New-York tribune., 1904-10-20
NEEDS OF THE INDIAN.
Present Condition of the Red Man
Discussed at Lake NOhOnk.

Lake NIohonk. n. Y. Oct 19.-About one hundred
and ety delegates were present to-day when Albert
X. Smiley called the twenty-secoud annual Indian
conference TO order Charles j. BOnaparte. a men,
Der of the Board OF Indian Commissioners. was
chosen as permanent chairman Of the conference.
In his opening address Mr.. BOnaparte quoted at
some length from the report made to the Secretary
OF the Interior last March by the special cornufs-
sion, OF which he was a member. appointed by
President Roosevelt to investigate the allotment OF
lands belonging 70 the five civilized tribes or the
Indian Territory Referring 10 the condemnation
visited in that report upon the white men who, it
was held had taken advantage Of certain reEuIa-
tons adopted by the Dawes Commission in the Sc
lection of lands 10 defraud the Indians OF their
rghtfu property. Mr. BOnaparte said that IL would
have been quite impossible for an impartial and
reasonable person to reach a different conclusion
from the facts brought to the knowledge Of tho
special commission. After reviewing the wrongs
and injustices suffered BY the Indians under the
operations of the present laws the speaker quoted
from that paragraph of the report which says;
,-dfo IN yiew Of these facts it Is not surprising that
s19ir sS ssInelt and feelng akin to de-
f5i ~ Sto-lu De WiCey prevalent among tho Senu-
Inc Indians Comparatively few complaints ara
sy riete and and pn n sendS he Bs Ne qsIs 5sev
there IS grave danger lest. within the space OF a
whom the United States soIennnIy guaranteed the
lection from domestic strife from hostile inVsdio1
and from aggression by other Indians and white
Jaws may be thousand hopeless ana deEradsd
paCpeTS and Vagrants, objects OF cOnteuntuO11Q
cestors forever
PRESIDENT FRIEND OF THE INDIAN
In conclusion Mr., Bonaparte said:
I am not over-charitabIe to Official sins. but the
InyestisatIon conducted last winter has LETT
OF 691yinefa 5 JhSt cur PGssdsnt % and our se5
the Indian. and on the whole I found few prbi0
servants TO condemn and comparatively Venial
Individual deinquencies undoubtedly exist and add
to the evils flowing from more general causes.
General f. WhittIesey. Of the Board OF indian
Commissioners. gave resume of the years work
among the Indians He said in part:
During the year the number % aIotments an
proved was ~ and $50 patents have been delivered
Nearly 4500 leases Of allotted land have been made
WlIhln the year. aggregatng 100000 acres at rates
Indian is, however. allowed lease mis- entire aiiot-
ment unless he is making a livelihood by some
9ther occupation; forty acres must be reserved
Under the law Of May o. 1902. authorizing tho
sale of inherited lands. the Indian is parting With
his Inherited estate at the rate of about eight
sxty,six thousand acres were disposed OF in fifteen
$7 an acre The lands eo Te @ bosbt m b sDI1o ~
rather than by those seeking homes, and for
Is rapidly transferred 10 the white mans pocIefs
ana more often than any other way BY the route
To check this decentralization a ruling has tust
been made that the Indian heir who petitions for
the sale of his inherited lands shall agree to have
states depository subject TO the check Of the md
IAN owner 10 the extent or not more than SO q
month and only with the consent of the agent in
dorsed the check. or IL for more than SO a
month with the specific approval OF the Indian
Office.
For irrigation S91 900 has been expended during
the year. As an encouraging fact. beginning has
at last been made toward furnishing some per
manent relief for the unfortunate Pmaes who
were deprived of their ancient water rights tho
ella River by white settlements along that stream.
NEED OF EDUCATION
The enrolment Of Indians IN all schools has been
brought up TO Z9.41S. increase Of 1.O67 pupils
over last year. The averagt attendance Is IS 104,
increase of 722 over last year.
The great need for education in the Indian Ter
r1tory is among the 50,0I0 unsChO0led white chill
dren and thousands of freedmen.
Sales of liquor 10 Indians still go on with little
check, partly because Congress has granted
the request OF the Indian Office for appr0Drta-
tion out of which the cost OF employing detectives
and obtaining evidence against liquor sellers could
be met. With only the insufficient funds Of tho
Department OF Justice to draw on first offences
overlooked and only the more hagrant viOlat-
of law are prosecuted
Commissioner Jones. of the Indian Bureau. spoke
of the good results OF the abolition of the free
ration system and Of other reforms instituted in
the Indian service The blanket. the feathers and
but great evils still exist to be removed. the worst
OF these being the annual payment Of large sums
Of money 20 the Indians by the government tnduC-
ing idIeness. extravaganza and other vices. Tho
practice should be stopped soon possible
In conclusion Mr. Jones said that he believed that
all the problems involved IN the administration
of Indian affairs would not be solved and settled
for many years.
other speakers at the morning session wsrs
White Wolf a COmanChe Indian. and Alfred ].
Professor /. S. Rowe also spoke