St. Paul daily globe., 1894-05-08
REDS BEING CROWDED OUT.
CONDITION or AFFAIRS Nv THE ~
DIAN TERRITORY
GREAT GROWTH OF WHITES.

GREAT GROWTH OF WHITES.
Senator. Teller Makes Report
for His Congressional Invests
eating CommiItse-rh The Laws
Must ,.e Changed 20 as to Pro-
tect the White Population
The Indians at Fault.
WASHINGTON, May 7.-Senat ,r Teller,
from the Committee Oh the five civilized
tribes.o Indians, today presented the
report of that committee, giving the re-
suit Of the committees recent investiga-
tlon OF affairs in Indian Territory. The
report shows all anomalous condition of
society and indicates that many abuses
have grown up which it il necessary
should be corrected. IL Is not final re-
port, however, and while existing evils
are pointed out ana brought out in a
manner that must attract attentian. the
remedy for the entire trouble is only
hiniei at, and is left to be formulated at
a later day. The report gives the
Indian population of the territory as
5O.O55. while the white population,
which, when the last census was taken,
was lO9.393, is now estimated to be be-
tween 250.000 and $4,000. In some of
the agricultural sections there are ten
whites to one Indians. and there are
several large towns composed wholly of
white people. These whites have no
right to citizenship. cannot send their
children to the common schools, and
cannot go into the local courts outside
OF the Cherokee Nation; they cannot
even organize municipal governments,
lay out streets, or provide for police
protection. The report takes up all
these questions. aud declares that a
remedy must be provided.
Referring to the fact that treaties
made with the Indians by the govern.
ment of the United States had provided
against the intrusion of the whites. the
report says: I'VE made it possible for
the Indians OF that section OF the coun-
try 10 maintain their tribal relations
and their Indian policy. laws and civil
lzatlon. if they wished so to do. And if
now the isolation and exclusiveness
sought to be given to them by
OUR SOLEMN TREATIES
is destroyed, and they are overrun by a
population of strangers, five times in
lumber to their own, is not the fault of
the government of the United States,
but comes from their own acts
i'll admitting whites to citizen
ship under their laws, and by in
viting white people to come within their
jurisdiction to become traders aud farm
ers and to follow professional pursuits.
1t must be assumed that the Indians
themselves have determined to abandon
the policy of exclusiveness and to freely
admit white people within the Indian
territory, for it cannot be supposed that
they can intend to demand the removal
of the white people either by the gov
ernment of the United States or their
own. They must have realized that
when their policy of maintaining an In
dian community, isolated from the
whites. was abandoned; for a time it
was abandoned forever. We did not
hear from any Indian the suggestion
that the white people there should be
removed"
The committee finds the judicial sys-
tenn Of the territory especially faulty.
The whites are not admitted to the In
dian court, and are required to go to the
federal courts at Fort Smith. Ark.
Paris, Tex, or the federal courts in
Indian territory. The expense of con-
Quoting cases in those courts, by reason
of the distance to be travelled and the
time consumed, is enormous. Parties
charged with the smallest misdemean-
ors are often taken over 200 miles for
trial. The same is true in civil suits,
however small the sum involved. The
federal court in the territory, is. they
say. absolutely the only court of final
Jurisdiction administering justice in
matters large or small in the territory,
as large as
THE STAME OF INDIANA,
for people numbering now at least
$50, 900, and rapidly increasing" Con.
sequently the dockets of the court are
SO 0verburdened with business that the
prompt disposition Of business is i'm
possible. These conditions result in
practical denial of justice, except in
matters OF paramount Importance, and
in these only after great delay. The
criminal business of the territory is
enacted at enormous expense, because
of the distant to be travelled, the small
est cases costing the government from
5000 to $500. The temptation to arrest
persons where the fees are so numerous
ardaarge is greatly increased. The COM
mittee makes the astonishing statement
that the expense of maintaining this
court and of prosecuting crime in this
territoiy is about one.seventh of the
judicial expenditure OF the United
States, because of these facts. Such
glaring and unbearable evils, the COM
mittee says, cannot be fnlly remedied
until the question of political and judi
cial jurisdiction shall be finally changed,
and territorial or state form of govern
ment established. The committee
thinks. however, a partial remedy may
be found in the appointment Of two ad-
ditiOnal justices, and the appointment
by the court of commissioners for the
different localities, who shall have final
jurisdiction in misdemeanors where the
punishment does not exceed imprison-
ment for six months, and
IN CIVIL SUITS
where the amount involved does not
exceed $500.
This change. the report says, will re-
suit in great reduction of expense to
the government, and far better ad-
ministration of justice than now exists.
The present system is intoierable. The
report also refers to the fact fhat the
children of the white and black popula-
tion are deprived Of the advantages of
the common schools, and say that while
the parents of the children may have
gone to the territory with knowledge
of this condition. the people OF the Uni
ted States cannot afford to shut their
eyes to the wrong to the children, and
declares that the matter Of allowing the
children of so large a population to
grow up in ignorance is one Of national
concern.
Round-Trip Excursions.