The record-union., 1894-05-08
INDIAN TERRITORY.
But Small Portion of the Population
Entitled to Citizenship.

But Small Portion of the Population
Entitled to Citizenship.
WAsHINGToN, May 7.-Senator Teller
to-day presented the report of the Com
mittee on Civilized Tribes of Indians on
affairs in Indian Territory. The report
shows the anomalous condition of society
and indicates that many abuses have
grown up. The report gives the Indian
population of the Territory as 50,O55,
while there are between 100000 and 3O0,-
900 whites who have no right to citizen
ship. The Indians themselves are held
responsible for the intrusion of the
whites. The expense of maintaining a
Federal Court and prosecuting crime in
the Territory is about one-seventh of the
judicial expenditures OF the United
States. This cannot be fully remedied
until Territorial or State G9yernment is
established. The committee thinks, how
ever, partial remedy may be found in
the appointment of two additional JUS
tices and the appointment by the courts
of Commissioners at different localities.
The report also refers to the fact that
the children of the white and black pop
ulation are deprived of the advantages of
the common schools, and says that while
the parents of the children may have
gone to the Territory with q knowledge
of this condition, the people of the
United States cannot afford to close their
ewes to the wrong to the children, and de-
clares that the matter of allowing the
children of so large a population TO grow
up in ignorance Is one OF National con-
Germ.
The publication of the occupancy of
the land is treated at length. The COM
lnittee finds that the original theory of
the Government that the Indians were to
own the land in common, all having
equal interest in it, has been violated.
and that few enterprising citizens of the
tribe, frequently not Indians, but citi-
zens by intermarriage, have become the
practical owners Of the best and greatest
part of the land. Instances, they say,
came to their notice of men having as
high as 100 white tenants, and in one case
reported white man. though an Indian
citizen by marriage, had 400 holdings,
amounting to about 10000 acres. In the
most progressive of the tribes the COM
mittee found that about 100 persons had
appropriated half of the best land.
The report shows that this condition of
affairs was never contemplated, and sug-
gests that Congress shall take the matter
in hand and provide a remedy in the in
terest of both whites and Indians. No
remedy is suggested at this time, because
the Dawes Commission is now in the In
dian Territory with the purpose of SUBJ
mitting to the various tribes a PROPOSE
ton for change of the present condition.
I'VE prefer to wait until it shall be seen
whether this difficult and delicate subiect
may not be disposed of with an agree
rnent of the several tribes of the Terri
tory. But if the Indians decline to treat
with that committee, and decline to. con-
slider any change in the present consiG-
Grafton of their titles, then the Govern
ment of the United States must, without
their aid, and without awaiting their ap-
proval, settle this question of the charac-
ter and consideration OF their land tenure
and establish a Government over the
accordance with the principles of our
Constitution and laws. Nothing will do
but the abandonment of the present sys-
tenn. 1t cannot be modified or reformed,
but better system must be substituted.
That this will be difficult to do, your COM
mittee freely admits. but because it is a
difficult task is no reason why Congress
should not, at the earliest possible mo-
ment address itself TO the question:
Croker Retiring From Political Life.
NEW YORK, May when the Tam
many Executive Committee of sixteen
meets next Thursday. Richard Croker
will take one more step toward with
drawal from active political work. He is
quoted as saying: 81 have made up my
mind that / cannot stand the hard work
connected with the management of the
Tammany organization. Hereafter rou-
tine and detail work must be looked after
by committees, for | will not do it.0