The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1871-12-21
INDIAN LANDS.

INDIAN LANDS.
Senator Pomeroy has introduced into
Congress a bill providing for the sale OF
The Kansas Indian lands, lying in Morris
and L,on counties. The gist of the bill
is, fscction) first, for the appra'seme"' OF
the lands and the improvements made os
the Indians, by three disintercstei per-
sons, appointed by the Secretary OF the
Interior; second, that bona fide settler
having made valuable improvements, or
the heirs of such, who is citizen OF the
United States or has declared his in,e"-
,;on 40 to become, shall be entitled at any
time within one year from the return OF
the appraisement to purchase the land $"
OF cupicd and improved by him, not TO
exceed 16O acres, at the appraised value
providing that his right does not inter
fere with the improvements made by any
other settler subsequent to the original
settlement of the lands; third, that the
lands occupied by settlers and unpur-
chased by them at the end OF the year
shall he sold at public auction to the high
est bidder, and where the lands are unoc-
cGiipiel at the date OF the appraisement
thcy may be sold ut any time after the
return of the apprisement in the same
manner as those occupied, no sale to ex-
coed one hundred and sixty acres; and
sections fourth, fifth, sixth aud seventh
provide for extending the privileges and
benefits of the naturalization laws to all
Indians in the United States, tor the re-
moval of those Indians Of the tribe to
the Indian Territory who desire it, that
the bill shall be applicable to all Indians
in the State and that in extinguishing
the Indian titles the sixteenth and thirty
sixth sections in each township shall be
reserved to the State for school purposes.
The bill meets all of the requirements
of the case as thoroughly as if lifetime
were spent in the drafting. In 80 and
80 the reservation was occupied by many
settlers who were compelled to remove
by order of Government. Provision
was made for rcmunerating them for
their Improvements but the amount they
received was but 1.-THE compared 10 the
expense OF making homes and improv-
ing farms and removing, and the blight
ing of hopes. This class is specially
takcn care of and should the bill become
. law there is no reason why those OF 1t
who choose TO secure titles to their old
homesteads may not do SO. One very
important feature of the bill is that only
oae hundred and sixty acres can be sold
Z to each person, which is equivalent TO
deciding in favor Of actual settlers.
We here speak of this law in cmbroyo
u 1t some length because We believe Con-
gress will sanction it. The kaw Rescr-
walton is the only body of land in Kan
sas that may be termed an Indian rescr-
walton. There have been tx" attempts
TO dispose of the land but they were
farces. A few months were allowed to
send ia sealed bids to the department At
Washington, but nothing practical was
accomplished beyond adding dozen or
., families to the population Of Morris
county. The time for Indian lands in
Kansas is long past and il is shame that
this fine land has been permitted to he
ienanted only by creatures Of NO earthly
good to man or brute. Mr. Indian must
move on or he must take upon himself
the habiliaments of the white man. Pub
lie sentiment is decidedly against him
and views him with no placid coun,e-
nance; his "noblencss has departed
ssd he is regarded AS being lazy, dirty,
fa3 Of deception and an unfit associate
of civilization. Here arc ono hundred
and fifty thousand TO two hundred thou.
sand acres which are capable OF netting
annually bundreds of thousands of dol.
lars. The State is cheated ont Of its rev
enae, and Norris county out large aug
meusation of its population. tits moth
ing but sickly scutimeatalism that urge.
the retentio~ If indians in Kansas =,
iribes.