St. Paul daily globe., 1895-11-29
SECRETARY HOIIE SMITH RE-
PORTS ON HIS DEPART-
NiENT.
CIvILIZING THE INDIANS.
SEVERAL RECOMMENDATI
FOR IMPROVING THE PRES
ENT SYSTEM.
PRESERVING THE FORESTS.
Congress Is Urged 10 Take Imme-
diate Action to Settle Pa
ciiic Road Affairs.

j c1nc hoiu AHN1FS.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 2S.-Secre-
| tary Smith, of the interior depart
ment, has made his annual report
| to the president. 1t reviews the
| varied work of the department, be-
| ginning with the Indian service, and
| calls attention to the strict enforce
ment which has been given to civil
| service reform, both as to those
places covered by the classified serv-
| ice and those to which the rules Of
this service do not apply. The sec
| retary dwellS on the necessity of
| eliminating politics from the man.
agement of Indian affairs and of
conducting each reservation upon
| strictly business principles, the OBJ
| ject being to make every Indian
| who remains on the reservation self
/ supporting and ready as soon as
| possible to assume the duties of citi-
| Zenship and be freed from the pa
| ternal care of the government. The
| secretary is of the opinion that the
| resources of each reservation are
/! treated intelligently, and the Indians
| required to labor in those pursuits
| which are adapted to particular res
ervations. In a few years practically
| all the Indians can be made self
| supporting. The secretary recon-
| mendS the reorganization of the
| bureau as follows: First, that in
| stead Of a single commissioner of In
| dian affairs, the Indians be placed
| in charge of three commissioners,
| two Of them to be civilians, appoint
| ed from different political parties,
and one to be detailed army Off
Ger; second, that the tenure of Of
| flee of an Indian agent, be conducted
| upon the faithful discharge Of his
| duties, and appointments and remov-
ais be made by the president on the
| recommendation of the three COM
| missioners of Indian affairs; third,
that the classified service be eX-
| tended over all the subordinate pO-
| sitions, both at the agencies and at
| the schools. The reduction of 20
| per cent which the law requires to
| be made in connection with the In
| dian contract schools shall be strict
| ly carried out, and the secretary
adds that there seems no reason why
such reduction should not continue
from year to year.
INDIAN CITIZENSHIP.
Referring to the subject Of 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 a citizen of the
| United States upon receiving his al
lotment. In many cases he is ready
! to receive land before he is prepared
| for the consequences of citizenship.
| Allotments should be made long be-
| fore 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, surrounding him with no more
| restraint and giving him no more
help than is accorded to other citi-
zens. Under the present system In
! dams to whom allotments have been
| made and upon whom citizenship has
been conferred still receive enor-
nous gratuities and need every dol
| lar they receive. Upon each reSer-
walton 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
citizenship. The law should be
changed so that allotment can be
made, upon the recommendation of
| the agent, and patents should be
issued later, with the approval of
the secretary of the Interior to
those Indians showing themselves
fitted to receive the lands so as
signed. The secretary also recon-
mends that general authority, with
the approval of the president, be
given to the Indian bureau to sell
parts of Indian reservations, the
money to be used exclusively in the
improvement of allotted lands, or for
the purpose of furnishing agricul-
tural implements and cattle to the
Indians who may reside on the re-
naming lands
Referring to the Ucompaghre res
ervation, the secretary calls atten-
ton to the fact that, through the
geological survey, an examination
has been made of the gilsonite beds,
which seem to be of very great value,
and he recommends legislation which
will allow these deposits to be sold
or leased to the highest bidder.
DAWES COMMISSION.
The report reviews the Jackson
Hole Disturbance and gives an ac-
count of the active measures taken
by the department to secure justice
for the killing of the Bannock In
dfans on July Is last, and also to
preserve peace between the Indians
and the whites. He commends the
peaceful course of the Indians under
circumstances so extremely aggra-
waiting on the part of the whites.
The secretary presents a copy of
the report of the Dawes commission, |
Which recommends:
n. A territorial government over
the five civilized tribes, adapted to !!
their peculiarly anomalous condi- |
tions, so framed as to secure all rights !
of residents in the same, and without |
impairing the vested rights of the |
citizen Indian or other person not |
an intruder.
"2 The extension of the jurisdic-
ton of the United States courts in |
the territory, both in law and equity,
to hear and determine all controver-
sizes and suits of any nature concern !!
ing any right in or use and Occupa-
ton of the tribal lands of the sew
eraI nations, to which any citizen