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Show REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. 99 EXTENSION OF PAYMENTS FOR OMAHA LAXDS. The act of Congress approved August 11,1894 (28 Stab., 276), pro. vided for the extension of time of payment to purohasers of Omaha lands, the consent of the Indians beiug first obtaiil~ed. Under iustruc-tions dated December 20, 1894, Capt. Willilam H. Beck, acting Indian agent for the Omaha and Winnebago Agency, formally presented the matter to the Indians in couucd, and they voted against the proposed extension and asked that the purchasers of said lands be required to make payments due, at the earliest practicable moment. This action of the India~rsw as, however, rendered nugatory by a clause in the Indian appropriation act for the current fiscal year, which declares: * * And that the like extension of one year on the first o.a vment required to " be ~uacla,w hen payable in isstallruenra, is l~,,ral~gyrn nr+:d t o all l~omesran~sle ttle18 unand pnrel,;ulers of 011 ceded Indiau rexervntluos lo 1lln Ytvtes of Yorrh Jhkota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Moutma, nod Idaho READJUSTMENT OF SALES OE OTOE AND MISSOURIA LANDS, OKLAHOMA. As stated in my last annual report, a matter of considerable moment to the Indiausofthis reserlratlon was the proposed revision and readjust-ment of the sales of thew lands in Nebraskaunder the act of Congress approved March 3,1893 (27 Stats., 668). The said act having provided that no readjustment should be made or rebate allowed without the consent of theIndians thereto having been first obtained, a commission was appointed by the Department to present the matter to them for their action. Under instructions dated December 3,1894, the commis-sion s:bmitted the questlon to the Indians in council, and reported that the Indians positively refused to entertain any proposition looking to readjustment or rebate. Negotiations with them were thus ended. PONY CLAIMS OF INDIANS ON PINE RIDGE BESERVATION. - Under date of August 16,1894, the Acting Secretary of the Interior approved about 940 contracts in severalty, entered into between Indians belonging to the Pine Ridge Indian Agency, S. Dak., a ~ M~ edssr s. Anderson, Doan & O'Neall, attorneys of this city, by w'bich the latter stipulate to prosecute against the United States the claims of said Indians arising uuder the following provision contained in Article I of the treaty of 1868 (16 Stab., 635): If bad men mong the whites, or among other people sabject to the authority of the United States, shdl commit any wrong upon the person or property of the In-dian% the United Stntea will, upon proof made to the agent and forwarded to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs at Washington City, proceed et once to cause the offeuder to he arrestedaud ponished accordlog to the laws of the United States, and slso reimburse the injured person for the loss sustained. |