The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1886-06-11
INDIAN MATTERS.


Report of the Committee Investigating Ar
fairs in the Indian Territory.
WASHINGTON, June 1.-THE report or
the Committee on Indian Affairs on its in
vestigation of the conditions of the Indians
in the Indian Territory and other reserYa-
tions was submitted to the Senate yester-
day. Touching the claims Of the Creeks
and Seminoles in Oklahoma, and pre-
tense of right of entry upon these lands
by bands of colonists, the committee unite
in the conclusion that the United States
have no right to dispose of the ownership
of the soil in that ceded tract WlthouC
further agreement with these tribes, ex-
cept for the purpose of settling friend
" Indians upon these lands, and the
duty of preventing any intrusion upon those
lands which is distinct treaty obligation Is
only increased by the trust accepted TO set
tie friendly Indians there. Regarding the
leases of lands for grazing purposes made
by various tribes, the report says thaC tne
decision OF the President that all such
leases were of no effect in law, has left the
subject to depend on a question of law
rather than that of fact as to
which the committee is not required
to express its views. The five civil
lied tribes, the committee says, are
cOnspicuOusly in advance of all other North
American Indians in every respect and the
wild tribes can be brought up to the
same standard by the influences of educa-
tiOn and civilization. The cOmmittee gives
a brief sketch of the form of government
of the various tribes from the Pottawato-
mics to the CherOkees, and of the latter,
says it is modelled on the plan OF the State
governments and has developed into
high type Of republican government, and
that it is difficult, after searching lnVes-
tigation, to point out any serious defects
in the constitution or statutes. In some
respects several of the State constitutions
could be amended to advantage by append
ing some of the provisions of the Cherokee
constitution.
-Four of these five commOnwealths, F"
the committee says, 'are well prepared to
take their places among the States or the
Union. If they were all united under one
constitution they could be admitted into the
Union as a State without any danger of
disturbing the harmony of the great sister
hood of American States or of derogating
from the honor or welfare of the Federal
Government The time is near at hand
when their interests and ours will require
that this further step must be taken and
our policy in dealing with this people
should now be carefully adapted to this
result. They have advanced nearly as
far as they can go without a
helping hand from the United States.
Their relations to the general Government
should be such as to sustain and encourage
their noble efforts to accomplish their great
task. At present our plan of dealing with
them, which was WOper and useful while
they were building up, is repressive and in
furious to them. We can not afford to check
their progress or to permit our people to go in
upon them and supplant them in the control
of their own government The best interests
of the five civilized tribes and the welfare of
the United States require that they should
be brought directly within the just and pro-
tecting influences of the political and ju-
dicial powers of the United States as far as
may be consistent with the welfare and
rights of local government guaranteed to
them. Their governments should be recog-
nized as being in every way lawful as far
as they do not violate the constitution of
the United States and should continue un-
der their own control"