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Show REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. XVII tion, 36 are still pending, one forfeited his bail bond, 19 were punished by fine, 30 by imprisonment, and 34 by imprisonment and fine. The 6nes varied from $1 to $126, and the terms of imprisonment injails, houses of col~ectiona, nd penitentia,ries, from one day to 3 years and a half. Only 7 were imprisoned for a year or over, and the average term of the others wa,s 58 days. The average fine was $32. The tendency of the law to hear the hardest on the weakest party was well exemplified among the Indians of the State of New Pork, where 3 white men were fined $20, $50, and $75, respectively, for selling liquor to Indians; and for the same offense an I~rdiau was sentenced to 30 . days in prison and a fine of $100. A table showing prosecutions md penalties in detail, will be found on page 315, herewith. Much larger results.could hare been secured if the office had funds at its command to cover the expense of detecting liquor selling, making arrests, sending witnesses to court, &c. For this purpose I urged last yea.r an appropriation of $5,000, which was granted in the House bnt failed in the Senate. Whatever ditference of opinion'may exist as to the use of whisky by white men, there is but one opillion as to the mis-chief and danger of its use by lndiaus, and I can see no reason why the small amount a,sked should not have been granted. I trust that Con-' gress at its next session will show some interest in the matter, and some readiness to assist the office in its siugle-handed fight against this evil. LEGISLATION REQUIRED. Intvuders on Indian lands.-In my last annual report I drew atten-tion to the insufficiency of existing laws on this subject. On the 29th of March last, the draught of a bill for the more adequate prevention of tresp;l.ssbs on Iudiau lauds, previously prepared in this office! was trans-mitted by the President to Congress for consideration (House Ex. DOC. No. 145,47th Cong., 1st sess.) This bill reads as follows : Be it snaot~d# y the Senate and House of Ropresestatiuas of the United State8 of Anrwioa in Oongv~98 a88ambZed, That emtion tmenty-me hundred and forty-eight of theRevised Statutes of the United Statas be amended to read as follows, namely: "Ewry person who without authority of law enters and shall he found upon any Indian lands, tribal reservation, or lands specially set &part for Indisn purposes, shall, for the first offense, upon conviation thereof, pay a fine of not more than 6w hundred dollars, and be imprisoned at hard labor far not Inore thsn one yew; and for every snbseqnent offense, shall, opon conviction thereof, pay a fine of nut more than one thousand dollars, and not less than five hundred dollars, and he imprisoned at hard labor for not Inore thsn two years, nor less thanone year;' and the wagons, tesma and outfit of suoh person or persons ea offending shall be seized anrl delivered to the proper United States officer, and he proneeded against by libel in the proper court and forfeited, one-half to the informer and the other halfto the United States, and in all oases arising under thisaot, Indians shall be competent witnesses: Provided, hosm.er, That the provisions of this seotion shall not apply toemigrants or tra~elerspezoeabl~ through such Indian lands, tribal reservations, or lands especially set apart for Indian purposes, without oommitting any willful trespass or injury to p8rson or property ." MD-I1 |
