The Chemawa American, January 01, 1915, Page 7, Image 7

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THE
CHEM AW A
AM ERICAN
accurate inventory of the Indian timber on reservations, in order that
its disposal and handling may be intelligently observed.
At the conference of field supervisors, Commissioner Sells gave ex­
pression to his views regarding the liquor conditions on Indian reser­
vations, an extract of which appears in his report. He says that he be­
lieves the greatest present menace to the American Indian is whiskey;
that it does more to destroy his constitution and invite the ravages of di­
sease than anything else; it does more to demoralize him as a man, and
frequently as a woman; it does more to make him an easy prey to the
unscrupulous than everything else combined. The operations of the In­
dian Service to protect the Indians from intoxicants extends from Flor­
ida to New York in the east, and from Washington to California in the
west, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific Oceans.
The report shows a marked decrease in the work of allotting lands to
Indians; and it is said that practically all Indians on reservations con­
taining lands susceptible of agricultural development without irrigation
have been allotted; that some large unallotted reservations exist, par-
ticulary in the Southwest, but without water for irrigation purposes the
abvisability of allotting these lands in severalty is not apparent, the res­
ervations as they now stand being best adapted for stock raising.
Concerning the Five Civilized Tribes in Oklahoma, an important fea­
ture is the announcement of the abolishment at the close of the fiscal
year ended June 30. 1914. of the tribal form of government of the Cher­
okee Nation.
The sale of the Choctaw and Chickasaw timl>er lands and the surface
of the segregated coal and asphalt lands, the equalization of the Creek
allotments, the individualizing of about $1,800,000 of Seminole tribal
funds, which the Commissioner expects to accomplish in the main with­
in the coming fiscal year, will finally dispose of the property of tribal na­
ture held by these tribes, with the exception of the mineral deposits and
common funds held in trust by the United States for the Choctaws and
Chickasaws, estimated in value between $20,000,000 and $30,000,000.
There are in the Five Tribes approximately 37,000 Indians of the
restricted class, and, while the work of the Indian department among
the Five Tribes is approaching completion in tribal matters, there nec­
essarily remains a tremendous work to be done for the individual In­
dians.
Goods and supplies to the amount, approximately, of $3,500,000 were
purchased for the service during the fiscal year just closed, and deliv­
ered at a cost for transportation of about $264,021.66, exclu ave of wagon
transportation from the terminals of railroads and boats landings, which
service amounted to $168,139.70. The cost of inspection was $6,862.47.
Short cuts to quick results have been adopted, both in the office and