Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1886-01-21
LANDS IN sEyERALTY.
- sheridan,s Indian Policy.


hstions of his last annual report
- repsrd to the Indian question, Lieut.
c. Sheridan has written the follow
ing statement; .oo.
oomended that each Indian family be
zen and located upon the 800 acres
~ nroyided for them by law in case
~ actual settlement; that the govern
s,ent then condemn the remainder of
aach reservation and buy it in at 81 25
ver acre. and with the proceeds pur-
bbase government bonds to be held in
INST Nv the interior department, Civ
mo the Indians each year the interest
on the bonds for their support. cit
ed in ILLUSTRATION of what would be
the practical workings of this sugges
ion the case of the Crows the Cheyen-
nos and Arapahoes, and the Utes; but
limits of my report did not permit a
fulI elucidation of the advantages
that would accrue to the Indian, nor
even an allusion to the large amount
If land now lying idle that would
thereby be opened to settlement and
increase by so much the material pros
perity of the nation.
When it is attempted to deal with
tbis subject more in detail difficulty
is at once encountered, in that Meth
er the actual area of the various res
ervations has been accurately deter
mined nor she population of the In
dams occupying them know within
more than approximate limits. 1t
will. therefore, not be possible to
show the exact workings of the
method proposed, but only general
summary concerning the cases of the
larger reservation in each territory
and the most populous of the differ
ent tribes. Similar statistics for
the smaller tribes are, however, in
claded IN the accompanying tables.
Since the appropriations for the sup
port of the Indians are not in every
case made specifically for those upon
any particular reservation, but, rath
err. collectively for those inhabiting
some state and territory, in making
comparison with the sum now requir-
ed for the subsistence of the Indians
and the annuities allowed them by
treaty, the aggregate for a territory
or for several territories, has necessar-
ily been considered rather than for
each tribe or reservation.
In Dakota the principal reservations
are the Fort Berthold and those in
habited by the various bands of
Sioux. The Fort Berthold reservation,
With an area of over 1900, 600 acres,
has population of 1900 people; the
others an area of nearly %, $50, 900
acres, and population of about 25,
$40. Carrying out the proposals of
my report would in the former case,
afford an annual income of over
S140,000 and in the latter case sur
plus uHoccupied by the Indians of
over 20, 500, 600 acres, or an extent of
territory eqaal to the combined area
Of the states of New Hampshire, Yer.
mont, Massachusetts, and Connect
cut, the proceeds of which, at A per
cent. per annum, woald yield an IN
lerest of over 81 900, 900. With two
of the smaller reservations Devils
Lake and South Mountain-area 276,-
4S0 acres, population over 1900
nearly half the land would be requir-
ed by the Indians In this case, then
the income from the surplus would
be small, being little less than S.
600 per annum. In Montana the
Blackfeet reservation contains over
81, 100000 acres and a population of
less than 1900 Indians. The surplus
land, equal to the area of the state of
Maine, would then return an income
$1,060,00 The Grow reservation
mentioned in my report could, in a
similar manner, be made to produce
ian annual sum of 1928, 900. Consider
ng all the Indians and reservations
the territories of Dakota and Mon
tana, we have an aggregate area of
over 81 600, 600 acres and a population
Of les, than $4,000. The surplus area
of nearly 81, 900 square miles would
produce an annual interest of over SOL
100000. The appropriations for the
fiscal year ending June 80, 1884, for
fulfilling treaties with these tribes and
for their subsistence AID civilization,
and the pay of the employees incident,
TO such undertaking, amounts to aboat
SlOO,OOO less than this sum.
In Wyoming the Soshones are To-
Gated upon the Wind river reserva-
ton One hundred and seventeen
thousand dollars per year could be de-
rived from their surplus land. In
Idaho the Fort Hall reservation,
occupied by the Bannocks and Shosh-
ones, would in the same way produce
each year $4,000 and the Cpur
dAlene 5000. In these two terri
torles-Wyoming and Idaho-the to-
tai area of the reservations is nearly
1900 900 acres; the population nearly
5000. An area o! nearly 200 square
miles, almost equal to the state of
New Jersey, would not be required
Tor the Indians, and an income of
about 1896, 900, a sum more than 800,
wv IN excess Of the approximation for
the current year. In Oregon the
most popular reservation is the
klamath, with over 1000, 600, acres,
Dat less than 1000 inhabitants. 1t
would yield $50, 600 a year. In Wash
lngton territory the Yakamas, about
o,zJO in number, occupy the reserva-
4on OF 800, 900 acres of the same name.
Here the surplus land would bear but