Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1895-12-07
INTERIOR DEPARTMENT.
Annual Report OF the Secretary-Reforms
Suggested.

HOke Smith, of the interior depart
ment, has made his annual report to
the president. The secretary dwells
upon the necessity of eliminating poll
tics from the management of Indian
affairs, and of conducting each reser-
walton upon strictly business princf-
pies. the object being to make every
Indian who remains upon the reserva-
ton self-supporting and ready, as soon
as possible, to assume the duties of
citizenship and be freed from the pa
ternal care of the government.
The secretary recommends the reor-
ganization of the bureau as follows:
First-That instead of single COM
missioner of Indian affairs, the Indian
service be placed in charge Of three
commissioners-two of them to be
civilians-to be appointed from differ
ent political parties, and one to be
detailed army officer.
Second-That the tenure of Office of
an Indian agent be conditioned upon
the faithful discharge of his duties,
and appointments and removals to be
made by the president upon the recon-
mendation of the three commissioners
of Indian affairs.
Third-That the classified service
be extended over all the subordinate
positions, both at the agencies and at
the schools.
Referring to the subject OF the allot-
ments, the secretary says there are a
number of changes which should be
made in the present allotment system,
which require congressional action.
According to the present law an Indian
becomes citizen of the United States
upon receiving his allotment. In any
case he is ready to receive land before
he is prepared for the consequences of
citizenship. Allotments should be made
long before reservations are opened.
Each Indian should be settled upon
his homestead and be self-supporting
before citizenship is conferred upon
him. When citizenship is conferred, the
government ought to let him alone and
allow him to take his place, surround
| ing him with no more restraint and
giving him no more help than is ac-
corded to other citizens. Under the
present system Indians to whom allot-
ments have been made and upon whom
citizenship has been conferred still re-
ceive enormous gratuities and need
every dollar they receive. Upon each
reservation a part of the Indians will
be ready for citizenship before others,
and all are ready to own land and
work it before they are ready for citi-
zenship. The law should be changed
so that allotment can be made upon
the recommendation of the agent to
those who are ready for it, and patents
should be issued later, with the APP
prevail of the secretary of the interior,
to those Indians showing themselves
fitted to receive the lands SO assigned.
The secretary presents copy of the
report of the Dawes commission, which
recommends:
First-A territorial government over
the five civilized tribes, adapted to
their peculiarly anomalous conditions,
SO framed as to secure all rights of
residents in the same, and without i'm
pairing the vested rights of the citizen,
Indian or other person not an intruder.
Second-The extension of the iuris-
aiction of the United States courts in
the territory, both in law and equity,
to hear and determine all ontroversies
and suits of any nature concerning
any right in or use and occupation of
the tribal lands of the several nations,
to which any citizen, Indian or other
person, or the tribal government of
any nation, is or may be made party,
plaintiff or defendant.
The report estimates the amount of
public lands undisposed of to be about
600, 600, 900 acres at the close of the ifs
cal year, and shows that the total re-
ceipts during the year for pu bile lands
amounted to over So, 900, 600. The I'M
adjusted land grants to railroads
amount to nearly 90, 900, 900 acres.
After reviewing in detail the work
of the land office during the past
twelve months. the secretary takes up
the question of the disposition of the
arid lands and the preservation of the
forests. He urges that these two
questions are closely allied, for the
Quantity of arid lands far exceeds the
present water supply, even if it
were all utilized for irrigation. The
increase of the water supply must
depend upon the growth and pres
ervation of the forests. Attention
is called to the failure of the Carey
bill to accomplish the results ex-
pected; the secretary attributes this
to the fact the bill intended that money
for the irrigation should be raised up
on the arid lands given the states.
This has been impossible on account of
the fact that sufficient control over the
lands was not given to the states to
make them available as security for
the money expended in their reclama-
ton. The secretary suggests the adj
visibility of patenting these lands to
the states after it is fully determined
that the selections made by them I'M
der the Carey act are arid lands.
Want ROuntv ON Wheat.