Daily globe., 1879-01-27
THE INDIANS.
The Report of the National Board of Conn
9aiSsi0ners.

The Report of the National Board of Com
9,atssi0ners.
The board of Indian commissioners has lust
held its reguler yearly meeting, and prepared
its tenth annual report, to be submitted to the
President This report will contain compare
tive statement showing the condition of the
Indians in 1868 and 1873. From this statement
it appears that one-half of the Indians have
discarded the blanket and donned civilized
grab; 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 more than doubled and nearly
one-s1xth OF our Indian population can read;
that about one eighth are members of of Chris
tlan churches; that the number of acres of land
cultivated by the Indians is about five times as
great as ten years ago; that production of
wheat has increased nearly fve-fold of corn
seven-fold, Of oats and barley nearly four-fold,
and Of hay nearly nine-fold; and that the In
dians own about three times as many horses
and mules, six times as many cattle. seven
times as many swine and about
sEvENTY-FIvE TIMES AS MANY SHEEP.
as they did ten years ago. They now own more
than two head of sheep for every Indian man,
woman, and child in the United States. The
board remarks: ''This exhibit of results is GER
tainly encouraging, and itpresents strong ar
gument against any radical change of policy
However that may be, it is certain that at
such rate of progress, if continued, the feath-
cred and blanketed savage who now fills the
public mind whenever the Indian is mentioned
must soon disappear, and the fat contracts for
beef and flour cease to exist except in the sad
memories of lucky contractors The board re-
news its approval of the plan to concentrate
the smaller tribes on large reservations, thus
continuing to sanction the reservation system
and the isolation of the Indians. Considerable
space is bestowed on the subject of
ALLoTMENrs OF LAND
to individual Indians who make improvements
thereon, and the plan of issuing patents in fee
simple, but Withholding the power to ALLEVIATE
the title by sale, mortgage. or long leases, is
urged. At conference of the board and the
representatives of the religious bodies, mem.
orial to the President and Congress was adopted
to be presented by committee consisting of
the Rev. Drs. Cutting, Lowrie, and Strieby, and
Friends, Janney, Taturn. It will recommend
and urge three measures:
l. That courts Of law be established in In
dian reservations, with jurisdiction in all cases
where both parties are Indians. There is no
tribunal to try such cases, except in some tribes
rude form of administering Justice. It may
be remembered that all the assassins of Hole
in-the-day, famous Sioux cheif who was
friendly to the whites, and restrained his people
from taking part in the Minnesota massacre
of 1853 were well known. They were never
brought to Justice, the comm issioner of Indian
affairs declining to interfere in case where
only Indians were concerned.
2. That common schools be provided for In
dians the same as for white children under some
regular system.
8. That the Homestead law be SO modified
that an Indian may select his homestead with
in the limits Of the reservation to which he be-
longs.