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Show 36 REPORT OF THE COMMISBIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. It should not he nnderstood that because sales are not being made in large nnm- - bers there is nothing for the commission to do. Many prospective purohrtsers come in to inquire abant land, and a great deal of time is oooupied in explsiining md showine them the different tracts for sale. But the moat of our time is taken un. h-r I d Thoyeameevery day uod with sll eorrsof grievances. Those for shorn we have sold no land come day nftar day to know if we hnvo tr~arlns ales for them, and those whose lands have been sold come even more freqnently end more persist-ently to know when their money is coming. They complain very bitterly of the long delays in getting their money after the land has been sold. While I have been witingthis seven oreight havebeen in to askif "their money hascome yet," and it is usually ueceasary to advance small ssllms to them. They oome with all the numerous disputes that arise between themselves ill regard to the possession of their lands, about their crops, about debts that they owe md claims that they wan* to oollect, and a great many other matters that m e literally too numerous to mention. Manv of these matters are in no wav within the nrosince of thacnmmission, htrt the Indionsran not bomsde tocomprehend tlmt. They think that wnaro here to attend to all of their snirir. It i~ nothlne nuusual ro have25 OT 30 of them oome into onr office in one day, and each one has some matter that must be talked over with him. There is one now in this offioe talking to rue about some land on the Skokomish Reservation that he wants to get, and I am trying to m k e him underatand that we have aothing to do with the Skokomiah lmds. I mention these things to give you an idea of how a large portion of my time is occupied. * . * A oonsiderahle portion of my time this week has been oconpied in preparing for the ejectment auit of Old Peasn-u against Louie LeClaire, which,. r. o o may remember. was commenced by yyourinstruotions. I am informedthat ~ e ~ l a i rine o, rder to hold possession of the land, will plead that he hsa a lease from Old Peasup that rnns untilnext March. I am satisfied that the said lease is a forgery, hut whether we can show that fact to the satisfaction of the conrt is qoestionsble. They will shdw a lease that on its face is regular. This is but one of the desperste and unsornpn-luus measures resorted to by thoae who are opposing us. Them Indians lease their lands indisoriminately, without asking the approval of the Indian Bureau. This has been the practice for years, although its legality iq to say the least, douhtfol. This letter might he continued indefinitely in similar strain, hut no doubt its length has already wearied yon. Therefore I will only nay further that while the work of this commission may be disappointing, there have been no efforts lacking on our part to make it sucoessful. If it has not been suoeessful, it has been because complete sucoess has been impossible under the oiroumstsncea. I do not think that it would be wise at once to discontinue the com-mission. There is a certain amount of unfinished work on hand which needs its attention, even if no new work is done by it. I may add that one member thereof was relieved from duty some time ago, for the reason that it was not thought necessary to keep a full commission in the field, most of the work provided for in the said act of March 3, 1893, having been accomplished except the making of sales of land and the execution of deeds for the lands sold. LEASING OF INDIAN LANDS. Previous reports have cited the laws under which Indian lands are . leased. Tbe regulations relating to leasing will be found on page 421 of report for 1894. |