The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1886-11-23
The Condition of the Indians Under
This Administration.

fairss j. d. C. Atkins, begins his an
nual report by calling attention t.
the a;takable-e evidences of pro
gress made by many of the Indiai
!, tribes. He says tt a. another year.
practical trial of this Humanitarian
and peace system only adds cumu
lative testimony to the civilization
over any other ever etstried. This
progress has been made withoutaa,
corresponding increase in expcndi
lures. In fact, the estimates fol
carrying on the Indian service hay,
been reduced from 81, ,32S,O49 in 1885,
to $5,6OS,S73 for 1888, andsbnt tol
an increase of $177,500 in estimates
for educational work the reduction
would have been greater.
Referring to the existing state o
things in Indian Territory, the Com
missioner vigorously attacks the tri
bal system and says:
.---s,At@ present the rich Indians who
cultivate tribal lands pay no rent tc
the poorer members of their tribes
although they are equal owners Of
the soil. The rich men have two
large homesteads, and control many
times more than their share of the
land. Are these the sacred rights
secured by treaty, which the United
States are pledged to respect and de-
fend? If so, the United States are
pledged to uphold and maintain a
stupendous land monopoly and aris-
tocracy that finds no parallel in this
country except in two or three local.
tiles in the far West. 1t would be
best for the Indians to divide their
land in sevralty, allowing 100 acres
to each head of family and so acres
to each minor child. The large sur
plus remaining should be sold to ac-
tual settlers at just price, and the
processes would enable the poorer
Indians to improve their allotments,
put up school buildings, etc.
Let these Indians once assume all
of the responsibilities of citizens of
the United States, with its laws ex-
tended as protecting s'gis over
them, and the day of their fear and
apprehensions of marauding whites
will be forever ended. When this is
done the five civilized tribes Of the
Indian Territory will be ready to
form a Territorial Government and
pass, as other Territories, under the
protection of our Constitution and
laws, and represented in Congress
4 by their own Delegate"
The Commissioner dwells at length
upon the surplus land in the Indian
Territory, and says: g II
Were all the Indians of the Uni
ted States to be uprooted and trans
planted to this Territory there would
then be, including those now resi-
dent there, 1869 acres for each
living Indian. This is estimating
the whole Indian population of the
United States, excluding Alaska, at
100000
The Commissioner, in treating of
Indian schools, speaks of the diff
Guilty experienced in freeing the pu-
pills from adverse home influence, and
says:
''At this time, however, | could
not advise diminution of material
aid and support to any of the differ
ent kinds of schools now fostered by
the Government. All are doing ex-
cellent and efficient service in their
particular spheres, and all are per-
forming a good part in the work of
educating and civilizing the Indians.
As an incentive to make the bestuse
of the educational advantages .affor-
ded pupils of both sexes, think it
would be wise for Congress to make
an appropriation from which every
Indian youth who shall <educnte
from school and marry an Indian
maiden who has also graduated may
be assisted in settling upon a home
stead of l60 acres, purchasing. a
team, breaking and fencing land, and
building a house. If the homestead
is not on an Indian reservation the
man should also have the privilege
of citizenship, including the right Of
sutfIage- Such a law woud greatly
encourage Indian Souths and mai
dens in their resistance to the evil
and savage influences of their untu-
tored friends, and would successful
ly prevent them from a return to
savage life" s~
The Commissioner urges the ne
cessity for an appropriation to de-
fray the expenses Of taking cen
sus of the Indians. He says the
outlay would be inconsiderabIe when
compared with the great saving it
would effect.
Some wag has started this story
on the brave old Fifteenth Iowa;
The Thirty-second Illinois was at
tached to Belknap's brigade of the
Seventeenth corps on the march from
Atlanta to the sea. On a certain
day that regiment was rear guard,
and some boys of the regiment went
to house near the road prospecting.
They found nothing but an old man.
who said that the Illinois soldiers
had stolen everything he had they
could carry, and had carried every.
thing off and left him nothing. But
he said, there was one thing they
could not steal and that was his
faith in the Lord Jesus. ''Don't
you be too sure Of that" said the
Sucker, ''the Fifteenth Iowa vii
pass here soon, and if they run low
on faith they'll yank it out of YOU
The Beauty Of Woman
is her crown of glory. But alas. how
quickly does the nervous debilit,
and chronic weakness of the Sc,
cause the bloom of youth to pas,
AWAY sharnnn thn lovely fnatnrns