Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1881-01-07
FARMS FOR THE INDIANS,
The Severalty Experiment to be Tried


An OregoHiaH telegram saws i
WASHINGTON, Dec. 81 Before adj
journment the house committees on
| Indian affairs instructed it's chairman.
Mr.. Scales, toobtain a day in the house
when the bin now on the calendar pro
vlding for division Of farm tracts
among Indians in severalty can be
taken up and disposed of. The in
dorsement which secretary Schurz
gives this bill in his annual report in
duces the committee to urge it. pas
sage this Winter: The bill applies to
all Indians on reservations. 1t pro-
poses to locate them individually on
tracts of land instead Of collectively
on reservations. Many of the Indi-
ans have expressed "a desir to have
the land they occupy secured to them
by patent equal in legal force to fee
simple. 1t is the purpose of the bill
to provide for issuance of patents in
dividually, inalienenable for certain
number of years, until they be pre-
sumed to have overcome their improv-
ident habits" 1t also provides for
the disposition Of the residue of reser-
vations not occupied by Indians, with
their consent and for their benefit, to
white settlers. Mr.. Haskell, of Kan
sas, a member of the Indian committee
says the Endorsement of secretary
Schurz is one of the smartest things
he has done since he has been at the
head of the interior department. 1t
is really the first time he has officially
expressed himself in accord with the
western people On this subject. He
thinks this sanction in the annual re
port of the secretary of the interior
will increase the chances of the bill
passing this session. The bill, he says
provides true Indian policy, if car
ried, it will do more to civilze and
settle the Indians than anything else.
Secretary Schurz said in his annual re-
port that be hoped the measure would
pass before adjournment of the last
session, and that had it become law,
a very large number of Indians would
hove been settled by this time In
this expectation, issuance of patents
not containing the important clause
OF temporary inalienahilty, authorized
by few Indian treaties, has been
withheld until a general law should
insure to all title of greater security
Mr.. Haskell thinks the bill can be
passed this session.
August Is, 1877, under the head
"rhe True Policy" the TELLER out
linrd the policy which Schurz has pro
posed in his report. In the article We
said among other things, abolish al
Indian reservations, treat every Indi
an rs a subject and not as q ward Of
the government; grant him the same
right to settle upon cultivate, and owl
land as the white man; compel him tc
till the land or starve. Where a
government adopts policy some
thing like the foregoing, Indian
wars will soon cease and millions be
saved to the government annually
We say let the Indians root, hog OF
die like others of the human race.
! Oct Goth 1877 under the caption
"New Policy for the Nez Pcrces," tn,
TELLER repeated this policy and urget
it's adoption for the Nez Peroes espe
cially on the ground that they wer
more intelligent than the majority o
) Indians and that they desired thi
! right to take up lands in severalty ant
that white settlers should occupy tn
: balance Of their reservation not all
sorbed by themselves in choosing thei
J locations. Following this the W. "
/ Union copying the TELLER's articl
J gave it endorsement and added: II
, this is really the sentiment of the Ne
Perces, it should be encouraged. Their
are only two ways of dealing with tn
Indian question. The one to trca
the Indian as being devoid of iutellec
who has to be coddled and cared fo
from the cradle to the grave. This
other to treat hi,n as human being
capable of bearing his portion of thu
curse of earning his bread By thl
sweat of his brow. Tho former polio,
: has been tried from the foundation O
our government to the satisfactior o
many rich men who have found ia
picking in the Indian business, but II,
one else, whether he be Indian or tax
payer is pleased. The policy followed
has nearly exterminated the noble re,
man and made the term Indian agent
a synonym for thievery. 1t has en-
gendered unnumhered Indian wars
and cost the lives of untold numbers O
brave men, anyone of whom was o
more value to the world than the pop
ulation of reservation" Then fol
lnwaI IN aorfv mart IF 1878 n lattp