The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-11-18

/ turn for supplies and annuities Issued q
/ them to perform certain services for the
/ common benefit although the secretary
of the Interior was authorized TO exempt
any Darticular tribe from its operations
where he deemed this expedient The
most progress that seems to have been
made under the law was an attempt 70
| restrict the sugar. coffee, and tea ration
! to the old and indrm Indians, or 10 those
/ who are willing to pay for it in labor
! Tn. rule mas been almost dead letter,
/ however, the average agent being very
! lax in enforcing IL. Beyond this some
to the department, It is true, for more
civilized and reasonable methods Of is
( suing the rations The Indians are no
longer allowed to have imitation buffalo
hunts and bull fights in order to slaugh-
ter their cattle, nor are they required to
spend half their time going to and re-
turning from a central issue station.
Beef is now prepared in the same way
as among the whites and issued cold, and
sub-stations are planted at various points
about reservation convenient 70 the
dwellings Of the Indians.
Mr. Jones feels that it Is difficult to
point out complete remedy for the
pauperizing ration system as a whole,
but believes that as a beginning the in
discriminate issue must stop at once. The
old and helpless should be provided for,
but the able-bodied should receive ra-
tons only for labor performed, while
those who have been educated in indian
schools should be made to depend entire
~ upon their own resources
The second obstacle noted by Mr.. Jones
is the practice of paying annuities. More
than 81 100000 was sent out during the
last year TO disbursing officers for distri-
button among the Indian tribes. The per
capita payments ranged ia amount from
$3.50 TO 50 cents. AS these cash payments
are decreed by law or treaties, the Indian
bureau had no alternative, yet the com
missioner sees plainly the danger from
the continuance OF this practice. Many
of the annual payments, ne says, ARE
too small to accomplish either good or
harm, while athers are so large as to be
useful for good or powerful for evil. The
latter, it is to be regretted is the general
result Not having to earn the money
distributed, the Indians do not appreciate
its value It either goes to the traders
on account of debts contracted in anti
cipati0n Of the payment, or is squander-
ed often for the purposes far remote
from civilizing The larger payments,
especially, are demoralzing in the ex-
IRENE. They degrade the Indians and
corrupt the whites they induce paruper-
ism and scandal and crime; they nullify
all the good effects of years of labor"
It is suggested as a means Of remedy
ing the evils described. first. to provide
for the gradual extinction Of the Indian
trust funds now lying in the government
treasury, which amount to $33 81, $500,
and draw interest at the rate Of 4 and 5
per cent. This could be done by. setting
aside sufficient sum TO maintain the
reservation schools, for, say twenty-one
years, and then dividing the balance per
capita and paying it outright to the in
dividual members Of the tribes. The sec
ond suggestion is a corollary to this, the
division Of each tribes lands among its
members per capita. This is a heroic
remedy, perhaps. but is not wholly new,
and the commissioner sees that if ap-
piled, its immediate result would be to
relegate many Of the Indians to a state
of poverty; but on the other hand, he
peceirves that the rule of the world
is that man must work OF starve, and
that this might induce them to put forth
some effort in their own behalf.
The third Of the obstacles noted by the
commissioner is the practice of leasing
Indian aIotments. The true idea Of an
allotment is to give the Indian a home
and personal ownership in soil from
which he can get living In practice,
however. the Indian receives his allot-
Sc tod q,
turn it over to the white for whatever
rental they choose to pay him, and 60
on his aimless way The first law per
hitting this was passed in 1891, and pro
vided that when. by reason Of age or
other disability" any allottee could not
personally and with benefit to himself
occupy or improve his land, it might be
Ceased, under regulations prescribed by
the secretary of the interior, for three
years for farming or grazing, or ten
years for mining purposes. In 1891 and
1897 some amendments were made in de-
tails not necessary to note here. Last
session the law was changed again. the
leases being limited to five years and to
farming purposes only, and Inability"
was added to cage and other disability"
as a pretext Had leases been confined
to Indians incapacitated by physical dis
ability or senile decrepimde. the commits
sioner thinks there would be little room
for criticism, but inability" opens the
door for leasing in general and on some
Of the reservations the lease is the rule
rather than the exception, while on 9TH
ers the practice is growinf. Mr.. Jones
says:
The effect of the general leasing Of al
lotments is bad. Like the gratuitous is
sue Of rations and the periodical distri-
button Of money, 1t fosters Incidence with
its train Of attendant vices BY taking
away an incentive to labor it defeats the
TEN was devised which was. by giving
tho Indian something tangible that he
could call his own to incite him to per
sonal effort on his own behalf
Another chapter in the report which
viii attract the attention of the curious
is that On the size OF our Indian popu-
lation, At various periods estimates
and reports have been made though no
actual census was attempted by the gov
eminent tin 1850 To show how widely
some Of the ola glesses varied the fol-
lowing figures may be given:
Year. Authority Number
1I59-George Crogbau ................ 1851
1564-ColoneI Bouquet ............... Is a58
lIS-Captain Hutchins ............ $3.50
1179-J0hn Dodge acknowledgements. 71e-a
17S9-Secretary NJ War ............. -sra0
lts9-<5lloert inoay ....--.. .......... c3803
1S2a-Morse On Indian A6airs $3.50. z7i0ss
1N25-Secretarv OF War ............ 1881
1S29-Sccretsrv Of War ........... $40 can