Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1879-12-03


reduction by Congress of their compensation
by the appropriation for general facilities, anG
the railway postal lines have been greatl,
extended, especially in the SoutfNrn States
L ne interests OF the railway mail service would
Dc greatly promoted and the expenditures
could be readily controlled by the classification
OF the employees of the railway mail ser.
vice, as recommended by the Postmaster Gener
al, the appropriations for service with respect
10 which the maximum limit is already fixed
by by law 70 be made in gross. The Postmaster
Ueneral recommends an amendment to the, law
regulating an increase Of compensation for. in
creased service and increased speed on star
routes, so as to enable him to advertise for
such increased service and speed. He also
suggests the advantages to accrue to the COM
merce OF the country from the enactment Of a
general law authorizing contracts with
American built steamers carrying the Amer
lcan nag for transporting the mail
between the United States and parts of the
west Indies and South ,America at q fixed
maximum price per mile, the amount to be
tons in like manner with the amount for the
domestlc star service. The arrangement made
by the Postmaster General and The Secretary
OF the Treasury for the collection of duties on
BOOKS received In the mail from foreign coun-
tries has proved 30 satisfactory in its practical
operation that the recommendation is now
mace THAT Congress extend the provisions of
the act Of March 3, 1879, under which this
arrangement was made, so as to apply to all
other dunable articles received in the mails
from foreign countries
The Indians.
The reports of the Secretary of the Interior
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 the 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 oc-
currence of two disturbances which resulted
In bloodshed and destruction of property is
all the more to be lamented. The history of
the outbreak on the White River Ute Reserva-
uon 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
contests between the Indians and the border
aettlements in Western Colorado. The other
disturbances occurred at the Mescalero Agency
IN New Mexico, where Victoria, the head Of
many atrocities, being vigorously chased by
military force, made his way across the
Mexican border, and is now on
foreign soil While these C Occurrences
in which comparatively small number of
Indians were engaged, are most deplorable,
fully justified the expectations of those who
believe that by humane and peaceful inf1u-
ences the Indian can be led te abandon the
habits Of savage life, and to develop capacity
for useful and civilized occupations What
they have already accomplished is shown in the
nursuit of agricultural and mechanical work.
The remarkable success which has attended
the experiment of employing as freighters a
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 they will be
found capable of accomplishing much more
II they continue to be wisely and fairly guided.
The ludlan policy sketched in the report of the
Secretary Of the Interior, the object of which il
to make liberal provision for the education of
Indian youth, to settle the Indians upon farm
lots in severalty, to give them title in fee to
their farms inalienable for certain number of
years, and when their wants are thus provided
for to dispose by sale of the lands on their
fund to be formed out of the proceeds for
the benefit of the Indians, which will grad
ually relieve the Government of the expenses
now provided for by annual appropriations,
must commend itself as just and benei, ial
to the Indians and as also calculated to
remove those Instructions which the ext -tence
OF larg reservations presents to the settlement
and development of the country. /, therefore,
earnestly recommend the enactment of q law
enabling the Government to give Indians title
in fee Inallenable for twenty-fiv years to the
farm lands assigned to them by allotment I
also repeat the recomme ldauon in my first
annual me sage that law be passed admitting
Indians who can give satisfactory proof of hav-
ing, by their own La Dor, supported their fam
lies fora number of years, and who are will
ing to detach them selves from their tribal re-
lations, to the benefit Of the Homestead act,
and to grant them patents containing the same
provision of inalie1ability for Ger ain period
The experiment Of sending number of In
dian children of both sexes to the Hampton
Normal and Agricultural Institute in Virginia,
to receive elementary English education and
practical instruction in farming and other use
full industries, has led to results 30 promising
that it was thought expedient to turn over t. e
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 selected from
various tribes, and is in full operation Ar
rangemen's are also made for the education of
a number OF Indian boys and girls belonging
to tribes on the Pacific slope in similar man
ner, at Forest Grove, in Oregon These insti-
ity of C,ngress and to the philanthropic munif-
cence of the American people.
Last spring information was received of the
organization of an extensive movement in the
Western States, the object of which was the &C.
cupatlon by unauthorized persons Of certain
lands IN the Indian Territory coded by the
Cherokees to the Government for the purpose
of settlement by other Indian tribes On the
Doth of April issued a proclamation warning
all persons against participation in such an at
tempt, and by the cooperation of military
force the invasion was promptly checked It is
my purpose to protect the rights of the Indian
inhabitants Of that Territory to the full extent
of the Executives; but it would be un-
wise to ignore the fact that Territory
80 large and so fertile, with population so
sparse, and 30 great wealth of unused re-
sources, will be found more exposed to the rep
ettion Of such attempts as happened this year
when the surrounding States were most densely
settled, and the westward movement of our
population looks still more eagerly for fresh
lands to occupy Under such circumstances
the difficulty of maintaining the Indian Terri
tory in its present state will greatly increase and
the Indian tribes inhabiting it would do we'll to
prepare for such contingency. I therefore
fully. approve of the advice given to them by
the Secretary Of the Interior on recent
occasion to divide among themselves, in sew
crafty. as large a quantity of their. lands as
they can cultivate, to acquire individual title
in fee, instead Of their present tribal owner
ship in common, and 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 Ger
fha;,.