The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-12-04

appear early in our legislation. Large reserva-
ions, hetd IN common. and the maintenance OF
sne authority OF the chiefs and head-men have
deprived the individual Of every incentive TO the
exercise or thrift. ana the annuity has contri-
os'ed an Affirmative impulse 10 the wards
OF the state for confirmed pauoeriSn,
Our treaty stipulatious should be observed with
hielity, and our legislation should b. highly
considerable Of the best interests OF an Ignorant
and helpless people. The reservations are now
generally surrounded by white settlements We
can no longer push the Indian back into the
wilderness, and IL remains only, by every suita-
Die agency. TO push him upward into tue estate
1 81. sen supporting and responsible citizen.
FOR the adult the first steps 70 locate him upon
tSrmi Tor the child 70 place him in a school.
FORCED TO GO To SCHOOL
School attendance should be promoted nv
S1eFy moral agency, and thoss falling should
De compelled. The national schools for Indians
nave been very successful and should be multi
piled, and, as far as possible should be SO
organized and conducted as TO facilitate the
transfer OF the schools 10 the states or terri
tories IN which they are located. when the
indians IN neighborhood have accepted citi-
zenship and have become otherwise lifted for
such transfer. This condition of things will
oe attained slowly, but it will be fastened by
Keeping it in mind. and In the meantime thar
cooperation between the government and the
mission schools, which wrought much good
should be cordially and impartially maintained
NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE SIOUX.
The last congress enacted two distinct laws
relating TO negotiations with the Sioux Indians
OF DAKOTA for the REIMBURSEMENT OF a norton
OF their lands TO the United States and for
dividing the remainder into separate reserya-
TONS, Both were approved on the same day
Marcn = The one submitted TO the Indians
specinc proposition; the other, section B of the
lndlan appropriation act, authorized the Presi
dent TO appoint three commissioners to negotl-
ate with these Indians for tho accomplishment
OF the same general purpose, and required
that any agreements made should
pc submitted To congress for rat'facton.
On the 10th day of April last | appointed
non. Charles Foster OF Ohio, Hon. William
Nanre or Missouri, and Maj Gen. George Crook
OF the United States Army, commissioners un.
der the lastnamed law. They WERE however
authorized and directed first, 10 submit TO the
INDIANS tue Definite proposition made to them
by the act first mentioned, and only In the event
OF failure to secure the assent of the requisite
number To that proposition to open negotia-
tons for modified terms under the other act
me work OF the commission was pro
longed and arduous, but the assent of
the requisite number, it is un-
derstood, finally obtained to the proposition
made By congress, though the report of the
com mission has not vet been submitted In
vlsed, deem 1t necessary to submit the agree
ment TO congress for ratification; but it will In
due course, be submitted for information. This
agreement releases TO the United States about
9,0OOOOO acres of land.
NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE cHERoKEEs.
The commission provided for by section II of
the Indian appropriation bill to negotiate with
the Cherokee Indians, and all other Indians
owning or claiming lands lying west of
the 96o of longitude, for the cession
to the United States of all such
lands, was constituted by the appointment OF
Hon. Lucius Fairchild of Wisconsin, Hon. John
+. Hartranft of Pennsylvania, and Hon alfred
NJ wilson OF Arkansas, aud organized on June
30, last. Their first conference with the repre-
sentatives of the Cherokees was held at Table
quah, July 30 with no definite results. Gen.
John F. Hartranft OF Pennsylvania was pre-
vented by illhealth from taking part in the
conference His death, which occurred recently
is justly and generally lamonted by people he
had served with conspicuous gallantry in war,
and with great fidelity in peace. The vacancy
thus created was filed by the appointment
OF Hon. Warren G. Sayre of Indiana.
second conference between the commission
and the Cherokees was tegun Nov. e, but no
results have yet been obtained, nor is IL believed
that conclusion can be Immediately expected
CHEEK OF THE cArrLEMEN
The cattle syndicate now occupying the lands
for grazing purposes is clearly one of the agen-
cies responsible for the distractions of our ne
gotations with the Cherokees.
The large bodies of agricultural lands consLi-
tuting what is known as the Cherokee Outlet"
ought not to be. and indeed cannot long he held
for grazing, and for the advantage Of few
against the public interests and the best advan-
The United States has now under
the treaties certain rights in these lands These
will not be used oppressively, but it cannot be-
allowed that those who by sufferance occupy
these lands shall interDose to defeat the wise
and beneficeut purposes of the government
cannot but believe that the advantageous char
acter of the offer aade by the United States to
the Cherokee nation, for full release of these
lands as compared with other suggestions now
made to them, VIII yet obtain for II favorable
consideration
THE AGREEMENT WITH THE CREEKS.
Under the agreement made between the
United States and the Muscogeee Tor Creek
nation of Indians on the 10Th day of January
1889, anisbsolute title was secured by the United
States to about three and half millions of
acres of land. Section IL of the general milan
appropriation act, approved March g 1889,
made provision for the purchase by the United
States from the Seminole tribe of certain por-
ton Of their lands. The dele
gates of the Seminole nation
act in that behalf. delivered a proper release
and conveyance to the United States of all the
lands mentioned in the act, which was accepted
by me and certified to be in compliance with
the statute. By the terms Of both he,acts re-
ferred to all the lands SO purchased
were declared to be part of the
public domain, and open to settlement
under the homestead law. But of the lands
embraced in these purchases, being in the
aggregate about $500, 900 acres, 100000 acres
had already under the terms OF the treaty Of
1866 been acquired by the United States for the
purpose Of settling other Indian tribes thereon,
The land remaining and available for settle
nent consisted of 1877 ,796 acres surrounded on
all sides by lands in the occupancy OF Indian
tribes. Congress had provided no
civil government for the people who
we're to be invited by my proclamation
to settle upon these lands except as the new
court which had beel established at Muscogee,
or the United States courts in some OF the ad-
Joining states had power to enforce the general
laws of the United States
OPENING UP OKLAHOMA.
In this condition of things / was quite re-
luctant to open the lands to settlement. But In
view of the fact that several thousand persons,
many of them with their families. had gathered
upon the borders of the Indian territory with
view of securing homesteads on the ceded lands,
and that delay would involve them in much loss
and suffering, | did. on the 23rd day of March
last issue a proclamation declaring that the
lands therein described would be- open to settle
rnent under the provisions of the law, on the
22d day of April following, at II o'clock noon
Two land districts had been established, and
the offices we're open for the transaction of
is much TO the credit OF the settlers that they
very generally observed the limitation
as to the time when they might
enter the territory. Care will be
taken that those who entered in violation
of the law do not secure the advantage they
unfairly sought There was good deal of APP
prehension that the strife for locations would
result in much violence and bloodshed, but
happily these anticipations were not realized
It il estimated that there are now in the terri
tory some sixty THOUSAND people. and several
considerable towns have sprung up, for
which temporary municipal governments
have been organized. Guthrie is said to
have now population OF al
most 5000. Eleven schools and nine churches
have hAan egtabliShed and three daily and five