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Show X REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF IADIAN AFFAIRS. CLAIMS OF INDIANS AGAINST TBE GOVERNMENT. The practice of approving contracts to collect from the Government money due the Iudians is one that, in my judgment, onght not to exist . The Government clainis to be the guardia.11 of the Indians, and as such is clearly i~iidero bligation to guard their iuterests and protect them in their rights; but, under section 2103 of the Revised Statutes, it ha8 for gears been t,he practice to approve of contracts by which outside parties have taken from the Indians l~undredso f thooaauds of dollars for serv-ice which ought not to hare cost the Intlians one cent. If t,he Gov-ermnent, acting as guardian, owes, or holds in trust for the Iudians, money or property belonging to t,hem, the clearest and plainest dictates of conimon sense and comlnon honesty require that the ward should not be compelled to suffer loss to obtai~l what is justly due him. During the last four years ageements have been entered into between Indians and differeut attorneys by which these attornrjs were to receive from the Indians $765;221.25 for collectiug from the Government money said to be due the Indians. Now it is very certain that if money is due ally tribe of Inilians that fact cau be ascertained by some officer of the Gov-ernment who has access to all the treaties and the laws made in pursu-ance thereof as readily as by auy other person, if not morereadily, and I subn~itth at it is the duly of the Government to see that the wards of the nation receive, free of cost, what is justly clue them, while it is equally the duty of the Gorernment to see tkat no unjust claim is paid. During the last session of Congress I had the honor to address a letter to you on this sul?ject, which I believe met with your entire approval, in which I suggested that provision should be made by law for the appointment of an officer who should attend to all cases wbere niouey might be justly due from the Goverriment to t,he Iudiansj that this shortld be his entire business; and that he should nrceive suck a salaq- as would secure the services of a person with suflicient legal xbilit.y, integrit,y, and business capacity to see that no injnstice is done either the Gorernment or the Indians. It ma,y be said that this is a departure from the rule that has governed the Department for many years, but I submit that that is no argnineut against it, unless it can be shown that age sauctifies error. LAWS POX TED3 GOlrEENmRT OF INDIANB. 111 the annual reports of t l~i so ffice for several years past, attention has been in-ited to the urgei~xtr ecessity for the enact~nenot f some wit-able code of laws for Indian reserratious. Indians in the Indian country are not punishable for crimes or offenses committed agaiilst the persons or property of each other. Such offenses are generally left to the pen-alties of tribal usage, involving personal vengeauce or pecuiiiary satis-faction, or the offenders are subjected to a few weeks or months arbi-trary confinement in an agency guardhonse or military fort. The Indian |