Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 37, Number 29, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 April 1905 — TO PAY INDIANS. [ARTICLE]

TO PAY INDIANS.

Millions of Dollars to Be Expended by Uncle Sam in Near Future. This year there will be commenced a series of disbursements to Indians of the five civilized tribes that will total up way into the millions. Tribal governments nre to cease in 1900, provided Uncle Sam can close tip the accounts of the five tribes by that time. With the funds on hand, the sale of town sites, royalties and the sale of surplus land the total amount of property to be given to the Indians, not including their allotments, will amount to about $35,000,000. If all these funds were to be disbursed during the year 1900, and each Indian in the five civilized tribes should get an equal share, it would amount to about SSOO per capita, but they will not share equally, as there will be a difference in the amount of money received by the different tribes. In the ease of the Osnge nation, foi instance, there is nearly $8,000,000 to their credit in the United States Treasury, the interest being sufficient to pay each Indian an nnnual income of $lO4. In addition to this the tribe has 1,000.000 acres of land, the sale of which, nt a low figure, added tx> the funds on deposit, would complete an average for each of the 1,913 Osages of noarly $7,000. Despite these figures the fact remains that many of the Indians nre very poor. It is also true that these disbursements may ntul probably will be dragged out to cover mouths of time in the payment. Indian payments usually nre. By tint time all the land and property is sold and the funds disbursed among the Indians, some of the thrifty ones will have absorbed a great deal not due them, and others will have become very poor in all probability.