Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1870-02-03

SUFFRAGE 70 THE INDIANS.

SUFFRAGE 10 THE INDIANS.
| The committees on Indian affairs and on
erritories, OF tho House, are each consider
pg bills to organize system of civil govern
nent in what is now called the Indian Terri
DRY. The proposal is TO create a new terri
DRY with governor and the other usual
Ulcers. Mr.. Culloms bill calls it Lincoln,
while Mr.. Van Horns names il Oklahoma.
The chief feature of each bill is that it gives
the suffrage to Indians Tho legislative au-
thoiily is vested in council, each tribe or
nation, whatever its size to have one MEM
Der in this body and an additional member
for each one thousand Indians, more than
five hundred, in the tribe, which several
councillors are to I've chosen by the Indians
themselves. One section of each bill pro.
vides that every male over the age OF q
years, belonging TO any tribe, shall have the
right to vote and hold Office, with no abridge-
ment of this right because of race or color
This council has powers similar to those
granted to other territorial legislatures. The
prospects are that at least one of these com
mittees will report fayorably upon the pro
posed bill, and that il may carry majority
OF the House. That the idea OF making
citizens OF the most advanced Indians will
encounter no hostility from the Presidents
evident enough from language he used the
other day to Il delegation of Creeks and
Choctaws, 10 whom he said he had long
thought the two nations which they repre-
scented and all the civilized nations in the
Indian country should become citizens and
be entitled toall the rights OF citizsns.
THE BUREAU or EDUCATION AND GENERAL
EATON.
The friends OF the Bureau of Education
are making u strong effort 10 save it from
being abolished, and the President takes
considerable interest in their cndeavors,
Several senators were up TO see him on Sat,
urday. He said he was decided in the con
viction that it would be better to close up
the Freedmen's Bureau as recommended by
Secretary Cox md General Howard, and
that the transfer OF its educational work 10
the Bureau OF education would materially
reduce the expense of carrying it on. He
spoke of General Eaton whom he has ap-
pointed TO Commissioner Barnard's place,
as a man whom he well knew, and in whom
he had great confidence, and said he thought
the General would be able to put the bureau
on footing in n short time that would com
inand the confidence ot the country. The
proposed transfer was fully considered at a
meeting during the day ny the juiut cunmlt-
tee on retrenchment, and there is little doubt
but that the bill introduced by Senate. Pat
terson, which cmbodics the views of the
President, General Eaton and to some extent
those OF General Howard, will be fayorably
reported.
FRAUDS On coLoRRD SOLDIERS.
The board appointed by General Howard
to investigate supposed frauds upon colorcd
soldiers in Tennessee, extending through a
series of years, has finishc its work in thai
State, and reached this city. The board
consists Of General b. p. Runkle Of I.ouis-
vile, long in charge OF ireeimen's affairs
there, Colonel Lewis, stationed for some
time at Atlanta, and Captain Sladon conf
dental aid 10 General Howard. All are
gentlemen Of high character, and their in
vestilaiion has been thorough. On Saturday
they began an examination of the records OF
the Treasury Department and of the Freed
mems Bureau for the purpose Of tracing out
matters developed by testimony taken in
Tennessee. The existence of widespread
scheme tor swndlng in matters of back pay
aud bounty is established by evidence already
obtained, but none of the prominent OIL.
cials of the bureau are implicated