Annual Report of the Commissioner of Indian Affairs - 1885

Page 10

IV REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. Indian souls. Of that number there are in the five civilized tribes in the Indian Territory 63,000. Tliere &re in New York, 4,970, in North Car-olina, 3,000, and there are some iu Dakota, Nebraska, Hansas, Wisoon-sin, and Minnesota, and afew in California and the Northwest, who are eivilized ; and still others who can lay some claim to civilizatiou. Many others on the reservations have cast off the blanket and are adopting the fashions and dress of white people. But among all these, except among the Indians of New Pork and Xorth Carolina, a few in some of the Northwestern States, and a part of the five civilizrd tribes in the Indian Territory, is a very large number whodo not till the soil. Nearly all who are called 'Lblanket Indians" have never tilled the soil to any extent, and fully half of the Indiaus of the United States, exclusive of Alaska, as yet have declined to commit themselves to the life of the farmer. Exclusive of the lands cultixated hy the five civilized tribes, the uum., ber of acres in cultivation by Indians during the preseut year ia 248,241, an increase of 18,473 aeres over last year's figures. The acreage of cal-tivated land has steadily increased.for several Sears past, the amount in cultivatio~f~o r the last three Sears being-1883, 210,272; 1884, 229,768; 1885, 248,241 acres. The increased interest in agriculture manifested since the opening of last spring, and the preparations on several reservations for still larger inorease of acrrage in farming, are among the hopeful signs of Indian progrew aud development. This brings me directly to the consideration of the praotioal policy ' which I believe should be adopted by Congress aud the Goveru~neri~nt the management of the Indians. It should be industriouslyand gravely impressed upon them that they must abandon their tribal relations and take lands in severalty, as the corner-stone of their complete success in agriculture, whicli means self.support, personal independerrce, and mate-rial thrift. The Government should, howevey, in order to protect'them, retain tberight to their lands in trust for twentyfive years or longer, hut issue trust patents at once to such Indians as have taken individual hold. ings. When t,be Indians have taken theirlaudsinseveraltyiu sufficient quantities (and the number of acres in each holding may and should . vary in different localities acaordil~gto fertilit:, productiveness, climatic, and otber adra,ntages), then having due regard to the immediate and early future needs of the Indians, the remaining lands of their reserva-t i o n ~sh ould be purchased hy the Goverumeut a,nd opened to home-stead eutry at 50 or 75 cents per acre. The money paid b.y the Gov-ernn~ enfto r their lands should be held in trust in 5 per ceut. bonds, to be invested as Congress may 'provide, for the education, civilieation, and material development aud advancell~eio~ft the red race, reserving for each tribe its own mouey. This is all the Indiarlv need to place them beyond t,he oppressiou and greed of white'men who seek, as Mr. Barbour said in 1825 ~ I It ~ rei po~rt aa Secretary of War, '<tob ereave the Indians of their lands."