Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1885-12-03
THE RED RACE.
Indian Commissioner AtkIns's Annual
Report Submitted to the Secre-
tary Of the Interior.
Hopeful Signs Of Indian Progress and
Development The Practical
Policy Which He
Thinks Should be Adopted by Congress
The Five Civilized Tribes-Lands
in Severalty.

WASHINGTON, December 2.-Gen. J. D.
Z. Atkins, commissioner of Indian Affairs.
has submitted to the Secretary of the
Interior his annual report for the fiscal
year ended June 80, 1885. The Commits
sloner prefaces his report with the state
ment that sit requires no seer to foretell or
foreeee the civilization of the Indian race,
as result naturally deducible from q
knowledge and practice upon their part of
the art of agriculture, for the history of
agriculture among all people and in
all countries intimately connects it
with the highest intellectual and
moral development of man." He
continues: The increased interest in
agriculture manifested since the opening
of last spring, and the preparations on
crease of acreage in farming, are among
the hopeful signs of Indian progress and
development. This brings me directly to
the consideration of the practical policy
which l believe should be adopted
by Congress and the government
in the management Of the In
dians. 1t should be industriously
and gravely impressed upon them that
they must abandon their tribal relations
and take lands in severalty as the corner
stone OF their complete success in agricult-
independence and material thrift. The
government should, however, 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 sRvERALTY,
in sufficient quantities, and the number of
acres in each holding may and should
vary in different localities according to
fertility, productiveness, climate and other
advantages. Then, having due regard
for the immediate and early future needs
of the Indians, ths remaining lands of
their reservations should be purchased by
the government and opened to homestead
entry st SO or rs cents per acre. The
money paid by the government for their
lands should be held in trust in 5 per cent.
bonds, to be invested as Congress may pro-
vide for the education and material
development and advance of the red race,
ressrving for each tribe its own money
II this policy were adopted systematically
by the government, it would be strange
If in five years from Inauguration and
establishment there should be an Indian
of any tribe in the whole country who
would refuse to accept so favorable and
advantageous a measure. Every step
taken, every move made, every suggestion
offered, everything done with reference to
the Indians, should be with q view of i'm
pressing upon them that this is the policy
which has been permanently decided upon
by the government in reference to their
management.
THEY MUST ABANDON TRIBAL RELATIONS;
they must give up their superstitions;
they must foTsake their savage habits and
learn Che arts OF civilization. They must
learn to labor end must learn to rear their
families as white people do, and to know
more OF the obligations to the government
and to society. In word, they must learn
TO work for living, and they must under
stand that it is their interest and duty to
send their children 10 school. When the
farm snd the school have become
familiar institutions to the Indians
and reasonable time has inter-
yened for the transition from barbsrism
or a semi. civilized state to Ons of civiliza-
ton then will tie Indian be prepared to
take upon himself the higher and more
responsible dutiss and privileges which
appertain to American citizenship. There
are in the United States, exclusive OF
Alaska, about 100000 Indians. OF that
number there are in the five civilized
tribes in the Indian Territory $1,000.
There are in New York 1870; in North
Carolina, 3IOO, and there are some in Da-
kota, Nebraska, Kansas, Wisconsin and
Minnesota and few in Califor-
MIA and the Northwest who are
civilized, and still others who can lay
come claim to civilization. Many others on
tba reservations have cast off the blanket
and are adopting the fashions and dress OF
white people, Int among all these, except
among the Indians OF New York aud
North Carolina, d few IN some of the
Northwestern States, ana q Pstt q the
Eve civilized tribes in the Indian Territory,
is a very large numb who do not till the
soil. Nearly all who are called
'BLANSET' INDIANS
have never titled the soil to any extent,
and fully half of the Indians of the
United States, exclusive of Alaska, as yet
have declined to commit themselves to
the life of the farmer. Exclusive of the
land cultivated by the five civilized tribes,
the number of acres in cultivation by In
dians during the present year is 24S, ,24l,
Al increase of lS,47S acres over
last years figures. The Commissioner
presents al some length the several
theories advanced by friends of the
Indians as to the best policy to pursue to
promote their true welfare, one PROPOSE
ton being to concentrate them within the
Indian Territory; another theory is that
the rides should be diffused over as large
a space as practicable, with view OF
bringing the Indians more directly in con-
tsot with Z higher type of civiliSa-
ton; While another proposition is
to remove, Tith the exception OF
those who have taken is:nds in
Wisconsin aud Michigan to Red Lsks and
W hita yaaaryafiOpa 1'h0Sp in
Montana, Idaho, Wyoming and Dakota to
the Great sioux reservations, and those in
Nevada, upper California, Oregon and
Washington Territory to the Yokohonas
reservation, while the Southwestern In
diRns might be concentrated upon one or
two existing reservations in that locality"
THE COMMISSIONERS
makes no definite recommendation as to
any Of these theories. Reports OF tie m
dian agents at agencies where the courts
for the trial of Indian ohenses have been
established, show that they have been en-
tirely successful, and, in many cases, emis
nently useful.
Referring to Indian police, the Com
missioner says; "To grest extent they
have met the necessstis5 Of the situation,
Rnd have proved valuable aids &c the
Indian SCENTS in preventing tres
passing ana robbing by lawless whites,
and in suppressing disorder, violence and
iucipient revolt among the more restless
of their own people. Many instances OF
eurerising fidelity to the trust imposed
Gposa them under circumstances which
would swerye many a white man from his
duty might be Es.ated of these Indian po-
licemen."
Under the head of "Cash Payiieat to
Indiana" the Commissioner says the SUM
of S522, ,333 was paid in small per capita
sums TO Indians during the past fiscal year.