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Show such representatives or delegstions visiting this aity without such authority will not be provided for by the Department. Very respectfully, C. N. Bnss, Senatary. Eon. WILLIAM A. Jomq Comtnissioner of Indian Affairs, Wanhilagton, D. C: Agents and superintendents in charge of agencies will st once notify the Indians under their charge of the Seoretary's direations, ss above set forth, and willsee that the same Ere faithfully observed. TH08. P. SMITH, Aothg CO-~.~~O.BT. SALE OF LIQUOR TO INDIANS. As stated in the last annual report of this office, bills were introduced during the first session of the last Congress having in view a more strin-gent and unequivocal restriction of the sale of liquors to Indians; especially to include among those with whom the traffic is prohibited Indians who have been given allotments in severalty and have been made citizens of the United States, but who remain for a time under the guardianship and care of the Government; also to extend the pro-hibition against the introduction of intoxicating liquors into the Indiaa country so as to make it cover allotted lands which are held in trust by the United States or that are held by the Indians without the right of alienation. The act, approved by the President January 30,1897 (29 Stat., 506), is of unusual import,ance to the aervice, and sets at rest questions on which the courts of the different districts could not agree, namely, whether the law applied to punish parties who introduced intoxicating liquors within an Indian allotment or who furnished them to an Indian allottee. I therefore deem it expedient to quote the law in full, as follows: That any person who shall sell, give sway, dispose of, exohange, or barter any malt, spirituous, or vinous liquor, inoludiug beer, ale, and wine, or any ardent or other intoxieat~ng liquor of any kind whatsoever, or my easenee, extraot, bitters, preparation, compound, compoaition, or any article whatsoever, under any nsme, label, orbrand, which produces intoxication, to my lndian to whom allotment of land has been made while the title to the aame shall be held in troat by the Govern-ment, or to any Indian s ward of the Government under charge of any Indian anperintendent or agent, or my Indian, including mixed bloods, over whom the Government, through its Departments, exercises guardianship, and sny person who shell introduce or attempt to introduce any malt, spirituous, or vinous liquor, including beer, ale, and wine, or any ardent orintoxicating liquor of soy kind whllt-soever into the Indian oountry, which term shall include any Indian allotment while the title to the s m e shall be held in trust by the Government, or while the same shall remain inalienable by the allottee, without the ounsent of the United Stnteq shall be punished by imprisonment for not leas than sixty days md by afiue of not less than one hundred dollars for the first offenae and not less than two hnn-dred dollars for each offenae thereafter: Providsrl, hourmw, That the person con-victed shall beoomrnitted until fine end costa are mid. But it shall be a su5icient defensu to any charge of int rol lao~rol~r attnvnpting to introdore ardent spiritq rrld, beer, wine, orintoxirating licloors into tlnu Indino country tLot the act8 charged were done onder aurltoriry, in writiog, from the War 1)epartmeor or any o6iaer duly. authorized tlleraunto by the Wm Department. Snc. 2. That so muchof the sot of the twenty-third day of July, eighteen hundred and ninety-two, ss is inconsistent with the provisions of this act is hereby repealed. |
