The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-12-10

had some Just complaints, especially IL
the matter of the reduction of the appro
priation for raiionS and in the delays ut
tending the enactment of laws to enable
the department. to perform the engage
ments entered into with them, is probabl,
true. But the Sioux tribes are naturally
warlike and turbulant and their warrior
were excited by their medicine men ant
chiefs, who preached the coming Of thu
Indian messiah, who was to give then
power TO destroy their enemies. In view
of the alarm that prevailed among tn,
| white settlers near the reservation aud O
the fatal consequences that wonld have re
| suited from an Indian incursion. placed
| at the disposal of General Miles, com
handing the division of the Missouri. al
such forces as were thought by him 10 bt
required He is entitled to the credit o.
having given thorough protection to th'
settlers and of bringing the hostiles int
subsection with the least possible loss o.
life.
THE CIVILIZED TRIBES
The appropriation of s., SOL ,450 for the
! Choctaws and ChickasaWS, contained IL
the general Indian appropriation bill Of
March 3, 1891. has not been expended, TO-
the reason that | have not yet approved Z
release to tho government OF the Indian
claim 10 he lands mentioned. This matter
will be made the subject of a special mes
sage, placing before congress all the facts
which have come TO my knowledge.
The relations of the five civilized tribes
now occupying the Indian Territory &c
the United States are not, believe, the
best calculated to promote the highest adj
vancement OF these Indians. That there
should be within our borders five indepen-
| dent states, having no relations except
those growing out OF treaties with the
! government of the United States, &c
representation IN the nations legislature,
and the people not citizens. is startling
anomaly. 1t seems to me to be inevitable
that there shall be before long some
organic changes in the relations OF these
| people to the United States.
What form these changes should take
| do not think iG desirable now to suggest,
even if they were well defined in my own
mind. They should certainly involve the
acceptance of citizenship ;by the Indians
and representation in congress. These
Indians should have opportunities to pre-
sent their claims and grievances upon the
| floor of congress, rather than, as now, in
! the lobby. If Il commission could be ap-
! pointed to visit these tribes to confer with
them in friendly spirit upon the whole
subject, even If no agreement was per-
! fected, the feeling of the tribes upon this
question would be developed, and discus
sion would prepare the way for changes
which must come sooner or later.
INDIAN ALLoTMENTs
The good work of reducing the larger
Indian reservations by allotments in sew
crafty to the Indians and the cession of
the remaining lands to the United States
for disposition under the homestead law,
has been prosecuted during the year with
energy and success. In September last
was enabled to open to settlement in the
territory of Oklahoma 100000 acres of
land, all of which was taken up by settlers
in a single day. The rush for these lands
was acco mpanied by great deal of ex-
element, but was happily free from incl
dents of violence. 1t WAS a source of great
regret that | was not able to open at the
same time the surplus lands of the Chey-
enne and Arapaho reservation, amour ting
to about 10000 U0 acres, by reason of the
insufficiency of the appropriation for max
ing the allotments. Deserving and impa-
tient settlers are waiting to occupy these
lands, and l urgently recommend that a
special deficiency appropriation be
promptly made of the small amount
needed. so that the allotments may be
completed aud the surplus lands opened
in time TO permit the settlers TO get upon
their homesteads in the early spring.
During the past summer the Cherokee
commission has completed arrangements
with the Wichita, Kickapoo and Tonkawa
tribes, whereby, If the agreements are rat
flied by congress, over sou, 900 additional
acres will be opened to settlement, in Ok
lahoma.
THE CHEROKEE STRIP.
The negotiations for the release by the
Cherokees of their claim to the Cherokee
strip have made no substantial progress,
so far as the department is officially ad-
vised, but it is still hoped that he cession
OF this large and valuable tract may be Sc
cured. The price which the commission
was authorized to offer-S125 per acre is
in my judgment, when all the circum-
stances as to the title of the lands are con-
sidered, a fair and adequate one and should
have been accepted by the Indians.
NEW H6MESTEADS.
Since March 4, 1899. about $4,000 900
acres have been separated from Indian
reservations and added to the public do
main for the use of those who desired to
secure free homes under our beneficent
laws 1t is difficult 10 estimate the ill.,
crease of wealth which will result from
the conversion of these vast lands into
farms, but it is more difficult to estimate
the bettermel t which will result to the
families that have found renewed hope
and courage in the ownership oil a home
and the assurance of a comfortable SUBJ
sistence under free and heaithful condi-
tons. 1t is also gratifying to be able to
feel as we may that this work has pro-
ceeded upon the lines of Justice towards
the Indian, and that he may now, if he
will secure to himself the good influence
of a settled habitatiOn, the fruits OF indus
try and the security of citizenship.
Early in this administration a special
effort was begun to briug up the work of
the general land office: By faithful work
the arreargeS have been rapidly reduced
At the end of the last fiscal year only 81 liz
final agricultural entries remained undis-
posed of and the commissioner reports
that with the present force, the work can
be fully brought up by the end of the next
fiscal year.
SPANISH GRANTS.
Your attention is called to the difficulty
presented by the secretary of the interior
as to the administration of the law of
March 8, 1891, establishing a court of
private land claims. The small holdings
intended TO be protected by the law are es-
timated to be more than fifteen thousand
in number. The claimants are a most
deserving class and their titles are sup
ported by the strongest equities. The diff
Guilty grows out of the fact that the lands
have largely been 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,
a few rods wide, upon stream, and run
ming back to the hills for pasturage and
timber. Provision should be made for
numbering these tracts as lots and for
patenting them by such numbers and
without reference to section lines.
THE PENSION BUREAU.
The administration of the pension
bureau has been characterized during the
year by great diligence. The total num-
Der of pensioners upon the rolls on the 18th
day of June. 1891, was 676, 100 There were
allowed during the fiscal year ending at