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Show ' ATTHE WHITEROCKS AGENCY, Definite and Practical Steps Being Taken to Make the Indians Self-Supporting. Whltcrockg, Utah. Feb, 3. It may be ot Interest to the people of Utah to know thnt very definite and practical steps aro Just now halne token by tho Interior depot tment to mako tho In. dlan sclf-supporlliiB. Tho Indians of Utah are the subject of (.evernl recent earnest communications communica-tions nf the department along this line. To bcKln with, tho Indlsitlmlnato Is-suo Is-suo of rations has been slopped at tho Uintah nnd Oumy agencies. Heretofore there) has been lamed at the two .igcnclcs nbout 200,000 pounds of flam, 100,000 pounds of beef, and sucar, cottce und other provisions In piopor-tlon, piopor-tlon, unnunlly. Hardware, faun Implements Imple-ments und other supplies have been flccly Issued tn thoka who would make pinper use of them. Hereafter no rations will be Issued to Indians who have the means of self, support. No able-bodied Indian will reielve rations Hftor April 1, 1S02, but In lieu thereof nil such will bo given employment by the (Inv eminent In building; roads, ditching, making other linpinvements on tho lesorvntlnn, and will receive ns wages (hit money hj-r-tofnre expended for (hell radons. Those who will nn( work (and there will ptohubly he many such nt first), will practically forfeit the value of (helf rations to the Industrie,!) ones who am willing to work for It. The department fuilher desires that competent Indiana bo employed by In-dlvlduula In-dlvlduula find compunles. It la (ho policy of (ho department to Issue In the future rations and supplies tn the ugiil, slik, Inllrm and helpless only. Another Important mnvo tnunrd plirlng the 1'te on nn Independent font Ing Is the pro-rutlng of trust funds now held for film by the Pederul govern- ment. These funds make a per capita of nearly liooo for the Uintah, White, river nnd Uncompahgre. Ules, on which they are now receiving it cash annuity of ahouf 115 ench, Thn department now proposes to fix on Invntidhln pio-i,ita share for each Indian, und whin. In the opinion of the depnrlmint, un lndlnn Is capublu of manni-liu- Ills own affairs, (hen shall ho licolvu In cusli the full amount of his share. Indltni who aro not deemed capnblo will iccclvo die nnnuKy ns hcrotoforp. It Is pointed nut that former payments pay-ments of tiust funda to Indians lmvo not lesulted satisfactorily, because made tn all thn Indians of n tribe, without with-out regard to Individual rspnhlllty The present policy Is to lonslder thn Individual Indi-vidual lndlnn ralher than tho tribe, nnd thus give those who ate sufllclonlly advanced, hut who havo heretofore been tied to the reservation hy tribal legulatlons. an opportunity tn strike out for themselves and lo become citizens cit-izens of the United States These measures eettnlnly give prom-Iso prom-Iso of ptnctlcal resulls. The nvcraga Ule, so Ion as ho bo. lleves ho will bo fed In any event, will do no work, Thero nro thoso who will only work to keep from stem Ins, and these should be, compelled to vvotk, The proposed distribution of funds Is nn Imemtlve to those who hnve n little ambition to demo.isiriKo Ihelr nblllly lo niaimBc for (hemselves, Tio change In Iho intlon system will no doubt elicit a vlgoious protest from Iho lelsuie-lovlnjr lite Some kicks hnve already been teglstcred, but (he storm is due nbniu Apill 1st, No amount of piotest, hovvevei, will detir the department The measure!, will be entoiced. though iho work will be diltlcult and tedious. |