OCR Text |
Show r I I XXVI REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. for 1883, only became more apparent by increased familiarity with the habits and condition of these Indians. Their mere expressed intention fo use the money to enter any land they might select or to improve it could not be relied upon as being bonapde; but the hope of further payments induced them to make good use of the first, and as it was found that, with few exceptions, t l ~ em oney given them mas properly used, another pa.vment of a second one.fifth was made during Febru-ary, 1884. As the wording of the act is not plain as to how its benefits were to be applied, it was believed that the remaining three-fifths of the money in question could be expended to their greatest advantage in the purchasc of building material, stock, farming utensils, &c., as thus being more cer t~into permanently aid them towards indepeluience and oivilization. But this course on t.rial mas not found practicable, for va~,ioorse asons, the principal of whioh was the decided objection of a great majorits of the Indians, and the positive refusal of others, to so receive it or to make known their wants, many claiming that they had cont,racted debts on the strength of their promises to pay from this source, whicl~th ey felt hound by honor and interest to pay; so that no intelligent &imate for the necessary pumhases could be arrived at, nor could the si~pplies have been properly distributed without the hearty co-operation of the Indians. I was therefore reluctantly com-pelled to abandon this plan, and since the expiration of the fiscal year a ft11I share in the final three-fifths has been paid in cash to a11 who presented themselves, properly qualified,-as required by the act. Under what this office has reason to believe to be the evil advice and persuasion of some designing person, who, in connivance with one of the chiefs of the Winnehagoes, wishes to handle their money as attorney (a service ent.irely unnecessary), a party of these Indians known as Big Hawk's band, and numbering about 95, although duly enrolled and give11 repeated and timely notice of all the payments, hare persistently refused to present themselves to the disbursing agent, properly quali-fied, as rcquiwd by the act, for their shares in the appropriation. As the date and place of proposed payment was in every case brought to the notice of all, and every opportunity afforded and much extra effort made and experlse incurred in the endeavor to have all avail them-selves of the benefits of the act, t,hose who have refused or mil1fu:ly neg-lected to so arail themselves are without excuse to claim a further delay of final action under the act, and have no right to put the whole tribe to the further expense whioh would be incurred by making a special payment to them whenever they may feel disposed to comply with the law and receive it. I would therefore recommend that the shares of all whom it can be sbomn willfully neglected or refused to comply with the requirements of the act and to receive said shares, aft,er having had due notice of the dates and places of payment, and ample time aud opportunity to make good their claims, be returned to |