The Waco daily examiner. [volume] (Waco, Tex.) 187?-1888, 1885-12-03
A RED PROBLEM.
The Noble Red Man Discussed
by Commissioner Atkins
in His Report.
He Must Cease to be LOafing
Murderer and Thief, and
work For Living.
He Must Cease Raising Hair
and Take to Raising Crops
For Himself.
but anwhtle He Continues
Numbering and Stealing as
Usual, in Arizona.
OUR RED WARDS.

Commissioner Athin's Report.
WASHINGTON, December q. Gen.
eral Atkins, commissioner of Indian
affairs, has submitted to the secreta-
ry of the interior his annual report
for the fiscal year, which ended June
30, 1885. The commissioner prefaces
the report with the statement that
cit requires no seer TO foretell or
foresee that the civilization OF the In.
dian race is a result naturally de-
ducible from the knowledge and
practice, upon their part, of the art of
agriculture, for the history of agri-
culture among oil people and in all
countries, intimately connects II with
the highest intellectual and moral de-
velopmenis of man"
He continues: "rhe increased in
terest in agriculture, manifested since
the opening of last spring, and the
preparations Oh several reservations
for still larger increase of acreage in
farming, are among the hopeful signs
OF THE INDIANS PROGRESS
and development. This brings me
directly to the consideration of a
practical policy which, | believe,
6hOh" bt huOlhN' toh"
gress and the government
in the management of the indians. 1t
should be industriously and gravely
pressed upon them that they must
abandon tribal relations and take
lands in severalty, AZ the cornerstone
of their complete success in agricul-
ture; which means self-support, per-
sOnal independence and material
thrift. The government should, how
ever, in order to protect them, retain
the right TO their lands, in trust, for
twenty-five years or longer, but issue
trust patents at once to such Indians
as have taken individual holdings.
When the Indians have taken their
lands In severalty in sufficient quanti-
ties--sl d the number of acres in each
should vary in different local
tiles according to fertility, produc-
tons, climatic and other advantages
then, having due regard to the i'm
the Indians, the remaining lands of
their reservation should be purchased
by the government and opened to
homestead entry at fifty or seventy
live cents per acre, and the money
paid by the government for the lands
should be held in trust Ia five per
cent. bonds to be Invested, as con-
gress may provide, for the education,
AND MATERIAL DEvEL-
oPMENT
aud advance ofthe red race; reserv-
ing for each tribe its own money.
If this policy was adopted, systemat-
iCally, by the government, il would
be strange if in five years from its
aud establishment there
should be an Indian of any tribe in
the country who would refuse to &C
cept so favorable and advantageous
a measure.
Everything done with reference
to Indians, should be with view of
impressing upon them that this is the
policy which has been permanently
decided upon by the government in
reference to their management.
That they must abandon tribal rela-
tions; must give up superstitions;
must forsake savage habits,
aud learn the arts of civilization; must
learn to labor, to rear families as
white people, aud TO know more of
their obligations to government and
society; In a word, that they must
learn