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Show ing impatience with the Government and the settlers for not fulfilling the treaty and agreement obligations, as well as the Anglos' fear that the Indians would rise in reaction to their continued encroachment on the Ute landsAQ People of the area wanted Congress to act for their protection. In response to the memorial two bills were introduced in Congress, both calling for Indian removal. The first bill, House Resolution Number 3020, was introduced by Representative T. M. Patterson. He wanted negotiations to settle the title of all the lands in Colorado and the removal of Colorado's Indians to Indian Territory. 2" The second bill, Senate Bill Number 706, was introduced into the Senate by Jerome B. Chaffee and authorized the Secretary of the Interior to negotiate with the LItes for removal to the White River Agency. 21 The Senate bill was acted upon first and was approved on March 19. 1878. The House was then asked to consider the Senate bill as a substitute for Patterson's bill, which it did. 2^ The House quickly passed the Senate bill. This legislation called for the removal of both the Southern Utes and those LItes located at the Los Pinos Agency, near Gunnison, Colorado, to the White River Agency, with title to the vacated lands given to the state of Colorado.^ The bill was signed by President Rutherford B. Haves on May 3, 1878.24 In complience with the new legislation, the President named a commission to represent the Government in the negotiations with the L i t e s t While this commission failed to accomplish the objectives set by the May 3rd legislation, they did manage-to have the Southern LItes agree to relinquish their awkwardly positioned reserv ation for a new location just east of their reservation, but not until several concessions were made to the Indians, and not until a number of councils had been held. In the end. Congress failed to support the efforts of the commission. However, their efforts were useful in later negotiations with these people. The commissioners. Major General Edward Hatch, Honorable William Strick-ney, and N. D. McFarland, received their instructions from the acting Commissioner of Indian Affairs, William M. Leeds, in a letter to General Hatch, the designated chairman of the commission. The instructions to the group, dated June 29. 1878, were: . . . to act as a commission to visit and endeavor to secure from the Lite Indians in the State of Colorado, their assent to the authorizing negotiations with the said Indians for the consolidations of all their bands at one agency, to be located on or near White River; and for extinguishment of their reservation in said state . . . . The commission will convene at Fort Garland, Colorado, at the earliest date practicable, thence proceed without delay to the Los Pinos Agency, and after consultation with the agent in charge there of, assemble all the different bands of said Indians in open council, at such time and place as accomplishment of the object of the commission . . . . You will fully explain to said Indians when assembled in council, the purport of said act, and the object of your visits to them, taking care in all cases, that vou shall be clearlv understood bv them. 19. Ibid. 20. U. S.. House. Congressional Record. Vol. VII. Part 1. 45th Cong.. 2d Sess.. February 4. 1878. p. 739. 21. Ibid.. Senate. Vol. VII. Part 2. February 11. 1878. p. 921. 22 Ibid.. House. Vol. VII. Part 3. April 24. 1878. pp. 2777- 78. 23. Ibid. 24. Ibid.. Senate. Vol. VII. Part 4. May 6. 1878. p. 3193. 25. Report of the Secretary of the Interior. 1879. op. cit.. p. 514. - 10- |