OCR Text |
Show XLVIII REPORT OF THE COXXISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. stroyed timber on 1,and within a large portion of the Indian reservations. The United States district court for the western district of Arkansasi at the last May term thereof, decided that the lands within the Cherokee Reservation in the Indian Territory were not lands pf the Unitdd States in the sense of the language used in section 5388, and that there was no law to punish parties for committing depredations thereon. The reasoning of the court will apply with equal force to the landa of the Choctaws, Chickasaws, Creeks, Seminoles, and certain other Indians. Most of the Indian reservations are now completely surrounded by a progressive and adventurous white population, which, only by stringent laws, mu be restrained from taking possession of Indian lands, and hauling off or destroying the little timber leftthereon. I deem it, there-fore, of great iimporhuce that such a law be enwted as will prevent parties settling upon or cutting or wantonly destroying timber on the following classes of reservations, viz : Lands to which the original In-dian title has never been extinguished, but which havenot been specially reserved by treaty, act of Congress, or otherwise for the use of the In-dians, or for other purposes, although the Indians' right of occupancy thereof has been h i t l y recognized by the government; lands ex-pressly reserved by treaty or act of Oongress; or set apart for the nt3e of the Indians by Executive order of the President; lnnc?s allotted or patented to individud Indians who are not nuder the laws of any State or Territory; lands @e~&d to Indian tribes; and lands which have been purchased by, or ceded to the United States for the purpose of settling Indians thereon, but which are as yet unoccupied. THE BOARD OB INDIAN COMMISSIONEES. Duuring the year several of the members of the Board of Indian Com-missioners have rendered valuable aid a~rd assistance to the govern-ment in the p ~ ~ h a o8f ea ~ l n n igt ~oo ds and supplies. The members ot the purchasiog committea have especially devoted a great deal of val-uable time to the sl'rvice, mcl bave supervised the awarding of conthcts, inspection of goods, and all the various details connected therewith. These services arc rendered to the government gratuitously, and deserr-e more than a passing acknowledgment. !;The members of the board hare also visited many Indian agencies during the year; and, as the result of their observations, have brought to the notice of the Bureau valuable fact8 and suggestions. APPBAISEKENT OF KAXSAS INDIAN LANDS Ik KANSAS. Since the date of my last annual report t,he commissioners appointed under the provisions of the act of July 5,1876 (19 Stat., p. 74), to ap-praise the Hanuas Indian lands in Kansas have completed their work and submitted laheir report to this office, with accompanying schedules and abstracts. From tliese it appears that of the unsold portion of the |