to tribes on the Pacific Slope in a similar manner, at
Forest Grove, in Oregon. These institutions will commend themselves to
the liberality of Congress and to the philanthropic munificence of the
American people.

Last spring information was received of the organization of an
extensive movement in the Western States, the object of which was
the occupation by unauthorized persons of certain lands in the Indian
Territory ceded by the Cherokees to the Government for the purpose of
settlement by other Indian tribes.

On the 26th of April I issued a proclamation[40] warning all persons
against participation in such an attempt, and by the cooperation of a
military force the invasion was promptly checked. It is my purpose to
protect the rights of the Indian inhabitants of that Territory to the
full extent of the executive power; but it would be unwise to ignore
the fact that a territory so large and so fertile, with a population
so sparse and with so great a wealth of unused resources, will be
found more exposed to the repetition of such attempts as happened
this year when the surrounding States are more densely settled and the
westward movement of our population looks still more eagerly for
fresh lands to occupy. Under such circumstances the difficulty of
maintaining the Indian Territory in its present state will greatly
increase, and the Indian tribes inhabiting it would do well to prepare
for such a contingency. I therefore fully approve of the advice given
to them by the Secretary of the Interior on a recent occasion, to
divide among themselves in severalty as large a quantity of their
lands as they can cultivate; to acquire individual title in fee
instead of their present tribal ownership in common, and to consider
in what manner the balance of their lands may be disposed of by the
Government for their benefit. By adopting such a policy they would
more certainly secure for themselves the value of their possessions,
and at the same time promote their progress in civilization and
prosperity, than by endeavoring to perpetuate the present state of
things in the Territory.

The question whether a change in the control of the Indian service
should be made was in the Forty-fifth Congress referred to a joint
committee of both Houses for inquiry and report. In my last annual
message I expressed the hope that the decision of that question, then
in prospect, would "arrest further agitation of this subject, such
agitation being