The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1879-01-31
THE INDIANS.
Report of the National Board.

The Board of Indian Commissioners
has just held its regular yearly meeting
in Washington, and has prepared its
tenth annual report, to be submitted to
the President. This report contains a
comparative statement showing the con-
dition Of the Indians in 1868 and 1878.
From this statement it appears that
one-half Of the Indians have discarded
the blanket and donned civilized garb (;
that about one-half have moved out of
their lodges and wigwams into houses,
the number of which has increased
nearly three told in ten years; that the
number OF pupils in Indian schools has
more than doubled, and that nearly one
sixth of our Indian population can
read; that about one-eighth are
members of Christian churches; that
the number of acres of land cultivated
by the Indians is about five times as
great as ten years ago; that the produc-
ton of wheat has increased nearly five
fold, of corn seven-fold, of oats and
barley nearly four-fold, and OF hay
nearly nine-fold and that the Indians
own about three times as many horses
and mules, six times as many cattle,
seven times as many swine, and about
seventy-fve times as many sheep rs they
did ten years ago. They now own more
than two head of sheep for every
Indian man, woman and child i'll the
United States. The Board remarks :
This exhibit of results is certainly en-
couraging. and it presents strong argu-
ment against any radical change ofpolicy.
However that may be, it is certain that Mt
such rate of progress # continued. the
feathered and blanketed savage who
now fills the public mind whenever the
Indian is mentioned must soon dlsap-
pear, and the fat contracts for beef and
-four cease to exist, except in the sad
memories of lucky contractors" The
board renews its approval OF the plan to
concentrate the smaller tribes on large
reservations, thus continuing to sane
ton the reservation system and the $50
lation of the Indians. Considerable
space is bestowed on the subject of al
lotments of land to individual Indians
who make improvements thereon, and
the plan of issuing patents III fee
simple, but Withholding the power to
ALLEVIATE the title by sale, mortgage or
long leases, is urged. At a conference
of the board and the representatives of
the religious bodies, memorial to the
President and Congress was adopted, to
be presented by committee consisting
of the Rev. Drs. Cutting, Lowrie and
Strictly, AID Friends Janney and Ia
turn. 1t will recommend and urge three
measures:
l. That courts Of law he established
in Indian reservations, with jurisdiction
in all cases where both parties are In
dams. There is no tribunal to try such
cases, except i'll some tribes a rude form
of administering Justice. 1t may be r.
membered that all the assassins of Hole
in-the-Day. famous Sioux chief, who
WAS friendly to the whites, and restrained
his people from taking part in the Min
nesota massacre of 1868, were well
known. They were never brought to
justice, the Commissioner of Indian
Affairs declining to. interfere in case
where only Indians were concerned.
2. That common schools be provided
for Indians the same as for white chill
dren under some regular system.
B. That the Homestead law be so
modified that an Indian may select his
homestead within the limits of the res
ervation to which he belongs.