Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-10-15
INDIANS AS LAND OWNERS.

1t has long been urged that the best
| way to settle the Indian question that
constantly vexes congress is to break
up their tribal policy and their habit of
squatting in idHeness, and to make them
independent citizens thru the allotment
OF lands. This is about to be realized
| in large measure in the most populous
| Indian region in the nation, that en-
braced in Indian territory. The ratifi-
cation by the Greeks, Cherokees, Sem
inoles, Chiclsasaws and Choetaws
of the treaties recently negotiated and
adopted by congress has made the way
clear for rapid settlement of the af-
fairs of the Indians. by which the indi-
vidual members of the tribe will receive
their allotments and become citizens,
dependent upon their own e.tertions for
the support and relieved of the guar.
dianship of the nation. This is the plan
to which officials of the interior depart
ment and the Indian bureau have been
working for years. and Mr.. Hitchcock,
secretary of the interior, Will probably
see its contamination.
According to advices from Washing
ton. it is expected that within few
months at least tWo-thirds of the 24O,-
600 Indians still remaining In the Unit
ed States will be independent land
owners, each holding a title to a plot of
good grazing and agricultural land The
process Of land division has been going
on for several years now, ard 1t is only
a matter Of short time before practi-
cally all the territory owned by the In
dams will have been pareeled out
among the numerous tribes All their
land is located in the Indian territory,
and q special commission was created
by congress to make the -allotments.
This was done on basis different from
that established with other tribes. An
enrolment was made of tie members
in the five nations, including; something
like $4,000 men, and the division was
made on the ground of value rather
| than area.
The idea of having the tribes ADAM
don their holdings of land and divide
| it among their respective members was
first taken up more than fifty years ago,
but it has only been within compare
lively recent years that it has been car
ried out to any extent. It has always
been recognized that the custom of
tribal government and ownership was
one of the chief drawbacks 10 the civil
ization of the North American Indian.
1t has, consequently, been the aim of
the federal government to break 1t up
and fix the status of the Indian on
nearly the same basis of his white bro
Their as possible. Accordingly, treaties
were negotiated between certain tribes
and the government providing for the
allotment of lands among the members
of the respective tribes and the sale of
the balance to the United States These
treaties We're sent by the people to the
senate for ratification, just as the
treaty of peace with Spain was.
For long time there WAS a strong
prejudice on the part of the Indians
against surrendering the tribal owner
ship to the possessions, and, In fact,
this still continues in many quarters.
But outside of the lands owned by the
five civilized tribes the government has
divided into severalty more than $780,
900 acres. Sixty-five thousand claims
have been adjusted, giving to each in
dividual an average of 100 acres. It is
expected that IN time, as a result of
adopting individual ownership, thru in
termarirage and amalgamation with
others, many ef the Indian characteris-
Istics will disappear.