Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1889-05-24
THE SIOUX RESERVATION.
Country Six Times Greater Than oklahoma
TO Be Opened To Settlers.
N-.a-l- T-ilrr

Country Six Times Greater Than oklahoma
TO BE Opened tn Settlers
,-sw York Tribune.
SIX thousand Oklahomas will soon be
open 10 settlers in the Northwest. This
Is what the opsning of the great Sioux
reservation means, and there Is nov every
prospect that 1t will be brought about
Ine situation has changed entirely since
the failure of the c. nm lssIor last year to
obtain the consent of the tribes. the
Indians, WHO are getting to be good at g.
bargain, oontendsd that the prise ffereG,
30 cents az acre for the LOCO, 600 acres
proposed 10 be opened, was too low, aud
congress, by raising the price to ST % for
all lanos to be taken up by the settlers
within the first three years has conceded
the justice OF this claim. During the two
foiloSlnS years settlers must pay IS cents,
and during The next I'VE years SO cents,
after which time the government is 90 buv
the remainder at so cents per- acre. In
asmuch as this secures the fall govern
ment rate to the Indians for all the en- o.ce
lands, which will undoubtedly be takenup
within three years, ana insares them As
much as so cents al acre for even the
poorest, besides making liberal conces-
slons upon man, disputed points, the
new bargain Is felt to be u good one for
the Indians, and all opposition seems to
nave disappeared. Inc probability is,
therefore, hat the new commission head.
ed by Gen. Crook, VINO knows al sides of
the Indian character, will have befora
thsm task so easy that it will not make
any preciable demand upon their skill
and ability. As soon as the consent of
Indians Is I'D IA
lions of the reservation can be thrown
open by proclamation of the president
without the intervention of congress, and
thus it is possible that the bars NAV be
let down during the present summer.
The opening of this reservation will IN
dou5tedly be or great advantage to tn.
people of South Dakota and the whole
Northwest. IL has stood all these years
like gigantic d!k against the wave of
cIvlilz auon. Let the reader imagine p
great trace of land stretching portn and
south nearly as far from New York CITY
To s.. Lawrence, auu somewhat wider in
its narrowest part than the length of the
Connecticut east and west-a tract
through which the railroad must not psss
and through where the white man cannot
settle-ana he will have some notion of
The size OF this huge barrier to the devel-
opment OF Dakota. Under the plan ap-
proved by congress, broad roadway will
be cut through the center of the reserya-
ZION, letting the railway through and
opening d'rNct communication with St.
Paul aud the East for the Back Hills aud
all the vast region to tn westward of the
reservation. The movement 10 force
Okiohoma open was largely instigated by
the railroads. IN this case, by contract.
the long opposition by th tribes was as.
crlotd partly to the UnWIilinsness of rival
land grant railroads to see SO large and
attractive section of country brour T.
into the market for settlers. The lard
now TO be thrown open is said TO b. of a
high average fertility, and If advance re
ports can be trusted IN such cases,
the diaapPointmeuts OF Oklahoma
are not likely to be repeated.
The soil Is especially adapted TO
corn and stock, aud TO general ~ ricul-
iural purposes. The White river STRETCHES
to the west through the main lateral b cit
almost the entire distance, With numrr-
Gus tributaries, making the country bet
ter Watered than the now well settled and
prosperous portion Of Dakota east of the
Missouri river. The reputation of The
Dakota climate, the seve.lry of which the
people taere Contend Is much exug ger-
AIRED, likely TO Work TO the advantage
Of that sscIOn. 1t will be more likely
on that account to attract a hardy, indus
trlOUs class, and 20 work like men rather
tran to merely gamble In land.
The dIslntegratlon of the reservation
system Is inevitable, out it is q source of
profound satisfaction TO see changes of
this kind, which are demanded BY the in
terest ankle of the white man and the In
dian, made without Injustice to the
weaker party and TO is toll satisfaction
There Will remain more than 10000. 600
acres of land for about $4,000 Sioux,
Every Indian receiving an allotment in
severalty becomes a cltiz IN of the United
States. The successful cIm pletion of
this peaceful revolution ought to mean a
great increase of prosperity to the It.
dams as well as to the " hites.