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Show XXXIV REPORT OF THE COMXISBIOSER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. for transmission to Congress for its consideration and action. On the 4th December, 1883, t.he papers were submitted by the Department with suitable recommendations to the President, and formed the subject of Executive message to Congress December 17,1883 (8. Ex. Doc. No. 20, Borty-eighth Congress, first session). On the 10th January, 1884,Mr. Dawes, from the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, reported the bill (S. 1004) as prepared in this Office, which was read a Erst and second time and recolniuitted to the Commict.ee on Indian Affairs. March 24, 1884, Mr. Dawes, from the same committee, reported the bill with amendments, and on the 22d April following the bill passed the Senate and ma8 transmitted to the House, which, however, adjourned without taking final action upon it. The House had previously, March 18, 1884, also favorably reported a bill (H. R. 5420) for' similar purposes (House Report No. 829, Forty-eighth Congress, first session). Sioux Reserue, Dakota (Dakota Central Railway).-In like manner end with like preliminaries on the part of this office, Mr. Dawes, from the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, on the 12th February, 1884, re-ported a bill (S. 1496) to accept and ratify the agreements made between the Sioux Indians and the Dakota Central Railway Company (H. R. Ex. Doc. Xo. 11, 48th Congress, first session), which also was read a first and second time, and recommitted. March 24, 1884, Mr. Dawes, from the same committee, reported the bill with amendments, and on the 22d April following the bill passed the Senat8 and was transmitted to the House, which, however, adjourned without taking final action thereon. The House had previonsly (March 18,1884) also favorably reported a bill (H. R. 5282) for similarpurposes (House Report 830, Forty-eighth Congress, first session). Xisseton Reserve in Dakota (Cl~icagoM, ilwaukee and 8aint Paul Rail-way).- The Indians of this reserve having finally declined to sign the new agreement, mention of which was made in my last annual report, upon the ground of some misunderstanding as to the terms of the original contract, and some doubt existing as to whether, under the peculiar t,erms of the treaty (1.5 Statutes at barge, 506), further legis-lation by Congress would not in any event be necessary, the matter was submitted to the Depariment, which, on the 13th December, 1883, decided that in the present attitude of the Indians the whole ques-tion should be submitted to Congress for such action as that body might find to be right end proper, and for decision as to the compensa-tion to be paid by the railroad company for the use of the land taken for right of way. On the 22d January, 1584, I had the honor to lay before the Department a full history of the case, with copies of all cor-respondence relating thereto, which, on the 29th January, 1884, was submitted by the Department to the President, and forms the subject |
