, 1885-12-12

SECRETARY LAMAR'S REPORT.
The report of the secretary of the inte-
rior reviews at length the condition of
the various Indian tribes and shows a gen
eral state of peace and order and consid-
able progress among them. The only
outbreaks were those Of the Apaches of
Arizona, in May last, and of the Southern
Utos about the same time. The secre-
tary regards the recommendation of the
commissioner of Indian affairs that the
less guilty Of the rebellious Chiricahuas
should be transported to an island in the
Pacific Ocean, as a penal colony, to earn
their own living by fishing, stock raising,
etc. or sent to the military prison at Fort
Leavenworth, as worthy of consideration.
He advises that the Southern. Utes be
located in the Indian Territory or with
their kindred in Utah. The secretary
speaks encouragingly of the progress
made in Indian education. There are in
all two hundred Indian schools, including
seven industrial training schools not on
the reservations. lie thinks the schools
established by the Indians in the terri
tories Of the five civilized tribes afford
conclusive proof of their capacity to edu-
cate their children up to the require
ments of an advanced civilization. He
says
In all their appointments, unless it may
be in facilities for teaching mechanic arts,
these schools are as well adapted to the
education of Indian youths as those that
are conducted under the authority of the
United States. The chief difficulty in
gaining the consent of Indian parents to
having their children educated in distant
schools is their fear that they will be made
to perform mental labor for white people.
They dread this as Il species of slavery, TO
which they are strongly averse.
This feeling would not exist if their chill
drcn were 10 be educated among the peo-
pie Of a kindred race, where no feeling of
caste would dcpress them or excite their
system in the Indian Territory would
bring the wild Indians into friendly con-
tact with those who are civilized, and
would induce them to adopt the course
which has SO greatly benefited the FIVE
civilized tribes. l therefore recommend
that authority be given under which the
proper department, to be designated by
congress, can arrange with any of the five
civilized tribes for the education of the
children Of the Indians of the western
reservations in the Indian country, and
that a sum of money be appropriated to
give this effort a fair trial.
A detailed statement of the progress of
railroad building through the reservations
is given, and the secretary takes grounds
against the practice of removing the In
dams TO more distant reservations, to meet
the advancing march of civilization, and
declares that while so far as the interests
of our own people are concerned, apart
from the needs Of the Indian population,
the Indian problem could be easily solved
by simply Withdrawing all governmental
supervision over these people and confer
ring upon them the rights af American
citizenship such a course would be more
cruel and destructive to the Indian in the
helpless condition to which the extension
OF settlements will soon reduce him than
a war Of determination, Secretary Lamar
iayors the policy recommended by his pre-
decessor, Secretary Kirkwood, of reducing
to proper size the existing reservations,
when entirely out of proportion to the
number Of Indians thereon, with the con-
sent Of the Indians, and upon Just and
fair terms; and second, of placing by pa
tent the titles to these diminished reserva-
tlous as fully under protection of courts as
ale titles of all other people to their lands.
This scheme Mr.. Lamar bases upon the
conviction that the Indians must be led
into holding lands in severalty by ripen.
ing their right Of occupancy under their
communal system into a fee-simple by a
gradual process and not by the sudden
abolition of the tribal system, which is
with them a religion as well as a law of
property. The secretary devotes a con
siderable portion of his report to showing
the advantage and feasibility of such a
Treatment of the Indian question.
The protection of the public lands, the
cultivation and preservation of timber and
the condition of the sinking fund accounts
Of the Pacific railroads are set forth and
extensively discussed. The secretary
warmly approves the pension system as a
nolia benc6.ap.a who, woll ard ,loa,lv