Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1885-12-12
NATIONAL AFFAIRS.
Extracts from the Annual Reports of the
Heads of the Interior and Navy Depart
ments-Secretary Lamar's Ideas for Bet
tering the Condition of the Red Men.


Heads of the Interior and Navy Depart
ments-Secretary Lamar's Ideas for Bet
tering the Condition of the Red Men.
INTERNAL AFFAIRS.
WASHINGTON, Dec. THE annual re-
port of the Secretary of the Interior re-
views, at great length, the relations of the
Indian tribes to the Government and the
settlers residing near their reservations.
The Indian outbreaks of the year
and the causes of them are con.
sidered. The recommendation of the
Commissioner OF Indian Affairs that
the less guilty OF the rebelious Chricahuas
should be transported to an island in the
Pacific Ocean, as penal colony. to earn
their own living by fishing, stockrdisng,
etc, OF sent to the military prison at Fort
Leay snworth, is indorsed. 1t is recon-
menf1f that the Southern Utes be
lreaSi IN Indian Territory, and that
the Piu,es of Oregon, be settled ON home
steads and given farm implements and
other assistance. The subject Of the leas-
Ing of land by Indians to cattle companies
is taken up, and the Secretary says he is
convinced that in the making of these
leases the assistance rendered by the Indian
agents was directed more for the interests
OF the cattlemen than for the Indians under
their care and supervision.
After speaking of the encroachments of
railroads on Indian rights, the Secretary
says,
1t Is evident that the Indian race has
reached crisis in its history The Ind
can no longer exist i'll this country in r.
savage Or sem,-cVllIed state, nor can
they longer reCede before the advancing
march of ciyO2ation. 1t has already
surrounded them Movements of population
eastward and nOrthwArd and sOuthMa ard have
gone on with unprecedented rapidlty until
every reservation is closed in and press
upon by colonies, settlers, miners, ranCh-
men and traders. The practice of NOV
ing the Indian to more distant reser-
vatiOns can be continued no longer.
tie must make his final stand for exist.
encC where he is now. Unless he can adapt
himself TO the neCess es OF these new COndi-
tons and paitake OF this all pervaling vili-
2atlOn his extinction Will be sure and swift.
Inc need OF permanent scheme of Indian
management to meet this emergency is press
ing upon the Government with imperloue
urgency,
The report declares that the Indian race is
no longer Il source OF danger to the peace of
the Republic; neither IS itUny longer All obsta-
Gle TO National progress Or material develop.
ment 1t says So far as the interests OF our
own people are concerned apHrt from the
needs of the Indian population, the Indian
problem could be easily solved by sim
ply Withdrawing all Governmental SUI
peYison over these people and confer
ring upon them the rights of Ameri-
can citizenship. After Incorporating into onr
body polite 4U0OUUl of blacks in Il state Of
slavery and investing them with citizenship
aud suffrage we need not stra n at the gnat
OF 2d10V Ind ans. such a course, however,
would be more cruel and destructive to the
Indian, in the helpless cOndt Oh to which the
eXlens on Of settlements viii soon reduce him,
than n war of determination.
! recommend that q portion of every
reservation be divided up into separate tracts
OF suitable SIZE Tor farms, to be allotted to
each individual as his sole and separate es
tate. Provision should be made against the
power until after time limited ot sell ny OF
WOltgAglnp the same, OF even easing IL 10
any but Indians living within the same
reservation Without legislation Of this
kind all efforts to make the Indian support
himself by ms own labor will prove iruitjcSl
and unavailing To overcome his natural
aversion to labor there must be the incentive
given alone by II sure guaranty hat the fruits
Oi his labor shall be enIoh ed IN security No
man will clear forests, nelOse fields and
cultivate them, and rear houses and harnS
when at any moment he may be removed
and carried Oft against his VIII tt
Some distant and unknown region. The
ownership of land, frceholdng, tends 10 in
spire individual Independence pride of char
8cter, personal industry, and the defeop
ment OF the domestic virtues PfoviS or
should be nlude that the Ind an accepting a
patent for his hand shall not the, eb forte
an, Oh his rights AS II member of his tribe
nor the prOteetiun and benefit which the laws
OF the United States extend to the Indians
gcl clHlIy.
