The Warner weekly sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1885, 1883-12-07

very evident that the great object ia making ~ \
tresty was 70 induce the Indians 10 settle on farrm~ss
and becoms farmers. But little effort has 49,
made TO comply with the conditions Of thass
treaties Oh the part ct the government. l haya
shown in another part Of this report that there i
! dra the Sioux. under the provisions for the saana.s
of schools, 81 ,40l go. The Indians have buft
themselves on the reservation 2,5l9 houses. Tha
government should have constructed these house,
which the Indians have constructed substautialhs
CROOKS POLICY AssAILED.
The familiar facts Of the Apache outbreak )
stated. and Gen, CrooK poucy Is mus conmanlad
ga: nnn Sal, d..
Of the reservation, FOR it was not thought 10 NJ
urudent to divide the responsibility of keeping
peace on the San Carlos reservation, aud the IA.
partmept was not willing to attempt TO keen psaea
with the prisoners OF war freed from military con-
troI. The condition is an anomalous one, and oaa
that Canuot. long continue. 1t Is quite certain that
the pr sence Of the prisoners among the agency
Indians has been very demoraliztng., These "a
dians are guilty Of murders aud other Crimes
and subject TO the laws OF Arizona aud New
Mexico, where the crimes were committed Gen
Crook SAYS that they were not promised immunity
for past otfeOses, but 1t is quite evident that they
returned with the idea that they would not De-
punished for the crimes committed. 1t does not
appear TO be tho duty OF the department. OF the iu-
terror 10 determine whether these offenders should
be punished or not. At this time they are prison..
ers OF war, in the hands of the war department. II
possible they should be removed from the agsncg
to some point where there Will be less danger OF
their escape, and where their evil influences viii
not I've felt by the moro peaceably disposed Of tie
tribe
In regard to the valuable coal lands found In tho
San Carlos reservation, Secretary Teller says: sIs
is competent for the president by executive order
F.! to reduce the reservation, and thus throw the coal
| fields ont of the reservation; but IL Is not thought
| advisable 10 do so without compromising the IT,
dams for the land so taken, for, as before stated. Il
will be very difficult to make them understand that
! they ara not being robbed. Some compensa,ioa
should therefore be provided before the land is odd.
If the claims Of the prospectors should be found to
be cofrect-that is, that they were in ignorance Of
| the boundaries Of the reservation (the government
| not having established boundariesl-they ought to
be allowed TO derive some advantage from their
work. either by being allowed to purchase at q re-
duced price or to lease for a term OF years.
The recommendations for the Crow and Black
feet reservations in Montana are So follows:
''This reservation is situated in the Territory Of
Montana and contains 1854 square miles, or
l,7 :, 900 acres of land. Alarge part OF thtsis unit
for cultivation, but the very best OF grazing land.
/ These Indians should be located on the Big Horn,
with a suitable reservation for agricultural aud
pastoral purposes, and the balance sold. At least
100000 acres might thus be disposed of, leav-
ing the Indians sufficient agricultural lands to be-
come self supporting, If they desire TO become
aglicuIturists, and a sufficient amount OF
grazing lands should they prefer 70
become stock -raisers. The 1,713,0OD acres that
would DO left would give nearly, If not quite, 900
acres OF land TO each individual member OF their
tribes. The number OF Crows has been estimated
at 3, $500; but /: is quite certain that the number -
much less, and probably not over 1000 or 5000.
A portion of the money realized for such sale
should be at once invested in a herd tcr the tribes
and cared for by the government un'" 'cn time as
the Indians shall be prepared 20 acceot aud care Tor
their stock themselves. The proceeds, properly
used. would make the Crows self-supporting In a
few years at the farthest."
~BLACKFEET RESERVATION.
"The number Of Indians on this reservation is
/ about II, o Until recently they have been able
to support themselves largely by hunting, but the
| Disappearance of the buffaloes is likely to cause
great suffering amoag them during the coming
winter and spring If an additional appropriation IL
Inspector Howard reports from Fort BeIknap.
on the 18th of October, 1888, that for the nrst
time Ia the history of the agency the buffalo nss
tailed to yisis that rsgl9n;~ ). aeT TnSi t hsys ou basO
sufficient. with the limited aid given by the gov
eminent. to give them fair support. II the Indians
fail to secure buftaloes, as ii is now quite
certain they will. there is great danger
of starvation among them. They must certainly
starve unless they live off OF the stock in the vicin-
iy of the agency, bat not on the reservation. Ii
the Indians are driven by hunger to kin the cattle
on the ranges belonging TO herders who are right
fully in that section of country, there win be great
danger Of q collision between the herders and the
Indians, and If such collision does not occur there
will be = great loss of property, for the Indians will
doubtless destroy more than they use. These In
dams have a hne grazing country and some good
agricultural lands that can be utilized by irrigation.
A suitable appropriation should be made for their
immediate wants, and provisions made for stocking
the range with cattle, and they will become self
supporting from the growth OF such herds"
THE land OFFICE,
The report of the commissioner of the general
land Office shows that the disposal Of public lands
nndeT all acts OF congress aggregates d9,4SO.-
were IudiRn lands. and l,199,335.7l acres rail-
road sections under various acts Of congress. The
total cash receipts were $~11,713,88370. OF which
increase in 1888 over 1882 was S3.3l9,367.66
and over 1881, Sc. 305, O7S.34: pre-emption and
private entries. 4.465,665.49 acres; timber-cul.
ture entries, 8, IlO,930.23 acres; the number Of
homestead entries SO. 565, embracing SILL
514.3S acres. Not included in the lands disposed
OF. and in addition thereto. were 1888 pre-
statements, and lO,232 miscellaneous filings.
Four thousand two hundred and seventy-four
contested cases were examined aud acted upon dur
ing the fiscal year. The number Of e-empti
cases undecided June 20. 1888, was 1880, an
increase of the number in arrears OF 2,370, and
IL ,9i2 new cases W. re received for action. Cons
siderable timber land was sold: but no land Valu-
able for agricultural purposes has been offered ~
public sale.
In regard 10 fraudulent entries the report SAYS:
mo difficulty is found Were the parties making
such fraudulent entries still hold the title, but 10
case there has been a transfer for q valuable con-
sideration without notice of the fraud, great III
justice is done 10 tho purchaser by disturbing the
title which he had no reason to suppose was fraud
ulent. If 1t Is clearly established that the grantee
in the patent had no existence, the title is held 10 "
la the government, and the purchaser has no REM
edy except against the vendor, VINO Is usually I'M
pscunioas, and not infrequeuily has left the coun-
try, It would appear 10 be right that after . GER
tain time the presumption should be conclusive
that the patent was issued in strict accordance with
law. and there should be no inquiry into the pro-
ceedings anterior 10 the time OF issue
In the matter OF fencing public lands. q griey9ai
affection to small Texas cattle men, governmetAis
S aIgsta t. i3O taE ts essi'i nS ' sSs s pab 4lIEsvsaa oma slSa tS sa sss
prejudice OF poor men who want land.
RAuRoAD EXEMPTIONS.
The subject OF railroad taxation. 81 he cases
where railroads lease their lands without taking Q
patent for them. and so escape taxation for local
purposes and for the expenses of surveying, 10 COW
cred by the following suggestion:
1T Is earn silly TO be desired that some means o.
adjustment OF these grants, as a whole. DO provided,
or some method devised which shall. under cover o.
legislative authority, not only remedy the evil sug-
0aafad hnf apahfa fhia dana Ffna amt 70 raach a 6nAl-