An adjourned stated meeting of the Council was held.
Present: Messrs. Dunkle, Heller, Krick, Leinbach, McCullough, Miller, Strohecker, and Lawrence, President.
The President laid before the Council a communication from the Mayor, requesting action on an accompanying resolution, in relation to a proposed Indian Policy.
Which was read and received.
The resolution, as follows, was read and laid over to next meeting:
Whereas, Believing that civilization offers to the Indians the single alternative of gradual absorption or extermination, and that, before they can be absorbed in the general population, they must be carefully prepared for assimilation and citizenship, and profoundly impressed with the conviction that this result can only be accomplished by the Federal Government adopting such a policy as will do justice to the Indian and honor to the country, to be followed by appropriate current legislation to enforce the same, therefore,
Resolved, That Congress be and it is hereby requested, to pass resolutions solemnly pledging the faith of the Nation to the Indian policy embodied in the following platform of principles:
Good Faith.--Never break faith with the Indians.
Indian Territory.--Keep all intruders out of the Territory; continue the self-government of the civilized tribes; let them regulate their own land tenure.
Law.--Enact suitable laws to protect life and property on reservations; make them flexible in detail; administer them through Department orders approved by the President; promptly and rigidly enforce them; individualize the punishment of crime; never hold the tribe liable for the crimes of its members; organize an efficient Indian police force on every reservation.
Indian Department.--Create a separate Indian Department under a civilian secretary; grant plenary emergency powers to the President; have all agencies frequently inspected by appointees of the President, well paid and unconnected with the Indian Department; carefully regulate the powers and duties of Indian Agents; give them permanent positions and liberal salaries; keep them free from political influence; let their subordinates be appointed by the Department; all questions of general policy and treatment to be settled by the Department; no individual experiments by theoretical agents to be permitted; abolish all priviledged traderships; absolutely destroy all traffic in liquors; control the sale of arms and ammunition; in all else let there be free trade; let all military posts be maintained separate and apart from the Indian villages, and preserve absolute non-intercourse between the soldiers and the Indians.
No Removals.--Remove no more tribes except where the soil and climate require it and the change is voluntary; civilize the Indians where they are.
Education.--Educate the entire Indian reservation population; teach the children in boarding manual-labor schools on the reservations; make them farmers and graziers; give all the bands an abundance of cattle; teach them trades; instruct them in the laws of health; show them how to live; neutralize the influence of the medicine man; make the work compulsory.
Lands in Severalty.--On reservations divide land in severalty as soon as Indians can farm them; make them inalienable and nontaxable for a time; sell the surplus lands for the benefit of the tribe; elsewhere grant Government lands in severalty (on same terms) to all Indians who can cultivate them.
Citizenship.--Give citizenship to all self-supporting Indians who ask it.
Mr. Krick, for the Survey Committee, presented a petition from property holders asking that a change in the curb height be made of the north side of Franklin, between Pearl and Sixth streets.
Which was read and received.
He also, from the same committee, offered the following resolution:
Resolved, That the City Solicitor be and is hereby instructed to apply to the Court of Quarter Sessions of Berks county, for a change in the curb height of the north side of Franklin street, between Fifth and Sixth streets, as set forth in the petition of the property holders on said street.
Which was read the first time.
Mr. Leinbach, from the Committee on Finance, presented a bill numbered and entitled as follows:
S.C. 29. An ordinance making an appropriation to reimburse John E. Arthur for moneys deposited in city treasury, to cover the loss of the city of Reading, by the failure of the banking house of Bushong & Bro.
Which was read and referred to the Committee on Printing.
Mr. Strohecker, for the Commissioners of Water, presented a bill numbered and entitled as follows:
S.C. 30. An ordinance to make an appropriation to the Commissioners of Water, to lay 12-inch pipe in Spring street, between Thirteenth street and Pricetown road; in Pricetown road, between Spring and Robeson streets, and in Robeson street eastward from Pricetown road to the Hampden Reservoir.
Which was read and referred to the Committee on Printing.
The Calendar was then taken up and the business thereon disposed of, as follows:
S.C. 23. An ordinance reorganizing the Highway Department of the city of Reading.
Was read the third time and not passed, as follows:
Yeas--Messrs. Heller, Leinbach, and Lawrence, President--3.
Nays--Messrs. Dunkle, Krick, McCullough, Miller and Strohecker--5.
S.C. 24. An ordinance authorizing the committee on Police to put up additional electric lights.
The Council having dispensed with going into the Committee of the Whole, the bill was read the third time and not passed, as follows:
Yeas--Messrs. Heller, and Lawrence, President--2.
Nays--Messrs. Dunkle, Krick, Leinbach, McCullough, Miller and Strohecker--6.
S.C. 28. An ordinance providing for the levy and collection of license taxes within the city of Reading.
Which was read the second time.
Mr. McCullough and Mr. Dunkle moved,
That the bill be laid on the table.
Which was not agreed to.
Mr. Heller and Mr. Krick moved,
That the rules be suspended for the further consideration of the bill.
Which was not agreed to.
Mr. Heller, (on leave) presented a bill numbered and entitled as follows:
S.C. 31. An ordinance directing the Committee on Highways and Paving and the City Engineer to superintend the construction and repairing of streets, alleys, &c., of the city of Reading.
Which was read and referred to the Committees on Printing.
Mr. McCullough and Mr. Dunkle moved,
That the Council adjourn in ten minutes and the Common Council be notified.
Which was agreed to.
The Clerk of Common Council being introduced, presented the following report, also the following resolution and bill for concurrence, viz:
Report of the special committee appointed to ascertain whether the proprietors or managers of the Grand Opera House and the Academy of Music, had complied with the request of Councils in relation to the placing of their respective buildings in greater safety in case of fire, viz:
[Appendix No. 39.]
Which was read and received.
Whereas, Considerable complaint has been expressed by many of our citizens who are obliged to pass through the streets in going to their work at an early hour in the morning, on account of the electric and naptha lights being put out before that time, making it inconvenient, annoying and dangerous to pedestrians; therefore,
Resolved, that the City Clerk be and is hereby directed to notify the Electric Light and Pennsylvania Globe Light companies that, under the terms of their contract with the city of Reading, they are required to keep their respective lights burning through the whole of the night, and that the same are not to be extinguished before the dawn of day.
Which was twice read and passed, as follows:
Yeas--8.
Nays--None.
So Select Council concurred.
C.C. 10. An ordinance to repeal an ordinance entitled "An ordinance to widen Reed street, between Washington and Walnut streets, in the city of Reading," approved October 12, 1875.
Which was read the first time.
On motion of Mr. McCullough and Mr. Strohecker,
The rule requiring Council to go into a Committee of the Whole was suspended.
The rules were further suspended, the bill read the second and third times and passed, as follows:
Yeas--Messrs. Dunkle, Heller, Krick, Leinbach, McCullough, Miller, Strohecker, and Lawrence, President--8.
Nays--None.
So Select Council concurred.
The ten minutes having expired,
The President declared
The Council adjourned.
John H. Keppelman Clerk
Source: Journals of the Select and Common Councils, pp. 346-351.
Note: Unless otherwise linked, the items identified as being in the Appendix are not part of this submission.
Submitted by: Nancy.
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