244 FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION May 



to me that the attitude taken by forest Cleared and handled by men of cap- 

 officers towards the Indians within ital and horticultural skill it may 

 their jurisdictions is exceedingly im- eventually lend itself to higher than 

 portant. We have it in our power to pastoral uses, but certainly not now. 

 help them in perfectly simple, direct And as certainly it will grow firewood 

 and practical ways free from sectar- • — oaks, manzanita, and the inferior 

 ianism or sentimentality. We can un- pines. At present white men will not 

 derstand them, and their needs, better take it under the Act of June ii, nor 

 than most people do, and we can help can they profitably use it, except for 

 their slow, halting progress. pasture. 



Dr. Merriam, of the U. S. Biological Now, since the Indians are not citi- 



Survey, one of the most charming of zens, they do not come under the Act 



men and earnest of scientists, has said of June ii. Nor does the so-called 



that the chief cause for the decrease Indian Allotment Act appear to apply 



of the Indian population in California within the forests, for which new leg- 



— from 210,000 to 17,000— was the islation is necessary. But the tendency 



"relentless confiscation of their lands of recent congressional action has been 



and homes." The Indian delegates to to break down the safeguards of that 



the Zayante Conference held in Santa famous law of 1884 by allowing In- 



Cruz County, July 19, 1907, placed dians to lease, and practically to trans- 



as their first appeal: "We want land fer their lands. Thus we are brought 



for homes. Our land has been taken to a point where the Indians are easily 



from us. We have been kept by law led to believe that various officials are 



from taking up land until all the good deliberately avoiding the obligation of 



land was gone." securing to said Indians the little 



On this point all the Indians that patches of tillable land which they 



I know are strenuous. "Indian want need. 



paper on his land," is the way they One Indian said to me : "White man 



put it. But what they really mean to talk, talk, talk ; give Indian no land, 



say is that they want absolute safety What for Indian get no land?" 

 in some clear, definite and final way. To which I said : "You got land 



It must be made certain that no one now. You go your cabin, cut brush, 



can ever take their homes away. The make fence, sow hay. You work — 



more thoughtful of them know that that your land." 



it is dangerous at present to give them Under the present regulations of 

 the power to sell their, lands. the Service I presume that ample and 

 This brings us to the main problem non-transferable leases could be given 

 of the land question, on which the to Indians for all the land they actually 

 Service has been working for some use, and for the additional areas as 

 time: How shall their little patches fast as they clear ofif the chaparral, 

 of tillable ground in the rocks and tim- I have no doubt that an intelli- 

 ber be so secured to the Indians as gent lease system is sufficient for years 

 amply to satisfy their claims without to come, and it also retains control of 

 permitting white men to take it from the timber. When the Indians be- 

 theni by fraud or force? It is not as come citizens, they can receive pat- 

 if the land were farming land. It is ents to their homes. Meanwhile let 

 not; it is mainly pastoral, and specu- "s teach and train them for the re- 

 lators would like nothing better than sponsibilities of citizenship, 

 to have hundreds of Indians take up But, as it so often happens in real 

 a quarter-section each, and then lease, life, many of the friends of the Indians 

 or ultimately sell it all. • The land take exactly the same view of the 

 they want in this way is largely wood- case that their enemies do. Bad 

 land. whites want each Indian to get a pat- 



