The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1893-10-10

acres Of land, which is very valuable, being
worth, exclusive Of the towns $3,0OO,OOO.
Coming east of the Allegheny mountains,
the CherOkees, forming a body polite, incor-
porated under the laws Of North Carolina, are
another favored race. There are 2SS5 OF
them and they hold $1,000 acres of land, OF
which 10000 acres are arabic, 10000 acres
well suited for grazing and 10000 acres
covered with valuable timber. The Six Ma
tions of New York, progeny of the original
Iriquos made famous by 'Cooper's novels, are
made up Of the Onondaga, Oneida, Tono-
wanda, Allegheny, Cattaraugus, Tuscarora
and st. Regis tribes, and live on reservations
of their own, being sOveregnties within
themselves nations within the nation, gov
erned by a constitution ratified by the legisla-
ture OF the state of New York They are
further advanced in civilization than any other
reservation Of Indians. They speak and read
English, wear citizens clothes and own ST.
327 acres of land, valued at $3.50 600. and
other property valued at 81 2S4 99S If This
wealth were divided among them equally it
would give to each of the 5,2O3 Indians and
adopted persons there $685.
a great deal of money has been dissipated
by some OF the richer tribes In paving to at
torneys and claim agents in Washington. ex-
hofoltant reta1liers ana contingent fees for
procuring legislation in their interest at the
national capital. But the greatest menace
to Indian wealth is the Indian depreciation
claim, dating back in numbcrless instances
almost to the beginning OF the government
The property alleged TO have been taken or
destroyed in depredations by rampant tribes
is varied the times and localities in
which the raids took place. Indemnity is
asked by descendants Of early white settlers
and MANY of later date for slaves taken for
mining machinery damaged, for gold coin,
English bank notes, cattle and stock of all
kinds, houses, barns and fences and in onA
case recorded for IA luxuriant head of hair
valued at several thousand dollars by the
fair claimant who was despoiled of it, but
who happily escaped further injury .
The officials Of the department of
justice relate droll stories illus
trating the marvellous tendency
TO indefinite multiplication observable in
these GAINS single or ii few starry
ing sheep, after the lapse of few misty
years become transformed into an enormous
herd flock in the imagination and even
belief of the claimant, and primitive hut
or cabin in the woods is idcaIized into q
noble and luxurious marsion and so on down
the list of all articles and things that could
be taken or injured by maraudng Indians.
Peculiar regal machinery has been provided
for the adjudication of these claims, which,
though just in many cases, are trumped up
and dishonest in the great mass. Under
the operations of this machinery the court
of claims can render judgment against the
for upwards of $a4, O00,O0 without service of
process upon one of the judgment debtors.
and the Judgment so rendered must be paid
by the government from the trust funds be-
longing to the tribes whose remote ancestors
are charged with committing the depreda-
lions Over ten thousand actions of this
kind have already been brought ana last
year 413 of them were disposed of-2l9 1udg-
ments being rendered against the Indians
NIL 4 hn
their favor The aggregate amount claimed
in the actions adjud.cated was Sl,123. l32.
Unless some departure is taken in the
disposition of these Gains, the wealth Of Ger
tain tribes Of war.:kc prociiv.tips in the past
is in danger of being wiped out entirely.
Revertng to the condition of the five c!v-
il.zed tribes in the Indian territory. it is in
terest3ng to note that they have $50 church
organizations and own and maintain ~
church editices proper, besides 30S hats in
which they worship. OF the total G9,0o0
sous composing the five tribes, 2S,o2l are
church members and communicates or the
surprisingly large proportion of II per cent
probably not cQualed eXceled by any race
of people under heaven,
Exclusive of the five tribes, there are H.
993 Indians who wear citizens dress wholly,
and 35,484 in part; 20 4S4 who can read Eng,
!:Sh, ana 80 GS2 who speak it for fdi-
nary purposes Among the tribes nos be-
fore mentioned that are entirely self-snpport-
ing. are the PimaS, PapagoS and Ma1copas,
of Arizona; the Mission and TUE River
-Apaches, of California; the Eastern Shdwnces,
MiTInis. OttaWaS Pe0riaS QuapaWs, Senacas
and Wyandottes of the Indian territory: the
loWaS, Chippewas and Sacs and Foxes of
Kansas: the ChchaIis. Nisqualcs, S'KIalla,
SkokOmish. Muchleshoat and SWinomish of
Washington; the Menomenees, Oneidas and
Stockbridges. of Wisconsin,, and the Chip
pcWas. of Minnesota. Among them are 20
600 dwelling houses. together with 23l
church buildings in which $4,000 communi-
Giants assemble regularly to worship. Count
ing the commandments in the five civilized
tribes it will be seen that there are nearly
$1,000 Christian church members among our
Indians. or % per cent of the entire aborigi-
nal population
However wicked and murderOus the Sioux,
Utes and certain other unrpgenerate tribes
may yet be, it cannot be denied that TINS
is a wonderful showing of progress toward
higher civiiiza tion-ail gained since the Pti-
grimS and Puratans first fell upon their
knees and then upon the aborigineS.
And whatever may he said as to
the present policy of the government i'll still
further educating and cleyating the Indians,
one thing is certain. that no other nation i'll
the world has achieved in such short time
so wonderful Il result with Il savage race
as that now apparent. Surely neither Canada
nor Mexico has done anything comparable in
this regard.
It is estimated by experts on Indians that
orr government has spent during this
called century of diShonor' or since 1176,
when the constitutional congress was organ
lied the StupendouS sum of one billion five
hundred millions of dollars in subduing and
maintaining the tribes in uplifting them and
protecting white settlers from their ravages.
Eut considering their present gratifying con-
ditf0n no humane economist can regret the
outlay if not as conscience fund then as
nricticaI investment JOHN u. CREMER
CHANGE OF VENUE ASKED.
Tho Soldiers who Are in Jail Want to BE
..fx