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Show VIII REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. 'adopted the habits of civilized life, to be acitizen of the United States, and entitled to a11 the rights, priviieges, and immunities of such citi- ZBtlS. While I consider desirable the enactment of some law whereby the Indians who have dissolved their tribal relations and are sufficiently prudent and intelligent to manage their own afairs, can become citi-zens of the United States by some process similar to that provided for the natoralivation of aliens, still it seems to me this bill is too broad in ~ t sop erations, and would make citizens of those who are totally un-fitted for such responsibilities. Any action taken in this direction must be gradual. The lndian must be educat.ed up to a point where citizen-ship would be an advanta,ge and not a disadvantage to him. He must be brought up to that standard where he can understand the white man's law, its benefits to him if he obeys it, and its penalties if he violates it. The treaty of the United Statas with the Kickapoo Indians provided amode by which aspiring Indians could become citiiens of the United States, which was to accept or receive their part of the reservation lands in severalty in fee-simple, with power of alienation, they being first re-qtlired to appear in open court and take the oath of allegiance (as in the case of the naturalization of foreigners), and also by proof to satisfy . the court that they were able to mallage their. own afairs, had adopted the habits of civilizedlife, and had beeu able for five years to supj~ort themselves and families. (13 Stat., p. 624, Art. 111.) I do not believe that the above entire legislation was'wise or salutary. The power of alienating their lands should not be given to the 1ndihns for many years after they are allowed to exercise the rights of American citizens in all other respects. The history of the Kickapoos and some of the Shaw-nees and Pottawatomies, and some tribes in Michigan and Wisconsin, who have taken lands in severalty without a restrictive power of alien-ation, and who have disposed of~thema, nd are now for the most part pensiouers upon the bounty of the Government, or are without visible means of support, is sufficient to demonstrate the fact that the Indians in general are not sufficiently advauced in education and civilization to make it safe, and to their best interest, to give them citizenship and title to their lands with unrestricted power of alieuat.ion. What I would impress is the fact that there are but few Indians outside of the civil-i d tribes, who are prepared to own lands in severalty without the Government retaining a lien upon the same as trustee for twenty-five or thirty years, allowing no power of alienation by them either to white men or to their own race. CONOENT&ATION OF INDIANS. . . Many theories havebeen advanced by as many theorists as to what nolicy it is proper to pursue with the Indian. I rejoieb to know that |