OCR Text |
Show REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. IX Ont of 1,735 Indians to whom patents were issned about the >-ear 1871 on the Chippewa Reservation of Isabella Conntj-, ?vIichigan, f~tllyfi 7-e-sixths have sold, or in some manner hare been cheated out of, their lands. A few of thein have sold at something near a fa.ir eonsicleration. Many have been dehnded of their lands by sonlo of tllc measures nbore named or other equally nefarious practices, wliile otliers. in large in1111- bers, sold their lands before the selections 11-ere al~l~ro\-eocrl 11;itents issuetl, receiving onl>-a nominal price (al )o~t~\\t- ent~--fircee nts per acre) for lauds \\-art11 from $5 to $26 per acre. One of these selections 37-as ~tn-cl~asf~oirl 815, ancl the party \\-ha l)nlleltasecl the same has been offere11 5?4,000 for it but refused to sell. All tlie circ~uinstancesc onnected ~vitlttl tcce sales point directly to col-lusion between the agent and the i,ai<ies 1)nrcl~asingin the esecntion of these ninnitigated frauds. So well have the 111(Iians of 1s;tbella Cc~mttyM, ichigan, becoil~ec on-vinced of their entire inabilitj- to l~roteett lirir l a ~ d st,h at at a recent council ~ ~ ithtehin, held by 21 sl~eciaalg ent of this office, at which a nnmber of allotlnentn \\-ere 11fi1cle, t l~eyun aniiaonsly reqnested that the p,atentsf or the lands allotted be issned to them ~r i t l~otnhte polrer of alienation. Tllese Indiii~isa re ~i t izei~a is~ dvo ters, and ;a t k of~ th em hold officei n t.he townx \vltt~reth ey reside. The investigatiolls heretofore lnade show that the ntost intelligent of tllettl lla3.e been \-ictin~so f sortie of the practices ai~ot-ee nmuerated. t-ncler nuiitbe.rs of the treaties vith the cliflerent tlibes, patents llare issued restricting tlte right of sale, except npon the approval of the Secretary of the Interior and the President. In cams of t,l~iesk aracter, wl~ereth e guards against f ia~id odd appear to be s~~ffieieton ti nsure the most perfect good faith and to prevent a sale by a party not entirely competent to transact his own business, the records of this office show that frauds have been con~mittod. Instances of this character will be foundin the history of the Shawnee, Miami, Sac and Fox, Pottawatomie and other Indians of Kansas, to whom patents in fee or otherwise mere isstled, and who have been despoiled of their lands, and to whom the gover~uuenht as since been compelled to afford an a,syl~~inm t he Indian Territory. It has been strongly urg-ed tliat aitioenship shonlil be extended to all of tlte so-called oil-ilized Indians. Snch citizenship, if conferred indisci~ininately,1 %-onlili, n illy judgment, while the liiilians are in their preseltt tnt~~sitiositla te, be of incalenlable damage to theni. We shot~lilI tlove slo11-1:- in the process of malting Indians citize.118, until they are 11repared to assume intelligently its duties anil ol~ligations. The exl)erience of the past has shown us that to inalie them citizens hastily is to make them paupers. Indians of fnll age are infants in law; and in fact the^ neeil a long tntalage before lannehing them into the world to manage their orrn affairs. Entire eirilization, x+th ed~teation, a knowledge of the El~glisllia nguage, ancl experience in bu.si ness forn~s . .. . |