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Show During the month of February, 1886, Ignacio, Buckskin Charley, and Tapoche did visit Washington with Stollsteimer and State Senator A. D. Archuleta, 13 and conferred with the Interior Department and the Senate's Indian Committee on the possibility of removal. In March, an appearance was made before the Senate Committee. All three Utes expressed their views on the present situation and what they wanted. Buckskin Charley, in response to the Committee's questions, gave the follow ing testimony: Q. What do you come here for? A. We come here to see if we cannot exchange our reservation for another. Q. Where do you want the new reservation located? A. We want to go west of the present reservation. Q. Why is it better to go that way? A. The present reservation is narrow and long, and we want to gc west and see if we can't sell it. Q. Would they want to become self- supporting? A. We want to go west and get grass land and raise stock. Where we are we do not live comfortably. It snows so much in the winter that we are obliged to go some place else, and we would like to have some sheep and go west. Another reason why we want to go is that the other Indians, the Navajos, are west, and we want to get near them. We live too far from them and can't visit them without traveling very far. Q. If you should go to a new reservation would you like to have a boarding school built for your children? A. We are willing to send our children to school; but not away from home, because when they go away they die, and we cannot account for it. Q. Have you ever been on the Uintah Reservation? A. No. Q. Do you live peaceablv with the other Utes? A. Yes Q. Wouldn't you want to go on the Uintah Reservation with the rest of the Utes? A. No, because there is not room enough, and we want to have our own land by ourselves . . . . . . Q. Do you come here now to get legislation? A. We come here to present the desire of the Indians. Q. Do you come to VVashington with the idea that the Indian Bureau can do what you want? A. We come expecting to get legislation. Q. You hold title under statute? A. Yes. Q. So that the change must be made by another statute? Senator Bowen: That is the condition of affairs, and it ought to be done at once. Q. These Indians have lived on their reservation heretofore; why can't they live there now as well? A. Because of the encroachments of the white men. Q. Are they cattlemen or miners? A. There is no mining in this country. It is the border thief and desperado that make the trouble, and they are in there. Q. What makes the Indians think they will be safer from encroachment it they move farther west? A. Because they will be farther from the settlers and nearer the rest of the Indians. 13 US.. Conqress, Senate, A Report by the Committee on Indian Affairs on BillIS. 1916. Report'No. 836, 49th Cong.. 1st Sess., Ser. No. 2360, April 30, 1886. p. L US Congress. House of Representatives. A Report by the Committee on Indian Affairs on Bill H. K. UK>, Report No. 861, 50th Cong.. 1st Sess.. Ser. No. 2600. March 7, 1888. pp. 1- 6. Hereafter cited as House of Representatives Report No. 836, . . . - 33- |