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Show REPORT OF TEE COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. XI Indian policy. The only thing ~ edot n e by the Government in rega,rd to the Indians which seems to have been permanent and fitr.reaching in its scope and purpose, is the dedication of the Iudian Territorg as thefinal home for the race. Snrely it is time that a policy should he determined on, whioh shall be fully understood by the Gorerament, the neonle. and the Indians. We cannot afford to allow this race to nerisl~ ;\.itho;t n~al;i~a~l:l .h o ~ ~ r seftf ort to d i ( r ~it . \Ye cuunot aHbrd t; keel, the111i ll otlr 111icln13 s rng~b11111:t1u3d p:inprrs. I n ~ ~ i ~ vto; i tlh e st:ltesinelt oi thecouutrs to ei re to this suhiect their earn<& attention ; the sooner it iu nettled bn n k e wise ana cobprehen-sive pril~ciple the better for all concerued. We have despoiled the In-dians of their rich huut i~..~ .er.rr o nnds, tberebv tlenrivinr.r t l~erno f their :iucirnt meart? of zupport. Onght \\.e not ;tntI sli;tll \\.r 1111t give the111 :rt lcnst ;I actwrc llom~.,a nti t l ~ crl lenlb i~upt rictelt!as l~riietiot f.jiilit nu11 eqlli. table laws? TEE MDIAN TERRITORY. Aff;iirs in t l ~ eln (li:in T~~r r i tor,iyre botl~c o~nplicnte(l: 11111 ( . I I I~XIP~I ISS-in=. J3.v treaty rl~n (;uvcri~nipnt lins c~tlcd to tilt! 5ov:llled ci\.ilizrcl tril~e$,I I I V ('lirr~,kt,t%iC, l~octa~r(s.,'l iicl<;~s;~xV\~IsC, V.~a1~.1,1 Semil~olcs, ;I svction (I!' Iautlurr.v ;ilrogerl~~d~ir~ l~ml~~~r r iui lil ~a::iitiev ~~rttto tllcir ncc~l.q. ' ~ I I u ( ' I~~>ioku(~r~s~ n:htIieo1r1 11 3,Il(lO, ; t i ~ t lO IYII .3,1131 ,:<>I: xvrrs, or ! a u I ~ s Then 10.tIO l) tlhtlctn~r.;1 1;ive; I I I nr.t2r;~cort ' I I5 ncr& to e.ach ; the 6,000 ~hiekasaws,a n average of 775 acres ; the 13,000 Creeks, an aTerage of 247 acres, and the 2,435 Seminoles, an average of 82 acres. In the aggregate, for apogul.&tion of 55,438 persons there arc srt apart 20,784,309 acres, or ail al-erage of 376 acres for each iudividnal-an area nearly eqnal to the area of the State of Indiana for a population not much greater than that of many agricnltural coun-ties in the B:;:nstern or Middle St:ttes. No donbt a considerable portion of land in each reserration is nusuit-able for tillage, but most of it is valuable for grazing, nr~d the arnonnt snscentible of otiltirntion must be manv fold prrnt,er than can ever be cultikted by the labor of the Indians. "But tge Indians claim, it is un-derstood, bhat they hold their lands bv sanctions so solemn that it mould be a gross brrach-of faith on the part of the Gorerument to talie aaav ; ~ n ypo rtion thereof without their consent; and that consent they np-parently propose to withIiol(l.. The question is thus d i r r c t l~r aised wbetlrer an extensire section of fertile conntrv is to be allowed to remaill calmne~sa, nt1 a fit11 purpose to do no injustice to the Inclians. Ar ~ y opi~~iotnhe reon is renturet~w it11 Iiel;ita~luyo u my par t ; but I cannot llut beliere that public policy will soon require the dispos:ll of a la.rge portion of these Isnils to the Government, for the occnpaocy either of other tribes of Indians or of white people. There is a very general and growing opinion that observance of the strict let,ter of treaties with Iudians is in many cases at rariance both with their omn best interests and with sound public policy. Puhlicnecessity innst ulti~natelyb ecome supreme lam; and in my opinion their highest good will'require these people to take ample nllotme~ltso f lands in sereralty, (to be inalienable for at leas1 tmenty years, and then only among Inclians,) and to stir-render the remainder of their lands to the United States Governme~it fbr a fair eqnivalent. Upon the lands thus surrenrlered, other Indians shonld be located as rapidly as possible, and s h o~~bl de given allotments under the same restrictions. |