The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1883-11-08
THE INDIANS.
The Annual Report Of Commissioner
Price.
Progress Of the Movement for Educating
the Red Man.
Following 10 a synopsis Of the annual report
or Indian Comm In Ioncr prfce.

Following 10 a synopsis Of the annual report
OF Indian Commissioner Price:
A decided advance has boon made In tho
march Of improvements among tho Indian
tribes. particularly iii the matter or industrial
school education. Some tribes have been
persuaded to send their children 10 school that
heretofore resisted NIL efforts to Induce them
to do 30. One question may now be CON
sidcrcd settled beyond controversy. niid that
IL tho Indian must he taught To work for his
own support and to speak the English
language, or give place to people who do.
Among tho things needed to secure success
and efficiency In solving the lndian problem
are:
|. An appropriation to survey the bound
aries OF Indian reservations. 80 both the In
dams and the white men may know whore
they have rights nnd whore they have none.
?. A law for the punishment or persons who
furnish arms or ammunition 10 the Indians.
No such law now exists.
D. More liberal appropriations for Indian
police.
1. An appropriation sufficient to defray tho
expenses. Of detecting and prosecuting tho
persons who furnish intoxicating liquor TO
lndhins. No ardent spirits should be intro.
duced into the Indian country under any pre-
tense whatever, nor their sale permitted with
In twenty miles Of an Indian reservation
but, under existing laws on the subject. 1t Is
q notorious fact that ale, beer, and prepare
tiOIls III NlCOHUlt ktlIuuiNEIN ulSVO1sGu ue
medicines arc sold AT the military posts To
soldiers and civilians and, although the post.
traders arc not permitted to sell 1t directly ia
Indians, yet 1t Is an easy matter for the
Indians to obtain II from the soldiers and
civilians to whom 1t Il furnished. The pun.
ishments imposed by law for this oiIenso
should be made more severe.
The practice of approving contracts TO col.
lcct from the Government money due the In
dams II one that ought not to exist. Ii has
for years been tho practice to approve con.
tracts by which outside parties have taken
from the Indians hundreds Of thousands oi
dollars for services which ought not to cos,
the Indians one cent. During the last -four
years agreements have been entered into he.
tween Indians and different attorneys by
which these attorneys were To receive from
the Indians S.55.2al for collecting from the
Government money said to be- duo the In.
dams.
1t is the duty OF the Government to sec tina,
the wards of the nation receive what Is justly
due them free of cost. and equally the dut,
| OF the Government 10 zee that no unjus,
claim Is paid.
Congress should confer both civil and
criminal jurisdiction on the several States
and Territories over all the Indian rcscrva
tons within their respective limits. and make
the person and property Of the Indian amen.
able To the laws OF the State or Territory IN
which he may reside, except in eases where
treaty or act Of Congress, and give him all
| the rights In the courts enjoyed by other per-
sons.
The recommendations for LEGISLATION for
the protection OF timber on Indian lands arc
renewed. During the year there was paid In
cash. as annuity and otherwise. S.45.0O0
Less than $500 900 of this amount was for tho
| payment of annuitics proper, many of which
| will expire in the near future by Limitation
In the various treaties.
| The increase In accommodations for Indian
pupils which the school appropriations for the
| last fiscal year made possible has been fol-
| lowed by corresponding increase of attend
| ance of pupils. Exclusive of the five civilized
| tribes tho number enrolled Ut the boarding
| schools during the year just closed is 5.li3, M
/ increase OF 65i over last year. The attend
ancc ON the day-schools has been 5,0l4, m
| increase OF as over the preceding year. Oi
the ), lab boarding pupils, 1896 attended schools
| on the reservations or in their Immediate
vicinity. Boarding and day schools on the
reservations have made a crcdtable record
/ Eight new neutrality-suspicious. have been opened
/ making the whole number now i'm operation
exclusive Of neutrality-suspicious., scvcniy-scvcn
| The early attention of Congress is in yited
| TO the dcplorahle condition of the Indians In
/ Montana, that steps toward assisting them
may he taken as soon rs possible.
The report concludes with the recital of the
agreement sianed i'm Washington July last he
tween Chief Moses and the Secretary of the
Interior which will, the Commissioner says,
| II ratified by Congress, restore to the public
domain a,ai3. 0iu acres OF land i'm Washington
Territory upon terms favorable To the Gov
eminent and for the best interests of the
Indians.