New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-12-15
THE INDIAN PROBLEM.
QUESTIONS FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
PRorOUSDED By III. H."

L
Reservation trader TO sell anything to, or buy any
thing frcm an Indian on a Reservation, is an Of
ferce punishable by fine of $500 and the forfeit
ure of all his merchandise
This law it is said was made for the protection OF
the Indian. To believe this is 10 compliment the
Tavern keTs humanity AT the expense of their com
mon sense. The operation of this law on the Onaha
Reservation last summer, for instance, was to make
il imposslble for an Omaha Indian 10 get more tran
40 cents a hushel for his wheat at time when tue
open markctprice for wheat was 90 cents a bushel.
| III. How many OF the American people know that
il is declared in Section 2079 of Chapter III. under
Title xvii Of the Revised Statutes Of the United
States that.
No Indian nation or tribe within the territory
Of the United State0 shall be ACKNOWLEDGED or
recognized independent nation tn be or poWe err
with whom the United States may contract py
/ treaty"
! Ill How many of the American people believe
! that his statute is known and understood by the
Indians who cede lands TO the United States,
| in consideration of other lands. or sums of
money!
". How many Of the American people know that
" Indians living on Reservations have IN general
the ght cut hay for the of Their live stock
but are invested with no propIietorshIp IN such
spontaneous products Of the soil as viii authorize
them TO charge and receive compensation for hay
cut and used by white persons thereto duly EN-
powered by the Government OF the United States"
Annual Report Of the Indian Commissioner for
1878. P. 90.
Under the operation of this law the white man
can land does) cut wood. and sell it, to steam
boats going up the Missouri River, for IN
stance can cut It wherever the reserva-
ton he and the agent please; and the In
dams on whose land these spontaneous
prodnctsr the trees, have grown, are powerless
Under the operation of this law $500 cords of
wood were cut down last Winter on the POnca Res
ervation. and sold to srmy contractors by order OF
Mr.. Hayt, Commissioner of Indian Affairs.
v How many of the American people know that
if an Indian on a reservation raises flock of sheep
he cannot sell the wool, neither can the agenr
sell the wool and give the money to the
Indian. The agent must sell the wool
and turn the proceeds into the United States
Treasury.
How many farmers in Vermont OF Massachusetts,
would become. or continue industrious, hardwOrk-
ing and contented. under such conditions these y
VI. How many American people know that
Indian be legally prosecuted punished for
an offence committed against lndianf In two
years the WnnebaGOes stole over 100 ponies from
the OmaAas. and passed the ponies along to the
\ white men who had hired them 10 steal them.
When one Of the Omaha Chiefs who had lost several
\ ponies anu kLrW NAcIc SoAnc VI thehi
were On white mems possession. applied to the
Agent for redress the Agent said he didn't know of
any way for him to get them but TO steal them back
again.
| VII. How many Of the American people will be
able to believe tnis-that an Indian may kill an
! Indian woman thOut excuse OF DrOvOcatlOn, and
he thereby violates no Federal law. IL he marries.
inseal Of killing her. having former wife living,
lie is subject TO arraienment, trial and punishment
| By the Courts of the United States for bigamy."
| Annual Report OF tie Indian Commissioner for
1873 81.
I'm the Annual Report Of the indian Commits
soner for 1876. p. 9. we read as fol-
lows I'VE have within our midst 275,0OO
people, the least iutelligeu portion of our
population. for whom we provide law either
for their protection for the punishment Of crimes
committed among themselves. Civilization. even
among wlite men. could not long exist without
| the guarantees which law alone affords
VIII How many of the American people know
/ that when the Nez Perez Indians, under Chief Jo-
seph surrende.ed 10 General Mills in 1877 on the
| express condition that they should be taken back
to Idaho in the Spring, they were taken to
] place IL the Missouri River bottom so IN
I healthy, that " after the arrival of Joseph
and his band in the Indian Territory" mot in
Idaho. where they had been promised they should
Leavenworth manifested itself in the pros
tration by sickness at one time of go
ont f the 40; and "within few months IN
the death of more than One-quarter of the entire
number" Annual Report of the Indian Commission
for 1873 Page 80. WAS Andersonyle much worse
than this y
! k How many Of the American people know
anything about the true situation and experience
of the White River Utes. of whom the Hon. Carl
Schurz says in his recent most able and most ably
worded- annual report thar they have "no just
cause OF complaint Let Us see.
The situation of the Waite River Ute Agency
IS the worst possible in ali respects. unless it
should be the intention to keep the Indians
as National paupers. 1t is accessible Tor
training only two months in the
wear. The soil Is not good, and why the location
was chosen at all for an Indian Agency is pro-
found mystery"
Report of the agent See Annual Report of the
Indian Commissioners for 1878. p. IL.
so much for the situation. Now let us see what
they we're 10 d. there The requisiton asked for
by the Indian Bureau and appropriated by Con-
gress tor the White River Ute Agency
isee Annual Report Of Indian Commissioners
for 1875. P. 299l. covers just " "a per cent
of their su bstance. The remaining " SO per cent
they are expected b. get for themselves bY hunt
ing. ishing and root-digging" tSee same page of
report-l
We will say nothing about root diggiDgr roots
being Spontaneous productions of the soil" there
might be some question about the Indians title to
even them; hut there are probably not enough
.sroots" in the White River Agency TO be worth
! talking about As to fshiag"-theFe serious
geographical objections TO the White River Utes
getting much OF a living by that. Hunting re-
MAINS Well and good.
Ii is standing order of the Indian Bureau that
| rasarvation traler il 10 sell Ammunition to an