The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1894-12-05


fice--The Protection of Forest Re-
serNes-COngress Urged to Make APP
proprintions to Protect Standing
Timber-Other Valuable SUCCESS
tiOns.
WASHINGTON, d. c., Nov. 29.-The an
nual report of Secretary Hoke Smith, Of
the interior department, deals largely with
Indian affairs. He presents some prac-
teal suggestions for the development and
Improvement of the Sacs. Besides CIV
ing a succnct history of the progress OF
the Indian bureau during the past u
months. the secretary reviews the prob
lem of elective work for the advance
ment of the Indians. He discusses the
subject o. education and of allotments
OF land in sevcralty and urges that the
education of the Indians should be for
the purpose of fitting them to perform
the peculiar responsibilities most likely to
fall TO their after lot. He presents the
possibilities of the reservation as land to
be improved and developed, to which the
Indians should be taught to apply those
modes OF agriculture recognized in civil
1zed life. Their education should fit them
Tor this work and they should be led on
with the assurance that the government
will treat the Indians with perfect hon.
esty and make further effort to trade
them out of their land for the benefit
OF those who wish to live upon it. Let
the Indians keep the lands. On the sub
Ject of alotments he says
Il 10 not question the ACCESSIBILITY of
allotting land to Indians in severalty, but
l do most seriously question the proprety
of this course before the Indians have
progressed sufficiently to utilize the land
when taken. The allotm6nts should be
made to the Indians in severalty for the
benefit of the Indians, for the advance
ment of the Indians not for the purpose
of obtaining land connected with the In
dian reservation to satisfy the Unsuitable
desire OF bordermen, who obtain it fire.
quently, not for homes, but for specula-
ton
Il urge a treatment of Indian land
based solely upon the purpose of realiz-
ing from it for its owners the highest
possible values, what is best for the In
dianS-to keep their lands sell it.
Ii the members of a tribe have reached
a state sufficiently civilized to be able to
progress still further by selling a portion
of their land, then sales should be made
but the land should be purchased from the
Indians at
THE BEST BARGAIN
the United States can make. 1t should be
sold for the Indians by the United States,
the government acting as a faithful trus-
tee and obtaining for the Indians every
dollar the land will bring.
The policy of the government should be
to recognize the land of the Indian reser-
walton as the property of the particular
Indians who own it. The different lands
should be studied to how best their
values could be increased There are am
pie lands in the United States for home
seekers; can we not be satisfied to allow
to the administra ton, on behalf of the
Indians the little we have left them?''
With reference to the development of
the resources of the agencies and the char
acter of the employees. he urges that each
reservation must be treated in view of its
resources separate business problem,
and he says:
MANY of the agencies today, taking in
connection the trust of the funds held by
the United States for the Indians upon
them. are already self-supporting. BY a
faithful effort to preserve the property for
its real owners and at the same time to
compel the reservation Indians to work
and labor for a livelihood, l believe that
it is possible to make self-supporting near
ly every agency. But to accomplish this,
agents. absolutely faithful and thoroughly
capable must be placed in charge. If an
army officer fills the place, he must do so
with the enthusiasm of a soldier in line of
battle If a civilian fills the place, he is
unfit for the task unless moved by an
earnest, jealous. inspired purpose to ac-
complish the noble work of helping to ele-
vate a weaker race. Something of
THE MISSIONARY SPIRIT
should be present on the part of every en-
ploye on an Indian agency or Indian
school. | cannot claim that the present
administration has uniformly succeeded in
selecting people of the character de-
scribed; but it is the earnest purpose of
the Indian bureau and the department to
study the employees thoroughly throughout
the entire service to make proficiency the
chief standard of retention in office and to
made apparent capacity the sole ground
for new appointments.
Il believe it is possible to develop a
complete, permanent. non-partisan Indian
service and | hope before the end of an
other year that such progress will have
been made in the direction that it's real
iZation W i'll be assured
Among other things in connection with
education of the Indians, the secretary
says:
an the management of the Indian
schools, a definite plan for the Indians
when school is finished must always be in
view, when practicable results are ex-
pected from his education. Education
should be practically directed with a view
to the probable future of the Indian II
he is to remain away from his former
Rome and crter the struggle of life in
our cities and towns, as any other citizen.
then his education should be as broad and
as liberal as possible. But If he is to
return to the reservation, to the place OF
his berth, and to commence his actual
life in the development of the resources
of the reservation, then his education
should be directed especially with a view
to the life he will lead upon the reserva.
ton and to the possibilities of the reser-
walton itself If the lands are agricultural
he should be taught the methods and
mode of life followed by the ordinary
American citizen engaged in agriculture
He should not be accustomed to life fa1
above it, to tastes
MUCH MORE LIBERAL.
than would be possible for him. If his worl
is to be the reservation he should b
practically instructed to pursuits simla
to those which he is expected to follow
and he should be accustomed to the lif
which he will be able to sustain
81 cannot help believing that by far tn
greater number of Indian children are +,
work out their future in connection with tb
resources upon the reservations of tbe
respective tribes, and that that ed;Icatio,
for the most part is wisest which train
them in this direction. For such a child |
months spent in the service of some intel
1igent farmer, in the section where the res
ervation is located, would be worth ia
more than the same amount of time spen
in the East and devoted to higher educa
ton
Upon the subject Of contract schools h
says: Il agree fully with those who oppos
the of public money for the supper
of sectarian schools But this uuestio,
should be considered practically TIL
schools have grown up. Money has bee,
invested in their construction for the tim
when they were recognized as wise instru
mentalites for the accomplishment of good
/ do not think it proper to allow the in