The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1886-11-05
THE INDIANS.

Annual Repart of Commissioner Atkins
HIS Ideas as to What should be Done
With the Red Man.
WASHINGTON, Oct 30.-The Commits
sioner of Indian Affairs, j. ID. c. Atkins,
has just completed his annual report. He
begins by calling attention to the unmis.
taxable evidei.cos of progress made by
many of tie tribes. and says: 1.-THE excel
lent temper. subordination and general
tranquility which, with two or three excep-
tons, have everywhere prevailed are OF
themselves a most suspicious omen of
progress. Many facts fully establish the
cain that during the past year the Indian
race has taken a frmer step in the march
toward civilization than ever before i'm the
same length of time. The estimates for
carrying on the Indian service have been
reduced from S7,52S ,039 in lSS6, to S5.60S.-
Ss3 for 1887, and but for an increase OF
SIT, 500 in the estimate for educatOna.
work, the reduction would have been even
greater"
Considerable space is devoted to dis
cussion of the condition and future OF the
live civilized tribes in the Indian Territory.
Referring 10 the attempts of BOOMERS to
encroach upon their reservation the Com
missioner says: 1T is not reasonable tn
expect that the Government will never tire
OF menacing its own people with its own
army. Therefore. it becomes vastly inn
portant that these five civilized tribes
should cooperate with the Government in
establishing peace and quiet within their
borders"
After speaking of the failure of the In
dams to sympathiZe with the Government
in its effort to promote the taking up OF
tlxt,,, st ln,,
says that it would be best for the Indians
to divide their lands in severa!ty, al!otting
100 acres to each head of family, and So
acres to each minor child. The large sur
plus remaining should be sold to actual
settlers at a just price, and the proceeds
would enable the poorer Indians to improve
their ailOtments, put ZIP school build
ings, etc. Says the Commissioner: LET
these indians once assume all tie RESPONSE.
bilities of citizens of the United States.
with its laws extended as protecting PyiS
over them, and the day of their fear and
apprehensiOns of marauding visitors will be
forever ended"
Tie Commissioner dwells at length upon
the surplus land in the Indian Territory,
and says: 'Were all the Indians in the
United States to be uprOoted and trans
planted to that Territory there would then
Ut, iiCl uulllR tIlOSc low ItSluiug tAclc
acres for each living Indian" He sug
Ccsts that the kiowas. Comanches, WIch
itas, Cheyennes and ArapaliOes, the only
Indians in the Territory west of longitude
S. be removed TO lands east of that line.
The Commissioner expresses his convic-
ton that the proposition to throw open Ok
lahoma to white settlement would he an
experiment dangerous to all concerned.
1t is therefore recommended as preiim
mary step that Congress authorize the
department to appoint commission who
shall visit the Cheyennes and ArapahOes,
the Wichitas and kiOwas. COmanchcs
and Apaches in the Indian Territory.
to ascertain their views with reference
to the subject of removal to lands in the
Territory east of 9S degrees. The report
says that the immediate necessity for the
establishment OF United States district
court within the heart of tho territory Of the
five civilized Nations no longer admits of a
dOnlst