The herald., 1894-03-25
THE YUMA INDIAN RESERVATION
Report of the Commission APP
pointed to Make a Treaty.
Plenty of Lands for White Settlers
on the Colorado.
Five Acres of IrrigabIe Land to Be
Allotted to Each Indian and the
Remainder Thrown Open
for Settlement.

Secretary Smith on Tuesday last trans
mitted to congress the report Of the COM
mission appointed to negotiate a treaty
with the Yuma Indians in Southern
California. The report is voluminous,
and in addition to the terms of the treaty
contains various recommendations by
the committee. Secretary Smith and
Indian Commissioner Armstrong also
transmit with this report several recon-
mendRtions as to the future care OF the
land obtained from the Indians. The
terms of the treaty made with the In.
dians are as follows:
By the first section Of the agreement
the Indians relinquish to the United
States all right and claim over the tract
in San Diego county known as the Yuma
Indian reservation. Each and every
Yuma Indian shall be entitled to select
and locate upon this and adjoining sec
tions five acres of land, which shall be
allotted to each in severalty. The allot-
ment shall be at the cost of the United
States, by special agent, and within go
days after such special agent shall ap-
pear upon the reservation and give no.
tice to the Indians that he is ready to
make such allotment. In case any
Indian fails to m akes his allotment
within 60 days, the agent shall make il
for him.
When all OF those allotments are made
and approved the residue of the ressrva-
ton, which may be subject to irrigs-
tion, except as otherwise provided, shall
be disposed OF as follows: Tue secretary
OF the interior ehall cause them TO be
surveyed and subdivided into tracts oil
10 acres es b. and cause them to be
appraised by board consisting OF the
Indian inspector the special Indian
agent and the agent in charge OF the
p Yuma Indians, VINO shall appralse these
lands and report the proceedings to the
secretary OF the interior, and the lands
shall be sold at public auction TO the
highest bidder. The money realiz ID
from this sale shall be placed in this
treaeury Of the Ualted States to the
credit of the Yuma indians.
All the land OF this section that can
not he irrigated is to be opened for ses
tlement under the general laws. The
land formerly ocenpled by Fort Yuma,
and now occupied Is a sch0ol, is ex
cepted from The provisions Of this act.
GOOD LAND FOR SETTLERS.
Thu c1m nissi1nsrs estimate hat about
IS 00j a. 90 can os placed under irrigs
tor, OF which 36ll viii bs required tor
allotment. leaving IA. 400 acres Both
the neohhss O. Aha --eaaaas;9siGa and
Secretary smith ret ec.mmeni that the
government take steps to have the res
ervation land leveed 40 as to prevent
overflow They describe how the Colo
RADIO liver is feh by melting SHOWS in the
mountains and attaIns great height in
the simmer season, and generally about
the lst OF June the bottom lands along
the river are intereeGted ny number OF
lAgoons extending at Irregular intervals,
and it ls this overflow that is TO be
guarded against. L. is estimated that il
would cost about $40. 600 to construct
these leyee5.
John A. German, one OF the three
members of the commission, recon-
mends au appropriation OF $4,000 to be
expended in making surveys and esti
mates as to the building of these
evses, and Secretary Smith indorses
this recon mendation.
THE BELGIAN CoMPANY's SCHEME.
In their report the commission refers
TO communication received from &.
N. Knight OF Yuma in relation to the
Belgian company. Last summer this
company deeired to take water out
oi the Colorado river above the
reservation on the Colorado side aud
bring it into Mexico to irrigate
laads in that republic They applied to
congress for ths right of way over the
reservation and secured it upon condi-
ton that they would give Indians water
upon the reservation. Knight alleges
that they next concluded to turn the
water into the desert instead of Mexico,
and, in order to avoid giving the In.
dians water, had commission ap-
pointed to treat with them for the
surrender of part of their reservation.
Knight says that this commission in
duced the Indians to sign some agree
ment, the nature of which they knew
nothing.
The commissioners say they have fully
Investigated the matter and find that
Knight is mistaken; that the Indians
have been fairly treated in the matter.
The com missioner of Indian affairs con-
ours in the recommendation of the COM
mission relative to changing the route of
the Southern Pacific railroad through
this reservation so that in some places it
may serve as levee to protect the lands
from overflow. Congress will undoubt-
edly enact laws in line with today's
recommendations.