on a few reservations. ( Second. Allotment to them of lauds in severalty. I 7 . Lhr.r d. Extension over them of Uoited States lam and the jurigdiction of United States courts. 1 CONSO5IDATION OF RESERVATIONS. I The reservations upon which, in my opinion, the Indians should be consolidated, are the Indian Territor.7, the White Earth reserrat,ion in I .No rthern Minnesota, and a reservation in the southern par: of Wash- lugton Territory, probably the Takama reservation. If it should be found impracticable to remove the Iudians of Colorado, Utah, Nerr Mexico, and Arizona, to the Indian Territory, they might be e6ucen- . trated on some suitable reservation either iu Colorado or Arizona. I am well aware that it will take a long time, much patieut efort, and considerable expense, to efect this proposed consolidation ; hot after consulting with many gent,lnmen thoroughly acquainted with Indian qi~estionsa nd Indian character, I am satisfied that the uudert:aking eau be acco~nplished. If legislation mere secured giving the President authority to remove any tribe or band, or any portion of a tribe or band, xhenever in his judgment it was practicable, to any one of the reservations named, and if Congress would appropriate, from year to year. a sum sufficient to enable him to take advantag. e of everr f:rrhmbie npportu~~irtoy rt~akes uch remorals, 1 n l u (:onlirlt*~;trh at a fei-years' rriitl n.~)ulde o11cl1rsirt4d n~non.~trirrthec rnrire t+:>sibility of rbc u 1 belierc. that ;all tlrn L I I ~ ~ : I I I Y in linusns. St.br;ls!;n. ;uc(l L):rkot:~. :~nda 1,,crt at lennt or rbone i l l Wyomiu: and ~1'our;111cao, r~libl e iuc111~:rtI to remure to t l ~ eln tlinn Territoq.. There is also g~uu~rttolr the beliri' |