Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1891-12-19
INTERIOR DEPARTMENT.
The President Sees Gratifying Progress In
All OF It's Bureaus.


has been made in all of the bureaus which
ment.
The work in the bureau of Indian affairs
was perhaps never so large as now, by
reason of the numerous negotiations which
have been proceeding with the tribes for
reduction of the reservations, with the in
cident labor of making allotments, and
was never more carefully conducted. The
provision of adequate school facilities for
Indian children and the locating of adult
Indians upon farms, involve the solution
of the Indian question" Everything
else-rations, annuities and tribal negotia-
tions with the agents, inspectors and com
missioners who distribute and conduct
them-must pass away when the Indian
has become a citizen secured in the indi-
vidual ownership of farm from which
he derives his subsistence by his
own labor, protected by and
subordinate to the laws which
govern the white man and provided by the
general government or by the local com
munities in which he lives with the means
of educating his children. When an To-
dian becomes citizen in an organized
state or territory his relation TO the gem
eral government ceases In great meas
to be that of ward, but the general gov
ernment ought not to put upon the state or
territory the burden of the education of
his children. 1t has been my thought that
the government schools and school build
ings upon the reservation should be abb
sorbed by the school system of the states
and territories, but rs IL has been found
necessary TO protect the Indian against the
compulsory alienation of his land by ex-
emption from taxation for a period of
twenty-five years il would seem TO be right
that the general government certainly. for
there are tribal funds in its possession
should pay TO the school fund of the state
what would be equivalent to the local
school tax on the property of the Indian.
1t will be noticed from the report of
the commissioner of Indian affairs
that already some contracts have been
made with district schools for the
education Of Indian children. There
is great advantage, | think, in bringing
the Indian children into mixed schools.
THIS process will be gradual, and in the
meantime the present educational provis-
ions and arrangements, the result of the
best experience of those who have been
charged with this work. should be ccntin-
ued. This will enable those religious
bodies that have undertaken the work OF
Indian education with so much zeal and
with results so restraining and beneficcnt,
TO place their institutions in new and use.
iul Fclauohs W tnc iHuldu uno MS WElle
neighbors
The Sioux Outbreak.
The outbreak among the SIOUX, which
occurred IN December last, was as to its
causes and incidents, fully reported upon
by the war department and the depart
ment of the interior That these Indians
had some just complaints, especially in
the matter of the reduction of the appro-
priatiqn tor rations and In the delays
attending the enactment of laws TO enable
the department 10 perform the engage
ments entered into with them, is probably
true, but the Sioux tribes are naturally
warlike and turbulent and their warriors
were excited by their medicine
men and chiefs. who preached the
coming Of an Indian messiah who was to
give them power to destroy their enemies.
In view of the alarm that prevailed among
the white settlers on the reservation and
OF the fatal consequences that would have
resulted from an Indian uprising, | placed
ut the disposal of General Miles, the arms
that were thought by him to be required
He Is entitled to the credit of having given
thorough protection to the settlers, and Of
bringing the hostiles into subjcction with
the least possible loss of life.
The appropriation of s2,a9l, ,4h0 for the
Choctaws and Chickasaws contained in
the gen eral Indian appropriation bill of
March g. 1891, has not boen expended. for
the reason that have not yet approved a
release to the government of the Indian
claim TO the lands mentioned This mat
ter will be made the subject of u special
message, placing before congress oil the
facts which have come to my knowledge
Indian Aliotments a Success.
The good work Of reducing the larger
Indian reservations by allotments In sew
crafty to the Indians, and the ccssion
OF the remaining lands 10 the
United States for disposition under the
homestead law has has been prosecuted
during the year with energy and success
In September last was enabled To open
to settlement in the territory of Oklahom
100000 acres of land, all of which was
taken up by settlers in a single day. The
rush for these lands was accompanied by
great deal Of excitement, but was hap
PLY free from incidents of violence. II
was source of great ret that was
not able to open at the same time the sur
plus land of the Cheyenne and Arapahee
reservation, amounting to about 2,3tN, 600
acres by reason Of the ipsutficiency of the
appropriation for making the allotments.
Deserving and impatient settlers are
waiting to occupy these lands and ur-
gently recommend that q special def
cheney appropriation be promptly made
of the small amount needed. so that the
allotments may be completed and the
surplus lands opened in time to allow the
settlers to get upon their homestcads in
the early spring.
During the past summer the Cherokee
commission has completed arrangements
with the Wichita, Kickapoo and
Tonkaa tribes, whereby, IL the ar
rangements are ratified by congress, over
SOo.0O0 additional sores will be opened 70
settlement in Oklahoma
General Land ONCE.
Early In the ADMINISTRATION. n special
effort was begun to bring up the work of
the general land Office by faithful work.
At the end of the last fiscal year, only
"a, l72 final agricultural entries remained
undisposed of, and the commissioner re-
ports that with the present force. the work
can be fully brought up by the end Of the
next fiscal year. Your attention is called
to the difficulty experienced by the secro-
tary Of the interior IN the administration
az the law Of March 3, 1891, establishing a
court Of private land claims. The small
holdings intended to be protected by the
law are estimated to be more than ih,OOO
In number, the claimants are almost all
deserving class and their titles are sup
ported by the strongest equities. The
greatest difficulty grows out Of the land
having been largely surveyed
according TO our methods,
while the holdings, many of
which have been In the same family for
generations, are laid out In narrow strips
few rods wide, upon'a stream and run
ming back to the hills Asr pasturage and
timber. Provisions sho.A DO made for
numbering those tracts ~ lots and for
patentipg them by such humbers and
without reference TO section Mos.
Pension bureau.
The administration Of the ension
bureau hes been characterized durltx the