“It shall be my purpose to attempt to procure reimbursable appropriations so as to advance to the Indians needed agricultural equipment in order that they may make beneficial use of their resources and become self-supporting and progressive citizens. These reimbursable appropriations, if procured and properly used, will result in ultimately decreasing the gratuity appropriations for Indians.”[[7]]
Commissioner Sells very wisely emphasizes agricultural work, stock-raising and cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture. He calls attention to the enormous number of lands leased by the Indians to white men, for agricultural purposes.
One of the most interesting and illuminating sections in the report is, to my mind, the table number 7: “General data for each Indian reservation, under what agency or school, tribes occupying or belonging to it, area not allotted or specially reserved, and authority for its establishment, to Nov. 3, 1913.”
A study of this table indicates that tracts of these lands have been sold under various acts of Congress. The statements appear: “Open to settlement 1,449,268 acres” or, “1,061,500 acres were open to settlement.” All this indicates that enormous tracts have been sold to settlers, or disposed of by the Government after the Indians had been allotted. This policy has been persistently carried on in the State of Oklahoma, although I have repeatedly urged not only the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, but also the Commissioner of the Five Civilized Tribes to conserve some of these lands. I have contended, also, that the Indians are not properly protected in their property rights, and many of them are becoming paupers; that large tracts of land should be reserved by the Government in order that each dispossessed or pauperized Indian should be entitled to a small home at some future time. The policy of disposing of enormous tracts of grazing and agricultural land is extremely short-sighted.
I have been told, when calling attention of Commissioner Wright, or the Indian Office, to the fact that some of these surplus lands should be conserved, that under the law, this cannot be done. The land is tribal property, or by act of Congress on such and such a date the lands were ordered sold. There is always authority for these sales, and no one can question it. But the policy continues, and to me appears very pernicious. Certain Indians on some of our reservations have either disposed of their holdings, or been swindled out of them. If none of the surplus lands are retained, there will be nothing available for these Indians, and they will soon become homeless paupers. We have an illustration of that in California. There we permitted the Indians to lose their property, or to be evicted. In recent years we have spent large sums of money purchasing tracts of irrigated land to provide homes for the very Indians we permitted to lose their homesteads. Certainly this is a very short-sighted and unbusiness-like policy.
The progress of the Indian the past year in arts and industries has been fairly satisfactory. Most of the Superintendents report increased industry on the part of their wards. The Commissioner presents nearly 200 pages of tabulated statistics covering progress and values. The Indians have not worked in the same proportion as have white people for various reasons. I shall set forth these in detail in a subsequent Chapter.
| RESULTS OF INDIAN LABOR | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Indians Exclusive of Five Civilized Tribes | |||
| 1879 | 1880 | 1881 | |
| Number of acres broken by Indians | 24,270 | 27,105 | 29,558 |
| Number of acres cultivated | 157,056 | 168,340 | 205,367 |
| Number of bushels of wheat raised | 328,637 | 408,812 | 451,479 |
| Number of bushels of corn raised | 643,286 | 604,103 | 517,642 |
| Number of bushels of oats and barley raised | 189,054 | 224,899 | 343,444 |
| Number of bushels of vegetables raised | 390,698 | 375,843 | 488,792 |
| Number of tons of hay cut | 48,333 | 75,745 | 76,763 |
| Number of horses owned | 199,732 | 211,981 | 188,402 |
| Number of cattle owned | 68,894 | 78,939 | 80,684 |
| Number of swine owned | 32,537 | 40,381 | 43,913 |
| Number of sheep owned | 863,525 | 864,216 | 977,017 |
| Number of houses occupied | 11,634 | 12,507 | 12,893 |
| Number of Indian houses built during the year | 1,211 | 1,639 | 1,409 |
| Number of Indian apprentices who have been learning trades | 185 | 358 | 436 |
| Five Civilized Tribes | |||
| Number of acres cultivated | 273,000 | 314,396 | 348,000 |
| Number of bushels of wheat raised | 565,400 | 336,424 | 105,000 |
| Number of bushels of corn raised | 2,015,000 | 2,346,042 | 616,000 |
| Number of bushels of oats and barley raised | 200,000 | 124,568 | 74,300 |
| Number of bushels of vegetables raised | 336,700 | 595,000 | 305,000 |
| Number of tons of hay cut | 176,500 | 125,500 | 161,500 |
| Number of bales of cotton raised | 10,530 | 16,800 | |
| Number of horses owned | 45,500 | 51,453 | 64,600 |
| Number of mules owned | 5,500 | 5,138 | 6,150 |
| Number of cattle owned | 272,000 | 297,040 | 370,000 |
| Number of swine owned | 190,000 | 400,282 | 455,000 |
| Number of sheep owned | 32,400 | 34,034 | 33,400 |
At the conclusion of Chapters upon health, education, irrigation, etc., I have presented bibliographies. Readers will obtain a good idea of the progress made along various directions if they will consult some of the writers’ reports, speeches, etc.
The Red Man, published at Carlisle Indian School; the Chilocco School Journal, and papers printed at Haskell, Pine Ridge, and Hampton all contain many practical articles upon arts and industries and kindred topics. For these journals the Indian Service officials frequently write articles, and in them speeches and addresses upon Indian topics by prominent men are often reproduced.
These journals are creditable publications and do much toward enlightening the boys and girls as to progress in other schools—thus acting as an incentive to further effort. It is unfortunate that the public at large is not familiar with them. Were they generally circulated, much ignorance of Indian education would disappear.