The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1879-02-10
GRABBING INDIAN LANDS ~ THE NAME
or CIyILIZI TON

and taking others instead. Tho main purpose
Of this measure does not fully appear from lis
benevolent exterior, nor from the kindly and
phianthropc arguments which arc urged for
H. as usual with bills for improving our Indian
brother Since an invitation TO band Of rcd
men to move away from tho homes confirmed 10
them by treaty usually results. in case OF its
non accordance, in driving them on by force. at
the cost Of many million dollars. killing n large
part Of Thorn. and penning the remainder In
prisons under guard Of a largo army. it may be
worth while to think twice before going into
this business lust now on any large scale.
Certainly il is a large scale that the present
bill proposes. 1t aims to consolidate the forty
four existing Indian reservations into only ten;
and II proposes to take away tho %, 800 SIG
ncres now owned by tho Indians. aud to give
| them SAL 10i acres in exchange. On its face
| this is rather bold bargain but ii Is urged
| that the Indians thus consolidated can be much
better cared for and projected by paternnl
| Government, and hence should DO made to yield
TO a scheme founded on n desire to do them good.
II would need to bo sure, a little money from
| the national Treasury to quiet the tito" ofthe
Indians. and littlo moro to remove the large
numbsr of Indians who would have to be- re-
moved: but IL Is thought that a good part OF the
| contract money could bo merely promised In
| the form of annuities. which promises arc
| rarely kcpt
Ofcourse tho real consideration is grabbing.
| nj one swoop nparly twenty-one million acres
| that belong TO Indians, and dividing them
| among settlers and spectators Some Of these
lnnds despite tho continual removal Of tribes
| from better 10 worse localities rs soon as worse
could be found. have proved themselves SO rich
| that Indians have boon induced TO cultivate
them. The Inst rcport Of the Indian ONCE con-
| ,oins some ouite surprising figures Of whnt has
| boon done in the way Of agriculture 10y the few
| Indian tribes for whom the almost universally
| broken stipulation OF dividing their reserva-
| tions I'm sovoraltv has boon rcnlly cnrrisd out.
Before these Indians shall become etlll more
attached TO their lands. greedy settlers feel that
| II IL important TO drive them out; and II tho
tites cannot bo auictcd by money from the
| national Treasury. il must be done with tho
| sort ~ ouiotus administered 10 chief Joseph
when his lands In Wallowa Valley were wanted
! Accordingly. We ind thnt all these different
hosts Of land grabbers. in n dozen different
| narfs NJ the,r country hnyo nool,d thctr issues
| in n common hin Of Indian consolidation. and
if,bev do not suc,oed il will not be- for vnnt 81
enormous stakes TO spur their cupidi,y onward.
| Now some NJ tho recent prngress made by
reservation Indians has shown the land grab
| bors tho neod Of urgency in their schcmes
| EIGHT wears AGO the Winnebagons in Nebraska
| .,.t a., a. from, unu ~ uuu n
,.,o t.r r,,t,,. -. ,ho, I'LL ,noir l,nJs In com.
o,, and I,1 ,,s vort ,hom Tho now hnvn
% ,oo 80 ,,,,l- c,,Iy,tior bol1 ,yri,t,r ,its
o. ,i.,l,,, acrcs Tor eocb f,,nilv nnl lrn,v no
ro,i,rs oxce,, ~ roo rou,,,s If enur wool for
,nch Indian scholar ns n rewnr,l OF merit THOR
wenlth IL estimated nj "A nunrt.r Of a million.
The last report Of tho reservation Noz percc.
shows that thev have a 100 n,raa under cnrivn-
lion that thov furnished to Towards command
81 600 worth Of horses and supplics for the Ban
mock cnmpnirn. and these Indians. numbering
200 or 300 are not in any measure subsis,ed
! by the Government" But turning from the
! - 80 -t-t,t. ..-.... - a.,
| many IKE Reports OF clNlllhh N-th'S, We Hhu
army ofI1,.ars ri wing tho snmo t,.fimunv Com
" -
| corning tho last mentioned tribe. Tor example,
49,, p,,,.o,. u = tt Second rf,,,r,. lot.l, La,
'"Pt' H'ill9's VI Wv '''.NN MUM 'N'''' W.
curcd. in Omaha, that tho /. 100 Indians on
inc reservation MT" sell-supl"FuhS' 'N'"p' lh"'
the Government furnishes agricultural implp-
ments: 22O OF them are engaged IN farming
own 10000 horses. 5000 cattle. and hogs with
out number; they have two churches. elect th"ir
chief annually. and the civilized portion OF the
illif NFN lNlIl Nluti 20 luf WHO ffliflN OF the