Morning journal and courier., 1884-04-03
SINGLE CoPIEs TWO CENTS.
Thursday, April 8, 1884.

| FAIR TREATMENT OF THE SIOUX
The bill introduced by Senator Dawes to
divide portion Of the Sioux reservation in
Dakota into separate reservations and secure
the REIMBURSEMENT of the Indian title TO the
remainder is attracting much attention, for
it deals with very difficult problem in q fair
and generous manner.
The Sioux reservation extends from the
Missouri on the east to the Black Hills eoun-
try on the west, and is e tract containing
| about forty-nine thousand square miles in
the very centre of a territory which is being
rapidly developed. The number of Indians
| upon this great reservation is only tRentys
four thousand. They have among them mis-
| sion, churches and mission and government
| schools, which are well attended and success
full. They are building houses, learning the
white mans ways, improving in farming
| about three or four thousand acres having
been brought under cultivation. But the
| white men need and want their land, and IL
has become necessary to make some arrange
| ment with them in order to secure the re-
linquishment of part of it. The bill pro-
poses to throw open to white settlement
of country comprising about eleven million
| acres of land, leaving the way open for q
direct route from the nearest point on the
Missouri to the Black Hills; and permitting
the extension toward each other until they
meet of the settlements in eastern and west
ern Dakota, which are now separated by
broad wilderness. It does full justice to the
Indians, providing in each of the new rsssr-
vations home for one of the tribes of the
Sioux nation, and for these the president is
sues patent declaring that the Unitsd
States holds the lands in trust for the tribe
for twenty-five years. At the end of that
time patent will be issued to each of the
tribes of its lands in fee In the meantime,
provision is made for the assignment of
agricultural or grazing lands to individual
Indians, when it will be for their interest.
In consideration for the csssion Of this
land the Secretary of the Interior is directed
to purchase from time to time fer the use of
the Indians frst-class bresing COWS not ex-
ceeding twenty-five thousand in number, and
bulls not exceeding one thousand. One mil
lion dollars is to be held as permanent fund,
one-half the interest to be spplisd under the
direction of the Secretary of the Interior to
the education of the Sioux, and the other
half as in his judgment will best contribute
to their civilization and self-support. The
educational provisions of the treaty of 1868
are also to continue in force for twenty years
from the passage of the act. The lsads ao-
quired by the United States are to be dis
posed of to settlers at the rate of fifty cents
an acre, and the proceeds are to be used to
reimburse the government for the purchase
of stock for the Indians. any surplus TO 60 to
the permanent fund held for their bensft.
These are the principal features Of the bill
which seems to be a model of its kind. II
poor Lo had always been treated ss fairly as
this bill proposes to treat those whom 1t con-
Germs the United States government aud the
settlers on the frontier would probably have
had less trouble with him.