Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-11-11
The Annual Statement Of the United
States Treasurer.
WESTERN INDIAN RESERVATIONS
Congress Will Be Asked to Pass
Laws Restricting Encroach-
ment of Whites.
ESPECIAL DISPATCHES To THE REcoRD-uN1osl
INDIAN AGENCY.
Condition and Requirements of Pacific
Coast Reservations.

| WASHINGTON, November 10Ih.-The re-
| port of the Commissioner on Indian Affairs
| is made public tonight 1t is rather
| yOluminous, and starts of with list of GER
| tain convictions which a Commissioner
| unacquainted with Indian questions might
| be expected to entertain.
| The subject of Indian education. the
| allotment of lands and of Indian hospitals
are thoroughly discussed.
| Under the head of depreciation claims it
| is shown that there is pending in the In
dian office claims TO the amount of $15,-
| SS8 $50, and that the payment has been
recommended to Congress of 1892 157.
| The discussion of the proposed consoli-
dation of Hoopa valley with the Mission
| agency has been going on since 1877. The
Hoopa valley agency has been under the
! charge of an army officer, and no appro-
priation has been made by Congress for an
agent of the proposed consolidation.
| The report says this change appears to
be odd, but full of expediency.
Under the Hoopa Valley Agency are
two reservations, thirty miles apart. The
| Hoopa valley reserve contains nearly 90,-
900 acres and is the home of about 500 In
dians, and the Klamath river reserve con-
| tains about 26 600 acres, and is occupied by
about 200 Indians.
|
practically self-supporting, and are max
| ing progress towards civilization. By their
own labors they are provided with food
| clothing, agricultural implements, stock,
etc, and from the military post they have
received assistance in Transporting their
| produce to the market and bringing back
supplies, and in obtaining opportunities for
| paid labor. The Klamath river Indians
depend in great measure on fishing and
numbering They suffer much from tres
| passers on their fishing grounds. They
have easy access TO intoxicants and there
fore need to be constantly within reach of
an agent who has experience energy and
| good sense.
The duties resting on the agent of the
Mission and Tule River (consolidated) }
Agency before this change would seem to
| have been sufficiently onerous, without
adding the care OF another agency, for he
already has three distinct and widely-sep-
arated tribes and reservations under his
supervision, viz: The Mission Indians, who
constitute the Mission Agency proper, and
number about 5000. Their numerous
reservations, aggregating about 1852 900
acres are all surrounded by white settlers,
who have for years trespassed therein and
| still continue 10 do so. The agent should
be with them as much as possible in order
Indians, who number about $50, their
reservation containing about so 000 acres,
and is located some $50 miles north of the
| Mission Agency. They are under the su-
pervision of .. A. Farmer, and the agent
| can spare them but little of his time, which
| is unfortunate, since they need careful over
| sight because their reservation is not well
adapted to agriculture and the laborers are
obliged to earn their livelihood by working
for surrounding whites, where they are
brought in contact with whisky and other
| demoraliZing influences.
The Yuma Indians' reservation of 50O.-
600 acres is located about 125 miles south
of the Mission Agency. They are natur-
are no white employees allowed for them,
and the Agent cannot visit them often
They are not improving.
Hoopa Valley Agency is 900 miles distant
| from the Mission Agency, and the only
practicable route thereto is from Cotton to
| San Francisco, $40 miles; thence by sea to
Eureka, 230 miles; thence by ferry to Ar
cata, AZ miles; thence to the North Fork of
Mad river by rail, 10 miles, and thence to
the agency, so miles by horseback over q
| pack trail.
The withdrawal of the army officer now
in charge at Hoopa Valley will necessitate
|
tend the affairs, and properly qualified
person cannot probably be obtained for less
than 81, 200 per annum. This will be an
| entirely new expenditure. In view of
these facts Captain William E. Dougherty,
| who has been in charge of the Hoopa VAL
| ley Agency for the past three years. has
| been allowed to remain nominally in
charge until the present time.
| | believe that the best interests of the
Government and of the Indians would be
promoted by separation of the Hoopa
Valley Agency from the Mission Tule
River Agency.
Of the Mission Indians in California,
the report speaks as follows: For the
last sixteen years the difficulties which
surrounded these Indians, the uncertain
| tenure by which they hold their lands, and
the unjust treatment to which they have
been subjected, have received the careful
consideration of this Office, and have been
frequently alluded to in It's annual reports.
Various measures of relief have been de-
vised and submitted 10 Congress without
| avail. AS far as practicable under existing
| laws, intruders have been removed from
their reservations and their right to occupy
the lands IN private grants has been main
tanned through the Courts.
"The principal feature of the bill fo- their
relief was the authorization of the appoint
ment of Commission of three disinter-
| ested persons to arrange just and satlsfac-
tory settlement of these Indians on reserv-
ations to be secured to them by patent
Without such a Commission it is impos-
sible to make any satisfactory adjustment
of their difficulties or to determine the Just
rights of white settlers.
This bill will be again submitted to Con-
| gress this session.
The report contains long recital of the
condition of affairs in Round valley, Cali
fornia, going carefully over the whole
ground, with history of the efforts on the
part OF settlers to secure the reservation.
In conclusion, the Commissioner says
"Whatever may be the result of the suits
now pending, it is clear that the occupants
I-of the lands covered by former judgment of
Court cannot be dispossessed until they have
been paid for all of their Improvements,
and that any successful attempt to eject the
occupants OF other lands will result in the
first parties increasing their holdings ard
themselves occupying all the reservation.
"Underthe conditions at present existing,
nothing further can be done to restore the
Indians to their possessions, and unless
something is done by the next Congress il
seems probable that the struggle to secure
to the Indians the land set apart for their
use in 1856. and which has continued for
over thirty years without any material re-
suit, will end in total failure.
"a bill will be again prepared for submis-
sion TO Congress at its next session, and
although the history of the attempts here
tofore made to secnre legislation is full oil
encouragement, trust that some action
may be taken to enable the Department 20
remove, in some degree, the stigma resting
upon the Government on account OF its
failure to properly protect and defend its
hopeless and hapless wards. Without fur
ther legislation nothing will be accom-.
plished, and the present extraordinary and
disgraceful stale of affairs will be continued
for another generation"
The report then discussed the finance:
and other. matters incident to the Indian
service.
The increase of circulation of silver Ger
tificates was about $50 0o0, coo, having KEEP
pace with the two previous years. OF thiG
sum So 100000 was in new issues and th,
remainder was taken from cash in th'
treasury.
The coinage ofstandard silver dollars ha
proceeded without any incident worthy o
remark. Without much change in thl
amount in circulation there is tendency
toward decrease. The shipments to ans
from the treasury have been about q