OCR Text |
Show REPORT OF THE COMMIBSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. LXIX Again, under the agreement it was incumbent upon theGovernment, in selecting lands in Utah (having failed to find suitable lands in Col-orado), to find "unoecupied"agricn1tural lands for the settlement of the Uncompahgres. Within the territory finally selected and set apart for them in Utah some white settlers were found, having improvements of considerable value. In settlement of the claims of these settlers the Ute Commissio~a~pp raised the valueof their improvements and allowed t.he sum of $10,338.25, which has been set aside and ordered to be paid out of the removal and settlen~enftu nd. Manifestly, the Indians should bear no part of this expense, as the Government was bound to provide for them unoccupied lands. Their funds should, therefore, be reimburwl in that amom~t. I earnestly recom'mend, ili view of the forewing, that Congress be asked, at its next session, to appropriate $31,913.60 in reimb~~rsement of the amount thus taken from the removal and settlement fund of $350,000. I would add t.hat the surveys in Colorado of which I have spoken, although of no benefit to the Indians, will nndoubtedly be useful to the Government,as jnst that muoh of the public landshas been surveyed,and the work will not, it is presumed, have to be done over again. By the act of March 1, above quoted, the Secretary of the Interior is authorized, with the eonsent of the Indians, to pay in stock and such other property as he and the Indians may agree upon, instead of cash, the annual $50,000 per capita payment provided by the agreement incor-porated in act of June 15,1880. In consequence of numerous representations having been made that the northern portion of the Columbia Reservation in Wasbiugton Territory contained valnablc mines, which had been discovered and worked previous to the issuance of the Executive order of Arpril 19, 1879, setting apart that reserve, the Department, on October 11,1882, directed Inspector Gardner to investigate the matter, and also the location and reqnirementsof the Indiansfor whose benefit the reservation was created. As the result of this investigation an Execntive order was issued Pebrnary 23, 1883, restoring to the public domain a strip of country 15 miles in width along the entire northern portion of the reservation. In April last the commanding general of the Department of the Columbia represented that this action had omsionedmuch excitement a,mong the followers of Chief Moses, and that their disposition was much more hostile than friendly, an.d reqnested authority to send Moses, with An officer and interpreter, to Washington in order that such action might be taken as would restore peaceful relations between all con-cerned. |