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Show REPORT OF THE COMB~ISSIONEB OR INDIAN AFFAIRS. XLV for tlie reduction of the reservation on the south and west, but it appears they failed of passage. Had either of them become a law the ooal fields woold have been segregated from the reservation. I am still of opinion that the adoption of a 8ystem of leasing npon s roralty plan, silch as mas suggested in my last report, would be the best way to settle this vexed question. The injustice done the Mission Indiaus, and their deplorable condi-tiou, have been set forth by several commissions and have been treated of at length in various annual reports of this office, especially in those of 1875 and 1880, and Col~gress has repeatedly been solicited to inte~ferein their behalf, but withont avail. The situation of these people is peculiar. It is probable that they are entitled to all the rights and immnnities of citizens of the United S*ates, by virtue of the treaty of Gnadalupe Hidalgo, ~ efrtom pov-erty and iguorance and nuwillinguess to abandon their custom of dwelling together in villages, urider a tribal or village government, they have failed to secure individual titles to their lands, under the pnblic land laws, or under the India11 homestead act,. Many of these Indiaus have been driven from lands occupied and ci~ltivatedb y them for sears, to which they had at least a color of title from the Spanish government, and the ejectments have often been made with force and violence. After nearly all desirable land had been wrested from them or '( taken up* by settlers a few small tracts remaining were set aside by Executive order for their permanent use and occupation, and entries unlawfully made by white men upon such lands have been held for cancellation. The few little villages left, to them in the cafions of the mountains, from long years of cultivation hare become extremely fertile, and are looked upon with longing eyes by the snrrounding white settlers. In accordance with authority granted by the Department, Mrs. Helen Jackson, of Colorado, mas instructed, under date of July 7, 1852, to visit t,he Mission Iudians in California, and ascertain the location a110 ooadition of the various bands; whether suitable land in their viainit?, belonging to the public domaiu, could be made available as a penna-nent home for such of those Indians as were not established upon reservations, and what, if any lands should be pnrchased for their nse. At her request Mr. Abbot Einney, of California, was authorized to assist in the work. Their final report gives, with great particularity, the condition of each village, recites in detail the wrongs that have been inflicted upon these Indians, and contains rkumerous and important recommendations for their improvement. They recommend as the first and most essential step, the resurveying, rounding out, and distinctly marking of reservations already existing. 2d. The removal of all white settlers now on such reservations. |
