The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1842-12-10

nor,. The whole number at that time rs ,53l
The number at present on the rolls Is 25,O35j OF
whom 662 are invalids 124 receive pensions IN
der The act of 1915 42 under the act of 1928 is 535
under he act of 1882 1857 under the act OF lo3oii
and 1916 have been pensioned under the act oil o'o,
in consequence chiefly of the joint resolution and act
of The last session of Congress- relating TO The death
of pensioners since 1882 and TO the marriage of
their " idows IL is believed that many must have
died without the fact being known to the agents and
of course not reported by them. The persons who
received their PENSIONS an the tst ana second guar
ters of 1912 amounted OLA and supposed that
this approx imaes very nearly to the acual number
now alive. This would exhibit dimnution of S,457,
which is not so great as that which occur ed between
the dates of the reports in 1910 aud lS4l and which
amounted to IL 1868. III Will be seen that the esti-
mate for pensions is much below that for 1912.
The law relating to military bounty lands for
vices ir he revolutionary war, and IN that Of 1912,
having revived by the act of july 81, 1872 the
examination of the claims presented referred to
the Commissioner of Pensions, the rolls and docu
ments relating TO them were in his office. From the
statement annexed to his report il will appear that
35S claims account of revolutionary services, have
been presented within the year, and that % warrants
have been issued for $3.50 Of land that 4l6
claims for services in the last with Great Brit
ain have been presented within the same time, and
that IS warrants have been issued for ITO acres OF
land
BY the act of March 4, 1910, the office Of Commits
sioner Of Pensions continued until the 4th day OF
March, l843 when it will cease, unless further con.
tinucd by Congress- BY the same act, the pension
business of the Navy Department was transferred to
the office Of the Commissioner Of Pensions. The
duties yet remaining to be performed under the laws
relating army and navy PENSIONS and to the military
bounty lands require the continuance oil the once oil
the commissioner. :.
The condition of our affairs with the Indians pre-
,ents subject Of the deepest interest to every phi
lanthropist. The report OF the commissioner VINO
has them Immediately under his charge, with the ac-
companying tabular statements and the returns OF
the various superintendent and agents furnish copi-
Gus information of the results of past abors and the
grounds of hope for the continued improvement OF
these victims of the progress OF civilization The
policy Of removing the Indians from thelr nauVe
homes to make room for the white man, and oil col
lectng them in large bodies ON our wester lronuer
is not now debateable 1t has been long settled and
it NAV now be considered as having been executed
There is no more land east Of the Mississippi re-
manning unceded, to be desired by u.s. NO new source
Of expense this account need be opened lor many
wears to come and when the treaties now pending
shall be ratified, and those requiring the removal OF
Indians shall be executed, our system will become
settled 1t is to be hoped that the red man will then
be suffered to rest in peace, and that our undivided
efforts will be bestowed III dscharging the fearful
responsibilities we have incurred to improve his
Intellectual and moral condition as the only means
of rendering him happy here or hereafter
From the returns have been able to OBJ
tain it appears that SO, ia have been removed to
the regions west of the Mississippi, and that of the
once numerous tribes of that river less than 25,
900 souls remain. The greater portion of these are
under treaty obligations to remove within very lew
years
This policy Of collecting the Indians has proceed
ed the idea Of relieving them from their depen-
dent and degrading condition when mixed with a
white population, and of isoating them from the
vices of a standardization. Scarcely capable of
selfgovernment they quite incompetent to protect
themselves from the frauds and from the violence of
the white man. The present system of superinen-
dents and agents is inadequate, and the time seems
to have arrived when should turn our attention to
devising some form of government which may secure
peace and order among themselves and protection
against Others Until they feel safe in their persons
and possessions they can make no advances to-
wards civilization. Although the criminal jurisdic
ton of the aid acent courts of the United States is
extended over them, yet all experience has shown |
that it is merely nominal The most atrocious of
tenders are seldom pursued and more rarely brought
to Justice. Civil obligation it is wholly vain to at
tempt to enforce. There is cause for surprise |
that in this state Of things, the law OF force and of
retaliation is the only recognised. The |
plan of something like a territorial government for
the Indians has been suggested. The object is
thy the most deliberate consideration of all who take
interest in the fate of this hapess
The vice to which they most Inclined and
which is the most deadly to their prosperity, is in
diligence in intoxicating liquors. All the powers
given this department by existing laws have been
exerted to restrain this propensity and to prevent the
introduction of alcohol INTO the Indian country
tions TO military commanders have been reiterated
with but partial effect. The cupidty Of the white
man, Boosting of his superior civilization, stimulates
his craft in devsng the means OF evadng the laws,
and still further brualizing his ignorant, weak, and
Welding red brother. Depositaries of ardent spirits
are established on the confines of the Indian territory,
within the Jurisdiction of the States where the laws
of the Union cannot apply, and where there are
none Of the State adapted to the case, or IL they
exist, are never executed. Some remedy may be
provided BY substituting Imprisonment for the present
pecunary penalty prescribed for selling or introduce
ing liquor or establishing dstilleries, IN the Indian
country, which is wholly Intellectual against class
of persons who have visible property, and by Civ
ing jurisdiction the offence to some local or
other authority to which convenient access can be
had.
Among some of the more civilized tribes, particu-
larly the Choctaws and Cherokees, it is understood
that the doctrines and the practice of temperance
have made much progress and that they have passed
some wise laws to restrain their own people. The
fact thus established that the Indian can be made
temperate is calculated to cheer Us in efforts to save
him.
An exhibit of the condition Of the civilization fund
and of its application accompanies the report of the
commissioner. This small fund has accomplished
much 1t scatters its good seed very extensively, and
great portion of falls in good soil. Its fruits are
to be seen in the gradual, but decided improvement
of many of the Indian tribes This fund is applied
so to cooperate, as far as practicable, win the
schools established and maintained by means oil
the moneys provided, by treaties with various tribes
for purposes of education. From table 81, append
ed to the commissioners report, it appears that the
whole amount thus provided at the present time, is
S67, 1856 1t will also be seen from table SO, that
there fty-two schools maintained for Indian
youth, at which there are 2,l32 scholars of whom
05S are boys, and $50 girls and 900 whose is
not stated instructed during the past year, and
that from schools there returns. Where
yer the Of comparison exist, it is gratifying to
find that the aggregate number of pupils is the in
he m IF IsI
elementary knowledge among the children of these
people is to interest their parents in the undertaking.
by enabling them to take part in the establishment
of schools and in their supervision, our efforts have