St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-06-07
INDIAN TERRITORY.
The Land observation-disclosures of the
Civilized Tribes.

Civilized Tribes.
WASHINGTON, June 4.-The report of
the committee on Indian affairs on its in
yestigatlons of the condition of the Indians
in the Indian territory and other reserva-
tions was submitted in the senate to-day.
Touching the claims of the Creeks and
Seminoles in Oklahoma and the pretenses
of right of entry upon these lands by
colonists, the committee unite in the con-
clusiOn that the United States have no
right to dispose of the ownership in the
soil in that tract without further agreement
with those tribes. except for the purpose of
settling other friendly tribes on these
lands, and the duty of preventing any in
trusion upon these lands, which is a dis
tnct treaty obligation, is only increased by
the trust which we have accepted
to settle friendly Indians there. Regarding
the leases of lands for grazing purposes
made by various tribes it says that the de-
cision of the president that all such leases
were of no effect in law has left the subject
to depend on question of law rather than
of fact, as to which the committee is not re-
quired to express its views.
THE FIVE CIVILIZED TRIBES,
the committee says, are cOnspicuouSly in
advance of all other North American In
dams in every respect, and the wilder
tribes can be brought up to the same stand
ard by the influences OF education and re-
ligiOn. The committee gives brief sketch
of the form of government of the various
tribes from the Pottawa.tamies TO
the Cherokees and of the latter
says that it is modelled upon
the plan of state governments and has de-
veloped into high type of republican gov
eminent. and that it is difficult, after &
searching criticism, te point out any serious
defect in the constitution or statutes. In
some respects it says several of our state
constitutions could be amended with adj
vantage by adopting some Of the provisions
of the Cherokee constitution. -Four OF
these five commemorative, " the committee
says, ''are well prepared to take their
places among the states of 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 sisterhood Of
American states or of derogat-
ing from the honor or welfare
of the federal government. The time is
nearly at hand when their interests and
ours will require that this further step must
be taken and our policy in dealing with
these people should now be carefully
adopted to this result. They have advanced
nearly as far as they can go without help
ing 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 proper and useful while they
were building up. is repressve aud iniuri-
Gus to them. We cannot afford either to
check their progress or to permit our peopls
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 now require that they
should be brought directly within the just
and protecting influence of the political and
judicial powers of the United States as far
as may be consistent with their welfare and
the rights of local government guaranteed
to them. Their governments should be
recognized as being in every way lawful,
as far as they do not violate the constitu-
ton of the United States and should con-
tinue under their own control" The COM
mittee recommends the creation OF two
divisions in the Western judicial
district of Arkansas ana the
establishment of court on
or near the railroad which extends through
the territory. 1.-The placing of enlightened
Indians on the jury in the federal courts"
| the committee says, would be the first dis
| tinct recognition of their capacity to exert
the duties of citizenship in the United States
in the enforcement of the laws and would
inspire them with an earnest zeal in support
of the authority of the government" Re
garding the condition of the freedmen there
has been complaints of violations of theit
rights under the treaty. The government
having manifested determination to secure
I the full measure of their rights, they are i'll
! a fair way to develop into respectable citi-
zens of their respective nations.