OCR Text |
Show REPOET OF THE COXMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. XXVII the general fumls of the tribe iu the United States Treasury, for the benefit of all. The l)epartment, in approving the census of these 111dians taken as required by the act of January 16,1881, and before any payment was made, authorized the agent, as the cork of locating homesteads and making payments progressed, to add to said census list the names of any Winnebagoes who might present themselves properly entitled, as resident8 of Wiscoosio, to enrollment but who had been overlooked in making up the original list, such new e~~rollmeutso; be sustained with sworn proof of the right of the person to enrollment. The agent was also empowered to strike from said eetlsus list the name of any whom he might discover, on furtl~eirn vestigation, mere not entitleil to enroll-ment, s n bmi t t i~p,r~oo f to sustain his actiou in suel~casesa lso. U11(1er hhese ~:ircuu~stanceas c omplete and correct census of all, it is believed, has been obtained, and also of the Winuebagoes residing in Nebraska, and steps will now be taken to carry out the third and fourth sections of the act before referred to, and au equitable adjustment will be made of the amount due to the Wisconsin Winnebagoes from those residing in Nebraska, and future annuity payments will be made to both branches of the tribe accordingly. The permanent a u~~u iotfy $ 1,100 to the Miamis of Eel River auit $400 to the Pottawatomiex of Huron is so small as hardly to warrant the expense connected with making annual payments, and the amounts receired by each of the 111diaos in this way are not sufficient to do them any particular good. I would therefore reco~nmendt hat an offer be made to these Incliai~so f a s um to be paid each tribe at once ill lieu of their annuilier. In m;bkiug annuity payments two questions often arise which, when not 1)rovided for hy treaty or special legislation, are difficult to determine by this office with assurance of beiug right and of having actell for the best interests of the In~lia~lsT. l~efi rst is what degree of white blood should debar a person from sharing in Iudian annuities; slid the sec-ond is whether Iadian tribe8 can clrop persons from their ro!ls whom they hare once adopted in good faith and in accorda,nce with the rules of the tribe. I t would be well if these questio~~wse re definitely and finally settled by legislatire actioo, if possible. I thinlr it would be for the benefit of all to exclude pr,r~otrosf less than one.half Indian blood, and to retain all wl~oa re wgul a r l~a dopted, if It~dians,a nd to add the ohiltlren OF sach, but to cliscouragr! or prohibit any further adoptions by Indian tribes, especi;~,llyof whites. I may be pardoned for repeating my former reference to the difficul-ties this D~partmencl abors tinder becanse agents are prohibited by section 3651 of the Revised Statntes from payiug so~ueb aukiug ir~stitu-tionoearer to the agency than the authorizedU11ite.d States depository, mhere the funds may be placed to their credit, a reasonable rate of ex-change on the agent's official draft for funds to make annuity payments. |