The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1885-12-08
RepOrt of the Secretary of
the Interior.
TREY MUST BECOME CIVILIZED
Tbev Must Make Their Final Stand
For Existence, or Adapt 1hem
selves to the New Conditions.
The indians.


terror reviews, at:great length, the rela
tons Of the Indian tribes to the govern
ment, and settlers residing near thei
reservations; the outbreaks of the yea
and the causes Of them are considered
The recommendation OF the Commits
sioner Of Indian Affairs, that the les
guilty Of the rebellious Chiracuha
should be transported to an island il
the Pacific Ocean as penal colony, tC
earn their own living by fishing, stocE
raising, etc, or be sent to the military
prison at Fort Leavenworth IS endorsed
It IS recommended that the Southern
Utes be located in Indian Territory, and
that the Piutes of Arizona be settled on
homesteads and given farm implements
and other assistance. The subject of
leasing of land by Indians to cattle
companies, is taken up and after show
ing the passive consent of the late secre-
tary TO such leases and. the evil that has
resulted from the practice the Secretary
says: from all the facts developed on
the subject, I am convinced that the as
sistance rendered by the respective In
dian agents in the making OF these al
Legged leases, was directed more for the
Interests of the cattlemen than that of
the Indians, placed under their care and
supervision. While many Of the In
dams favored the leasings Of their lands
for grazing purposes, others were OBJ
posed and protested against such use
Sne occupation OF their reservations,
and refused to participate in the making
OF the alleged leases, or to accept anV
share OF the money received hereunder !
Sufficient influence, however, seems t. /
have been brought to bear upon ma
Jority Of the respective tribes, to induce I,
them to enter into the arrangements !
made. In my judgment. not the least
among such influences were the en-
couragement and persuasions of the re-
spectiVe Indian agents or some of them
az least; and in many instances 1
fear they ave shared IN the profits
of these speculative trangactions.
After speaking of the encrOachments of
railroads on Indian rights the Secretary
says: 1t is evident that the Indian race
has reached 4 crisis in its history. The
indian can not longer exist in this
country in a savage or Semi-civiliZed
state, nor can he longer recede before
the advancing march of civilization. 1t
has already. surrounded him, The
of pOpulace eastward and
and southwark have gone on
with unprecedented rapid ty until every
7 CoI4 c1I4OA IL CAOSCN III anu B4CSS6O : 81
upon by colonies Oh settlers, miners.
ranchers and traders. The practice OF
moving the Indians to more distant re-
serYations can be continued no longer. /
He must make his final stand for ex-
istence where 1t is now; unless he can
adapt himself TO the necessities of the
new conditions and partake Of this
civilization his extinction
viii be sure and swift. The need of a
permanent scheme of Indian manage
uent to meet this emergency is pressing
1pon the government with imperiouS h
Urgency. The Indian race is no longer +
source OF danger to the peace or Sc
,urity OF this great republic.
Most Of the reservations are en- {
.ircled by powerful communities. and
hese upon the frontiers are completely
q the hands Of our military forces. Nor
5 the Indian any longer an obstacle to
)UI national progress, or to our material
development. So far as the interests of
Dur own people are concerned, apart
rom the needs of the Indian popuIa-
ion, the Indian problem could be e-.siIv +
OlYed by simply withdrawing all gov F
rnment supervision over these people
nc comforting upon them the rights of :
American citizenship. Those who
you'd not pass away would be soon alb
orbed into American society. After
into our body polite
100000 OF blacks IN a state o: slavery .
nd investing them with citizenship and
we need not strain at
he gnat OF 10000 Indians. It Z
7OUld merely be an additional
oOrsel and very small one. Such
curse, however, would be more cruel
md destructive to the Indian in the S
helpless condition to which the extern t.
ion Of settlements will soon reduce him
han war Of determination. [ recon-
nend that portion of every reserya. {
ion be divided up into several tracts of
utable size for farms, to be allotted fo
ach individual as ais sole and seDarate :,
state Provision should be made .
galnSt the power until after a time1
Inited Of selling or mortgaging the
anne, or even leasing it to any but
ndlans living within the same reserva-
on; without legislation of this kind.
!: i eH9rtS 70 make the Indian support
lmSeH by his own labor will nrove n
,ultleSs and unayaling. To oyerconoe
IS natural aversion to labor there nnsf
e the incentive given alone by a source
guaran,e e that the fruits o. his
lpor should be enjoyed in security. No !! -
ian VIII clear forests, incloSe fields and =.
them and rear houses and 81
arms, when at any moment he NAV he in
and carried off against his viii IN In
some distant and unknown reo;or a
he ownership of land, freeboIding "
'nds TO inspire individual indena6,i' ID
snce, pride OF character, personal in ..
ostry and the development of the do ~
lestlc virtues. Provision should he
lade that the Indian accentino
atent for his land shall not tberebT %
'rfelt any of his rights. a. - y
ember OF his tribe, nor the bo
rejection and benefit which tbe ne ne
VS. eli the United States extend - p SrtS
adams generally. I favor the noIicv p
commended by my predecessor IN II
rs otice, Secretary Kirkwood- Of 70. Re
iclng to proper size the existino s1
servauons when entirely ont o7 tn
opoTtion TO the number of indians Sol
ereon, with the consent of the In ~
ans, and upon just and fair terms. n
ID second, OF placing by patent the =
les to these diminished reservations
fully under the protection of the &c
urts as are the titles of all others of IL
T people to their lands. The surnIns n
rtion cut off should be subject to sale e
d the proceeds invested for the bene- ts,
Of the Indians Tho ovoo-,A,1.- = :. | -