| OCR Text |
Show REPOET OF THE C031~1SSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. XKV said, that the Santees ahonld have this land given to them by a law that eoould not be changed, ao that the white man could rot take their homes from them. At present they have hot little aasoranoe that tbey eaa remain here, and I know it has been s drawback to them in the wag of self-support, for they have repeatedlp iuformed me that they do not wish to open op a Earm for B white man to take from them when the whites may feel like doing ao. They want a lasting title to tbeir homes the same as.* vhite man, sod I think it wicked in the first degree for us, as a natioo, to withhold any longer suoh s sacred right-that of liberty sod a free home for these people, r h o eventually will he recognized ass, part of oar nat,ian, exeroisiog the righte of citisen-ahio as we do. In the uame of the Dower that rules, csnnot we bring forae to hear rhat wlll mnka rig181 PIRPI~~il,n d P T O ~ L I CB ~L I C ~B law a3 wi l l 3110~tl ln Sdl l r~R Iudinns, and rhore ~i~nil:trldyi~ oated,t o eelert tliei~l and nod hold it o, a pcro>:ttw!lt home. The reports of nearly all the agents showa sin~ilars tate of fact.s ex-isting among the Indians at their respective agencies. The Indian wants his land allotted to him. He wants a perfect and secure title that will protect him against the rapaoity of the white man. He isnot only willing butt a,nxions to learn the ways of civilization. He is de-sirous of being taught to worli and to accnmulate pr0pert.v. His mind is imbued with these ideas, and some decisivc steps shonld be taken by the law-making branch of the government to enconrage him in his laudable and praisevortlly desires a,ud efforts toward civilization, self-support, and a better ,and more useful life. An approximate estimate shows that. 8,972 allotments have been made on the vorious reservations in the United States, and that 2,793 of this number have been patented to the allottees; also tliat 1,353 31- lotments have been made for which certificates have been issued. AS before stated these certificates carry no title with them. They are only e ~ d e n c eof the right of one Indian as again& anot,her to occupy the traat of land which they describe. It sho~ildb e stated in explanatioll of the difference betmeen the o~iiutbero f allotment,^ and nnmberof pat-ents issued, that nnder thepro~risiono f some of the treaties the lands allotted to the several members of a family are emltraced in one patent issued to the head of the family. INDIAN HOMESTEAD ENTRIES. On the lOtll of Mv, 1880, my predecessor submitted to the depart-ment a draft of a bill to emable Iudians to enter land nnder the pro-visions of the 15th and 16th sections of the act of Congress, approved March 3d, 1875, extending to Indians the benefits of the provisions of the homestead act of May 20th, 1862, and the acts amendatory thereof (now embodied in sections 2290,2201,2292, auld 2295 to 2302, iualnsive), without the payment of the fees and commissions now prescribed by law in snch cases. A great many Indians in different parts of the United States are desiroos of availiug themselves of the beuefit,s con-ferred by the act of 1875, bot owing to their poverty and improvidence few of them can command the amoiuut necessarF to pay the fees and columissious required by lax. In many instances, more especially the |
