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Show - x XXXII REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. agent and on this office, to see that justice is done to all, and that even. the suspicion of corruption is made impossible. I am therefore of the opinion that the marketing of dead and down timber from this and the other reservations above referred to should be abando~~eads iniprao- . ticable, (for similar objections apply to all, as my letter to the Depart-ment of 12th instant, in referer~cet o White Earth and Red Lake, fully explains), also that in view of the present helpless and needy condition of the Indians; especially of tho Ne~~oluoneeasn, d their expressed and im-plied treaty rights, and for the purpose of relieving the Government of all expense for their support,, steps shoulll he t.ake11 towards selling on the stump one-half of the green s t a~dingp ine timber on each quarter-section of these reservations, and investiug the proceeds for the benefit of the Indians, under such provisions as shall secure to them the gre+t-est benefits from the interest, which, would bcamplc to snpply all their wants and to assist them ill becomiug prosperous farmers aud perrna-nently independent. . It is not probablethat either of the tribes rekrred to would offer any objection to this wholesale disposition of their timber with these oh. . jeots i u view; but, so far as the Menome~leesa rc concerned, their con-sent, ih my opinion, is not ueecled; which I think will appe:ir by refer-ence to stil)ulation 1 to third article of the treaty of February 11, 1856 (U. 5. Stats., 11, p. 679), which article is to promote the welfa,re and the improvement of these Iadians, and reads as follows: hat in ose this agreement and the treatif8 made preaiousl!, with theMenomonees ahonla prove innuffioient, from oanses which cannot nov be foreseen, to effect the objects, the President of the United Statos may, by sod wirh the advice aud oon-seqto f t,he Senate, adopt such policy in the mi~nzgemeutotfh e affairs of the Menom-onees as in his judgment may be moat benefioial to them; or Congress may hereafter "lake snoh provision by law 88 experience shall prove to be necessery. ~ l t h o u g hth is cannot give thk Government the right to deprive the Menomonees of any of the benefits contingent on. their treaties, it does, jn opinion. allow any proper variation of theapplieation of the same .that ma,i be clonsidered by CoIlgress to be for the best inter.ests of the Indians, and I respectfully recommbud that such steps be taken as may be necessary to secure the legislation above indicated. TIMBER AND OTHER DEPREDATIONS ON INDIAN LANDS. The attention of the Department is called to the urgent necessity of legislation to prevent theincessant spoliation of timber on Iudianlands, particularly those of the civilized tribes in the Indian Territory, where the domain is so large thatit cannot be effectwely policed. Measures looking to a suppression of this traffic have been presented to Congress for some years past, but invariably have failed to receive the concnr-rent, action of both houses j the last, being Senate bill No. 1544, Forty-eighth Congress, first session, passed the Senate, but was not reached |
