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Show ~ x X ~ V FIFTY-SEVENTH ANNUAL REPORT OF the lands, the expense of allotting and patenting lands to the Indians, the wst of school buildings, stock, agricultural implements, seed, ete., furnished the Indians, and the $1,000~000f und. The act further provided as follows : This aot shall takeeffect only upon the eoeeptanae thereof and eousant thereto by the different hands of the Sioux Nation of Indians, in manner and form preaoribed by the twelfth article of the said treaty between the United Struttea and said Indians, concluded April 2!1, 1868, which said acceptance and consent &all be made known by proclmation thereof by the President of the United Statetea, upon satisfactory proof presented to him that the same has been obtained in the manner and form raqoired by aaid twelfth article of said treaty, whioh proof shall be presented to him within one year from the passage of this act, and upon failure of such proof and proclama-tion tbia act becomes of no effect and null and void. The provision of the Sioux treaty referred to is as follows: No treaty for the aession of any portion or part of the reservation herein described, which may be held in common, shall be of any validity or foroe as against the said Indians, unless exeouted and signed by rut least three-fourths of all the adult male Indiana occupying or interested in the same. . For the expense of procuring the %sent of the Sioux in accordance with treaty requirements the act appropriated $18,000, ancl the Depart-ment accordingly appointed a commission to visit the Sioux for thir purpose. The members of the commission were Oapt. R. H. Pratt, U. S. Army, Rev. William J. Cleveland, and Hen. John V. Wright. The commission received its instructions direct from the Department. At Standing Rock, the first agency visited, only 22 Indians could be induced to sigu the articles of agreement submitted to them. At Lower Brult5 244 out of 306, and at Grow Creek 120 out of 282 adult males signed the agreement. Having ascertained that no better success could be expected at Ghey. enne River, Ilosebud, and Pine Ridge than was had at Standing Rock the commission decided not to visit those agencies. In October last adelegatiou of leading Indians from each of the Sioux agencies, accompanied by their respective agents and by the commia-sion, visited this city to confer further as to the accelftance of the pro-vhions of the act. The number of Indians in the party, inclnding interpreters, was sixty-seven. In several councils with the Depart-ment they stated their objections to the terms of the act and their dis-satisfaction with the amount of compensation offered, made complaint as to the non-fulfilment by the Government of the provisions of old treaties, and suggested changes in theact which would be acceptable -to them. The Department then prepared a series of propoaed amendments to the act and submitted them to the delegation, agreeing to recommend to Congress that the act should be thus amended, provided the Indiana present would agree to accept the terms of the act if it should be so amended and would agree to endeavor to induce their people to do like-wise. After full deliberation the Indians made a majority and minority reply upon the subject. The majority insisted on more generous, not to |