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Show COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. l3 I the cessions, and they continued on the ceded lands, without a rightful home, until 1854, when permission was given them to occupy the lands originally reserved for them by the treaties, as a permanent home, until the Esecutive should deem it expedient to direct otherwise ; whereupon Congress, on the 31st of July of the same year, authorized the Presi-dent "to confirm to the Sioux of Minnesota, forever, the reserve on the Minnesota river, now occupied by them, upon snch conditions as he may deem just." There was no formal act of confirmation, nor any conditions prescribed by the President under this law; but the reser-vations have since been regarded as the property and permanent home of the Indians, and the policy of the government towards them shaped and directed accordingly. My predecessor, in his annual report for the year 1864, says upon the subject: "Congress having, at its late session, confirmed to these Indians the reservations originally intended for them by the treaties of 1851, measures were promptly adopted for .- concentrating them thereon, and for commencing a system of opera-tions calculated to domesticate and improve them." When, hovever, in 1858, the Sioux, realizing that there were more lands in the reser-vations than they needed, proposed to retain only those on the south side of the Minnesota, to be divided among them in severalty, and to dispose of those on the other side of the river, the question arose, whether they could properly be considered as having such a title thereto as gave them a just claim to be paid for them, or to have them sold for their benefit. This was considered somewhat doubtful, as they had already been paid for the lands under the amendments of the Senate to the treaties of 1851, at the rate of ten cents per acre. They con-tended, however, that these lands were given back to them in lieu of, and as an equivalent for, the home contemplated by the Senate's amend-ments, to be assigned to them outside of the limits of the cessions of 1851, but which was not done, and for no fault on their part; and that consequently they owned them, and were entitled to be fairly compen-sated for any portion of them which they might relinquish. Under these circumstances, and, as the difficulty arose out of the amendments of the Senate to the treaties of 1851, it was agreed and stipulated in the treaties with them of 1868, to submit to that body for decision the question of their title to, and what compensation should be made to them for, the lauds which they proposed to relinquish. "Whether they shall be allowed a specific sum of money therefor, and, if so, how much; or, whether the same shall be sold for their benefit, they to re-ceive the proceeds of such sale, deducting the necessary expenses inci-dent thereto?" I would respectfully suggest the importance to the Indians of an early decision upon these questions, in order that they may not remain in a state of suspense, as to whether there will be additional means from this source to aid in improving their condition. In my judgment> an equitable arrangement mould be to allow them the proceeds of the sales of the lands, deducting the cost of their sur-vey and sale, and the ten cents per acre which they have received for them under the Senate's amendments to the treaties of 1851. The Winnebagoes reside in the same neighborhood with the &Iinne-aota Sioux. Discouraged by frequent changes of location from any efforts at improvement, and demoralized by the pernicious system of |