Connecticut western news., 1888-02-22
FORT HALL RESERVE.
The Shoshones and Bannocks to
 Sell a Town Site.

The communication just sent to Congress by the President relating to the Fort H all reserve ton of methods by which Indians may obtain large incomes through disposing of lands for which they have no use.
 Two railroad lines cross the Fort Hall reser- vation, the Oregon and short line running east and west, and the Utah and Northern running north and south. Commissioner Atkins rec commended to the Forty-ninth Congress two measures, in accordance with requests of the railway companies, who were anxious to ob- tain privileges that they would have if travers- ing the territory outside of the reservation, and 10 compensate the Indians fairly and fully. One of these measures proposes to buy right of way for the Utah and Northern through the reservation, with ground necessary for stations and water places, It was agreed that the way should not exceed 200 feet in width, and that all land taken should be paid for at 6 suitable price, according to maps and plats of definite location to be filed by the company and ap- proved by the Secretary of the Interior. The second measure proposed to lay out . town site where the two railroads meet.
 These bills did not secure proper attention last winter but in May two representatives of the Indian Office went to the Shoshones and Bannocks and camo to the following under standing, as set forth in their official report:
 The Indians agreed to surrender and relin- quish to the United States all their estate title and interest in and to so much of the Fort Hall reservation at or near Pocatello as is comprised within certain defined boundaries, containing an area of $40 acres, more or less, saving and excepting so much thereof as has been hereto fore relinquished to. the Utah and Northern and Oregon Short Line Railway Companies The land so relinquished is to be surveyed by the United States and laid off into lots and blocks as town site, and after due appraise- ment thereof. to be sold at public auction to ths bighes. bidder, at such time, in such man. ner, and upon such terms and conditions as Congress may direct; the funds arising from such sale, after deducting all necessary ex- penses, to be deposited in the Treasury of the United States to the credit of the Indians, and to bear interest at the rate of 5 per cent. per annum, with power in the Secretary of the h. terior to expend all or any part of the principal and accrued interest thereof for the benefit and support of said Indians in such manner and at such t.mes as he shall see fit. Or, said lands so reiinquished are to be disposed of for the benefit of said Indians in such and other man. ner as Congress may direct.
 In addition the desired right of way was granted to the Utah and Northern, and the snm of ss an acre fixed upon for the land so taken.
 The President has now recommended that Congress should take action upon bill just proposed at the Interior Department for car- rying out these stipulations. Probably no better illustration could be given of the new policy which seeks to make the reservation h. dians the sharers in the benefits of pro- gress and civilization. Two years ago Gen. Sheridan estimated that if every Indian family on the Fort Hall reservation should receive S20 acres of land, and the remainder be sold to the Government for the benefit of the h. dians even at $1.25 an acre, this surplus would yield, at the rate of per cent, an annual in- come of S55,0o0. The actual price to be paid for tn present railroad route is at the rate of SS an acre, while for Pocatello the bidding is to be at auction for building lots, so that it will undoubtedly bring much more; and the net proceeds are to be put at interest at 5 per provement of the Indians in addition to the present annual treaty income. No one can question that the Indian lands adjacent to the railroads and to the new town will also aid greatly it's increase in value.
 When railoads began to penetrate the far West they were scrupulously kept from lands occupied by Indians. The theory was that they would intrude on lands guaranteed against intrusion that they would lead to roadside settlements by whites, on one or another pretence; that when Indians went on the warpath trains might be wrecked and passen gers slaughtered. But time has shown that these fears need not be entertained Indian wars at the Northwest have become very rare and wholly needless. Experience in . few cases where it was imperative, that rail- roads should cross reservations, showed that they were invariably of benefit 10 the Indians, from the facility with which supplies could be brought by them in time of need and the the Indians to habits of industry by giving . market for their labor or farm products; and they allow selling small tracts of surplus lands at liberal prices, with the Government looking after the rights of the red men, as in the case of the Fort Hall reserve.