The Secretary recommends the appoint
mCnt Of commission OF not more than six
men of integrity, Intelligence and expert
ence. and OF such ability as to be able tC
comprehend the cOulSe of treatment and
methods OF management best adapted to in.
sure the SpeedIeSt progress OF the respective
uibeS and bands, to visit each of the reser
yatons, and investigate and report the cOn
diton, peculiar circumstances and needs oil
the Indians residing thereon. The condition
OF the Indian schools is gratifying, The
story OF the Oklahoma inyasjonS is retoid
and it is stated that these unlawful move
mentS have rendered it unwise at present t
open negotiations with the Indians owning
the title to these lands for the purpose o
opening them to settlement
Three million nine hundred and twely,
| thousand four hundred and fifty acres o
| public land have been sold for cash; l6,
| 20l, ,2lS acres have been absorbed by public
| entry, and SSl, $50 acres OF Indian lauds
| have been disposed of, making grand tota
| of 90, gqj, ,5l3. Tie total receipts from
these lands were SS6l959s. The tota
| area of surveyed lands up to the S0th o
Il. "a 4 IN n't,o
/ unserNeyed is estimated at S45, $50, 500. 81
! acres,
The establishment of a court in the Vel
| lowstone National Park with exclusive ju
| risticton over all miSdcmcanors, and witt
power to examine and to hold to bail in al
cases OF felOnieS, to be tried in the neares
court having criminal jurisdiction, Is Iec
commended. The expenses of the Park fo
next year are estimated at sl50,0O0
THE NAVY.
WAsHINGToN, Dec. IA Summary o
the principal points OF interest in the repor
of Mr.. Whitney, Secretary OF ths Navy,
+ given below;
I The property of the navy.yards valued a
about $50 O1tOJJ. is reported as falling rapid
into n condition of extreme decay, and I
recommended tllNt improvements ut UiUut N
once unless II be the desire OF Congress
abandon the property to waste and ruin. Th
SeCl etary rel orts that eAt client progress
I being made IN the manufacture of steel gun
! Tor the new ships. aud says that five slx.nc
and two iivo.nch brCech loading high pOwe
steel guns have been completed and satislu,
tOrilN tested.
The deposits from the sale of Governmer
property under the control of the Navy u,
paltmcnt from November |, 1884, to Noven
per |, 1885, amounted to S23l,H0
The squadrons are reported rs follows
North Atlantlc-1ennesse ltiagshipl, Brook
l,n, Galeua, Swatara. Alliance and lant
South Atlantic-La caster diagshipl and Mi
sc. Asiatlc-Irenton tiiagshipl, Omah,
Mar0n Ossipee, Alert, honocac
ami Polns. Pacific = Hartford tilal
Snip, Shenandoah, Mohican, lroQuoi:
Adams and p nta. The latter ve'
sci $ occupied exclusively In cruising /
Alaskan waters Eurorean-PensaCo ola, Gun
nchauph and kearsagc. The vessels of tn
navy on detached service are the POwhutu
and Despatch on the Atlantic coast, the NJ icl
ipnn ON the lakes, and the Ranger in surve,
Ing aud sounding work on the coast of Cal
turna
The total amount of appropriations for tn
Department for the last fiscal year was Slh
SN5tc.s, and there was AN unexpcndei balauc
from this sum of S!,Shi,6ih at the heginnin
of the present fiscal year. The arprnpri,
ons available for the present fiscal yeal
! commencing july |, lSS1, are Sla, 5M, IN Tn
amount drawn by warrant from the freasur
from July l. Issi. To November l. lss5, dcdue
ing that refunded, is 81 nj, 20 The amour