St. Paul daily globe., 1895-11-29
CIVILIZED, BUT BAD
DAWES, COMMISSION URGES CON-
TROL OF THE INDIAN TER
RITORY.
WORSE INSTEAD OF BETTER.
CORRUPTION AND IRRESPONSI-
BILITY OF INDIAN GOVERN
MENT.
CLEVELAND,S INSTRUCTIONS.
WORSE INSTEAD OF BETTER.
CLEVELAND'S INSTRUCTIONS.
He Favored Policy of Persua-
sion and Opposed Any Effort
to Hasten Matters.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 28.-Includ-
ed in the report of the secretary of
the interior is that of the Dawes
commission to the Five Civilized
Tribes. The secretary refers to the
report of the commission and briefly
gives it's conclusions. In the corre-
spondence is a letter from President
Cleveland to Secretary Smith, which
was part of the instructions to the
commission. The president said:
"As the commissioners to negotiate
and treat with the Five Civilized Tribes
of Indians are about to resume their
labors, my interest in the subject they
have in charge induces me TO write
you few words concerning their work.
"As 1 said to the commissioners when
they were first appointed, 1 am es-
pecially desirous that there shall be
no reason, in all time to come, to
charge the commission with any un-
fair dealing with the Indians, and that,
whatever the result of their efforts
may be, the Indians will not be lead
into any action which they do not
thoroughly understand and which is
not clearly for their benefit. At the
same time 1 still believe, as 1 always
have believed, that the best interests
Of the Indians will be found in Amer
lean citizenship, with all the rights
and privileges which belong to that
condition. The approach to this rela-
ton should be carefully made, and at
every step the good and welfare of
the Indians should be constantly kept
in view, so that when the end is reached
citizenship may be to them a real ad-
vantage instead Of an empty nane.
"I hope the commission will inspire
such confidence in those with whom
they are to deal that they will be lis
tened to, and that the Indians will
see the advantage in moving in the di-
rection I have indicated. If they are
unwilling to go Immediately so far as
we think desirable, whatever steps are
taken should be such as to point out
the way, and the result of which will
encourage those people in further prog
ress A slow movement Of that kind,
fully understood and approved by the
Indians, is infinitely better than swift
results gained by broken pledges and
false promises"
BAD STATE OF AFFAIRS.
The commission, in reporting its fail
ure to negotiate with the Indians, says
that the conditions have grown worse
instead of better since the last report.
Attention is invited to the fact that
four-fifths of the population of In
dian territory, amounting to 100000
people, have no citizenship, and yet are
largely responsible for the prosperity
of the Indians and development of the
country. They are not intruders, but
are invited under the laws of the sew
eral tribes These men have built
homes on Indian lands, made property
valuable, have children of a school age,
and yet are compelled to educate them
at private institutions, though subser-
Went to the Indian laws. I'm its conclu-
sion the commission says:
There is no alternative left to the
United States but to assume thy re-
sponsibility for future conditions in this
territory. Insecurity of life and per-
son and property, increasing every day,
makes immediate action imperative.
The pretense that the government Is
debarred by treaty obligations from
Interference in the present condition OF
affairs in this territory is without foun-
dation. The commission is compelled,
by the evidence forced upon them dur
ing their examination into the admins
tration of the so-called governments in
this territory, to report that these gov
ernments, in all their BRANCHES. are
wholly corrupt and irresponsible. 1t is
in the Judgment of the commission, tho
imperative duty of congress to assume
at once political control of the Indian
Territory. They have come with great
reluctance to this conclusion, and have
sought by all methods that might reach
the convictions of those holding power
in the territory, to induce them by ne.
gotiation and mutual agreement, to
consent to a satisfactory change in
their system of government and appro-
priation of tribal property