RESERVATIONS, INDIAN. 



Education. The appropriation for Indian edu- 

 cation in 1896 was $2,056,515, increased to $2,517,- 

 265 for 1897. Of the total Indian population, ex- 

 clusive of the Five Civilized Tribes (who, like t he- 

 New York Indians, support their own schools), 

 38,000 were children of school age, and of this num- 

 ber 23.393 were enrolled in 296 Indian schools, of 

 which 223 were under the immediate supervision of 

 the Indian Office. Twenty-two nonreservution 

 boarding schools had an enrollment of 5,085, and 

 an average attendance of 4,461 pupils ; 77 Govern- 

 ment boarding schools on the various reservations 

 had an enrollment of 8,489 pupils, with an average 

 attendance of 7,056 ; and 124 day schools, in the 

 heart of the Indian country (all except 8 being on 

 reservations), had a capacity of 4,424 pupils. These 

 223 schools show an increase of 1,205 in enrollment 

 over 1895, and of 1.561 in average attendance. A 

 few tribes reported the enrollment of the entire 

 available school population, and in several schools 

 the average attendance exceeded 95 per cent, of the 

 enrollment. The total number of school employees 

 in 1896 was 1.364, and the total of salaries paid to 

 such employees was $998,411. The total number 

 of children taught in Government schools was 17,789 ; 

 those taught in contract schools numbered 4,439 ; 

 and those taught in all other schools, 1,343. 



Appropriations. The Indian appropriation 

 act for the -fiscal year 1896 declared it to be the 

 settled policy of the Government to make no appro- 

 priation whatever for education in any sectarian 

 school. 



Of the amounts expended yearly for the subsist- 

 ence of the Indians, the greater part is in fulfill- 

 ment of treaty stipulations, the respective amounts 

 due the tribes being either specified in the treaties 

 or estimated by the Interior Department, while only 

 a portion is gratuitous. To meet treaty obligations 

 during 1896 $2,982,147 were appropriated, and 

 $695,625 for miscellaneous support and gratuities. 

 The total appropriation for the Indian service for 

 the fiscal year 1896 was $8,763,751.24, while that for 

 1897 was $7,189,496.79. The total of the present 

 liabilities of the United States to Indian tribes in 

 1895 showed $1,239,160 as the annual amount neces- 

 sary to meet stipulations indefinite as to time now 

 allowed, but liable to be discontinued ; $3,573,000 

 as the aggregate of future appropriations that will 

 be required during a limited number of years to pay 

 limited annuities incidentally necessary to effect 

 payment ; $691,770.87 as the amount of annual 

 liabilities of a permanent character, and $12.474,- 

 417.74 as the amount held in trust by the United 

 States on which 5 per cent, is annually paid, and 

 amounts that invested at 5 per cent, produce per- 

 manent annuities. 



In addition to amounts annually appropriated 

 for the Indian service, the Government holds in 

 trust funds belonging to various tribes, and the an- 

 nual interest accruing therefrom is paid over to 

 those tribes or is expended for their benefit. The 

 interest on the principal of the trust funds belong- 

 ing to the Five Civilized Tribes is placed semiannu- 

 ally with the United States Assistant Treasurer at 

 St. Louis, Mo., to the credit of the treasurer of each 

 nation, respectively, and its expenditure is under 

 the control of the nation and its council. The total 

 amount of 4- and 5-per-cent. funds thus held by the 

 Government in lieu of investment aggregated $33,- 

 196,476.13 in 1895, the annual interest collected on 

 it being $1,647,516.52. The trust funds owned by 

 the Five Civilized Tribes amounted to $9,113,386.45. 

 The largest trust fund owned by any single tribe is 

 that of the Osages, amounting to $8,245,251. It 

 arises from the sale of lands. In proportion to 

 population, the Osages are the richest people in the 

 world. 



Claims. The act of March 3, 1891, provided for 

 the final adjudication by the Court of Claims of 

 claims against the United States for depredations 

 committed by Indians, and authorized the payment 

 of such claims from the annuities due the tribes, and 

 from funds due them arising from the sale of their 

 lands or otherwise. Vigorous protest against them an- 

 ner of payment has been made by the Indian Olh'ce. 

 The number of Indian depredation claims of record in 

 the Indian Office in 1896 was 8,007, of which 4,271 had 

 not been sent to the Court of Claims. That court, 

 with which many claims were originally filed directly, 

 reported 10,841 claims on file in 1894, the amount 

 claimed therefor being $43,515,867. The presenta- 

 tion of any claims of the kind after 1894 was barred 

 by the act of March 3, 1891. 



The direct total cost of the Indians to the United 

 States from 1776 to the close of the fiscal year 1^!)<> 

 was $315.824,372.32. The grand cost, including 

 wars for the century from July 4, 1776, to June 30, 

 1886, was $929,239,284. . 



Miscellaneous. To religious and other societies 

 upon Indian reservations the allotment act of 1887 

 confirmed a grant of 160 acres each, so long as it 

 should be occupied, the work carried on by the re- 

 ligious denominations having been found a very 

 potent, if not indispensable, auxiliary to the effort's 

 of the Bureau for the elevation of the Indians. 



Indians have at various times, under authority 

 from the Indian Office, been taken from reserva- 

 tions for exhibition, but the practice is discounte- 

 nanced, and fewer permits of the kind are now 

 made. Whenever engagements with Indians lor 

 exhibition are made, their employers are required 

 to enter into written contracts with the individual 

 Indians, obligating themselves to pay such Indians 

 fair stipulated salaries for their services; to supply 

 them with proper food and clothing; to meet their 

 traveling and needful incidental expenses, including 

 medical attendance, from the date of leaving their 

 homes until they return thither ; to protect them 

 from immoral influences; and to employ a white 

 man ofgood character to look after their welfare. 

 They are also required to execute a bond for the 

 faithful fulfillment of such contracts. 



Indians now form an integral part of the regular 

 army of the United States, and by becoming soldiers 

 they do not lose their right to lands, annuities, and 

 other assistance furnished by the Indian Office in 

 fulfillment of treaties. 



Administration of Indian Affairs. On July 

 12, 1775, a plan was adopted by the Continental 

 Congress to secure and preserve the friendship :>f 

 the Indian nations, and commissioners were ap- 

 pointed for three departments of Indians a north- 

 ern, a southern, and a middle department. Benja- 

 min Franklin, Patrick Henry, and James Wilson 

 were elected commissioners for the middle depart- 

 ment; Philip Schuyler, Joseph Hawley, Turbot 

 Francis, Oliver Wolcott, and Volkert P. Duow, 

 commissioners of the northern department ; and 

 John Walker, of Virginia, and Willie Jones, of ; 

 North Carolina, with three others, commissioners 

 of the southern department. On April 29, 1776. a 

 standing Committee on Indian A ffairs was organ- 

 ized in Congress. Article IX of the Articles of 

 Confederation gave to Congress the exclusive right 

 and power of regulating the trade and managing 

 all affairs with the Indians, and on Aug. 7, 1786, 

 the Indian Department was divided into two dis- 

 tricts the southern, comprehending all the nations 

 of Indians within the United States south of 

 Ohio river; and the northern, comprehending all 

 other nations of Indians in the United States west 

 of Hudson river. Two superintendents were ap- 

 pointed, who reported to the Secretary of War and 

 were under his direction. The Federal Constitu- 



