Richmond weekly palladium., 1875-12-09

be done to the Indian. Don't beguile
them into removing to the Indian Ter
ritory by promise that can never be
kept. If he were the government he
would frankly say to the Sioux: 1t is
true we made a treaty with you, in
which we pf0mised that you should
always possess this country. We find
NOW that such promise was a foolish
one; in fact, we could not keep it if we
tried ever so hard. Gold has been
found in your hills and our people acill
take it in spite of treaties. But while
you must permit our people to work
the mines, we will see that you are
well paid for it. We shall devote an
| ample amount to furnish your wives
and children with the necessaries of
life, and protect and assist the able
bodied men in the process of learning
how to cultivate the ground, to raise
| fiocks and herds, and finally to become
self-supporting. We will select homes
| of 100 acres each of the very best lands
for every man, woman, and child
among you, and give you an absolute
title therefor, which shall be invariably
for twenty -one years. AS your guar
dian we will see that your lands are
cultivated, and make you livin We
will sell the surplus lands for the oest
prices we can get, and make a great
fund, the interest of which shall be
used for your benefit every year. With
some Of it we will buy you cattle and
hogs and sheep, and farming imple-
ments, and clothing, and aid you in
building comfortable homes. With
another and a considerable portion of
this interest, we will build school
houses and employ teachers for your
under the protection of equal laws and
with a rich Inheritance, you may be-
come prosperous and useful citizens of
the United States.
But then, unfortunately, continued
the speaker, don't happen to be the
government, and suppose some less
wise policy will be followed.
Colonel Boudinot then gave a history
Of the tribes which occupy the Indian
Territory dwelling chiefly on the
Cherokees, Choctaws, ChickaSawS,
Creeks, and Seminoles, the five civilized
tribes, who numbered about $4,000
souls, large proportion of whom were
naturalized negroes, whites, and half
breeds. Besides these were 20, 900 wild
Indians.
The Black Hills Commission recently
made a report recommending a policy
substantially the same as that which
he had been urging for years. He was
in favor of the passage by Congress of
a territorial bill, which would provide |
for a survey and SectiOniZing of the |
Territory, the establishment of United
States courts, a delegate in Congress, |
and all the necessary officers of a |
strong civil local government for the |
better protection of life and property, |
which would declare at least all the !
civilized Indians who paid taxes to the
United States citizens of the United |
States; which would authorize the I
selection by them of 160 acres of land
for every man, woman, and child, the |
same to be inviolable for twenty one
years; the lands remaining unappro-
priated to be sold Gust as soon as the
Indians shall so determine by popular
vOte) by the United States so as to
realize $1.25 per acre therefor, the fund
accruing to be invested for the benefit
of the Indians, and the interest to be
paid to them annually.
These five tribes were civilized In
dians. Their friends point to them
with pride as evidence that the Indian
can be civilized. But were they always
to remain merely civilized IndianS?"
Was that all the government could do
for the red man? No, it could give him
the right to say: I, too, am an Amer
lean citizen" This was simple Justice.
By a decision of the Supreme Court
the civilized Indians were compelled
to pay taxes under the revenue laws,
i'm violation of the treaty Of 1866, and
they were therefore entitled to citizen
ship. Let the American people make
the Indian an American citizen and he
would bless them for eIevating him
above the dependent and humiliating
position he now occupied.