The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1879-12-01

! of the act of March 3, 1870, under which
| this arrangement was made, so as to apply
| to all dutiable articles received in the mails
from foreign bountrles.
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR INDIAN
| AFFAIRS
| The reports of the Secretary of the Int
| rior and of the Commissioner of Indian
| Affairs, setting forth the present state of
| our relations with the Indian tribes on our
/ territory, the measures taken to advance
| their civilization and prosperity, and the
| progress already achieved by them, will be
| found of more than ordinary interest. The
: general conduct of our Indian population
| has been so satisfactory that the occurrence
! of two disturbances, which resulted in
| bleodshed and destruction of property, is
all the more to be lamented.
The history OF the outbreak on the White
River Ute reservation in Western Colorado
has become so familiar by elaborate reports
| in the public press, that its remarkable
incidents need not be stated here IN detail.
| 1t is expected that the settlement of this
difficulty will lead to such arrangements as
will prevent further hostile contact between
the Indians and the border settlements in
Western Colorado.
Mascalero agency, in New Mexico, where
Victoria, the head of a small band of
marauders, after committing many atrocI-
| ties, being vigorously chased by a military
force, made his way across the Mexican
border and is now on foreign soil.
While these occurrences, in which a
comparatively small number of Indians
were engaged, are most deplorable, a vast
majority of our Indian population have
fully justified the expectations of those who
believe that by humane and peaceful in
fiuences the Indian can be led to abandon
the habits OF savage life and to develop
capacity for useful and civilized occupa-
tions. What they have already accom-
plished in the pursuit of agricultural and
mechanical work, the remarkable success
which has attended the experiment of en-
ploying as freighters class of Indians
hitherto counted among the widest and
most intractable, and the general and urgent
desire expressed by them for the education
of their children, may be taken as sufficient
proof that thew will be found capable OF &C.
complishing much more if they tcontinue
to be wisely and fairly guided. The 'ln-
dian policy sketched in the report of the
Secretary Of the Interior, the object OF
| which is to make liberal provision for the
education of Indian youth, to settle the
| Indians uoon farm lots in severalty, to give
them title in fee to their farms, inallen-
able for certain dumber of years,
| and when their wants are thus provided
reservation not occupied and used by them,
a fund to be formed out of the proceeds for
| the benefit of the Indians, which Will
| gradually relieve the government of the
| expenses now provided for by annual ap-
| prOpriatiOns, must commend itself as just
| and beneficial to the Indians, and as also
! calculated to remove those Instructions
which the existence of large reservations
presents to the settlement and development
| of the country. I therefore earnestly rec
| ommend the enactment of a law enabling
| the government to give Indians title fee,
| inalienable tor twenty-five years, to the
| farm lands asst gned to them by allotment.
also repeat the recommendation made in
nv first annual message, that law be
passed admitting Indians who can give
| satisfactory proof of having, by their own
! labors and who are willing TO detach
| themselves from their tribal relations, to
| the benefit of the homestead act, and to
| grant them patents containing the same
| provision of inalienaoility for certain
| period.
THE PEACE AND EDUCATION POLICY.
The experiment of sending a number of
! Indian children, OF both sexes, to the
Hampton Normal and Agricultural 1nsti.
| tute, In Virginia, to receive an elementary
| English education and practical instruction
| in farming and other useful industries, has
| led to results so promising, that 1t was
| thought expedlent to turn over the cavalry
barracks at Carlisle, in Pennsylvania, to
the Interior Department for the establish
ment of an Indian school on larger scale.
This school has now 15S pupils, select
ed from various tribes, and is IN
full operation. Arrangements are also
made for the education OF number OF
Indian boys and girls belonging to tribes
on the Pacific slope, in similar manner.
at Forrest Grove, in Oregon. These 1nstl-
tutlons will commend themselves ito the
liberality of Congress, and TO the philan-
thropic munihcence OF the American peo-
pie.
Last spring, Information was received OF
the organization of an extensive movement
in the Western States, the object OF which
was the occupation by unauthorized persons
of certain lands in the Indian Territory
ceded by the Cherokees to the Government
for the purpose of settlement by other
Indian tribes.
On the Goth of April, issued procla-
nation warning all persons against partl-
cipation in such an attempt, and, by the
cooperation of q military force, the lnva-
sion was promptly checked. 1t is my pur-
pose to protect the rights of the Indian in
habitants of that Territory to the full extent
of the Executive power. But it would be
unwise to ignore the fact that Territory
so large and so fertile, with a population so
sparse and with SO great a wealth of unused
resources, will be found more exposed to
the repetition o. such attempts as happened
this year, when the surrounding States are
more densely settled, and the westward
movement of our population looks still
more eagerly for fresh lands to occupy
| Under such circumstances the diff
Guilty of maintaining the Indian Ter
ritory in its present state Will
greatly increase, and the Indian tribes
inhabiting 1t would do well to prepare or
such contingency. 1, therefore, fully ap-
prove of the advice given to them by the
| Secretary of the Interior on a recent occa-
sion, to divide among themselves in
| severalty as large a quantity of their lands
as they can cultivate, to acquire individual
| title in fee, instead of their present tribal
ownership IN common, and to consider in
what manner the balance of their lands
may be disposed of by the Government for
their benefit. By adopting such policy
| they would more certainly secure for them
selves the value of their possessions, and at
the same time promote their progress IN
civilization and prosperity, than by en-.
deavoring to perpetuate the present state OF
| things in the Territory.