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Show 1 REPORT OF INDIAN SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT. LXXXVII Traverse, and the Devil's Lake Indian Agencies. By the seventh see-tion of an act approved Jnly 15,1870, the Secretary of the Interior was directed to distribute the proceeds of the sales of lands among these Indians at the agencies named, according to numbers. At that time the Indians at Lake Traverse numbared 1,426, at Devil's Lake 732, and at Santee and Flandreau 974. On February 24, 1883, the receipts from sales of these lands had amounted to $857,978.04, all of which, excepting $68,0ii7.71, has been expended. But a large sum has been received from sales sinceFebruary 24,1883. From thio the Indians cannot, under existing conditions, re-ceive any benefit. The misunderstanding existing between Govern-ment officials concerning the amount that should be charged against receipts as expenses of sales keeps these receipts ususpended"-keeps them ir. the hands of the Government, not credited to the Indians to whom they belong. The expenditures made out of the receipts of these land sales have amounted to $794,813.68. The record does not show that the Secretary of the Iuterior ever used his discretion in the disbursement of any of this large sum for educational pur[loses. At this time the balance on hand to the credit of these Indians is as follows : agenoy. y. at sautes mkndreau ..... . .. ...... ...... ... ........ ... $IS, 53a 15 At Lake Tmuerse ...... ... : ........ ...... .................. 39,092 72 At Devil's Lske ...... ... . . . ...... ...... ...... .... .. ... . . . . . 9,442 84 Tobl 68,061 71 It was provided, b.? the agreement with the confederated bauds of Utes, made at Washington City,.March 6, 1880, that, iu addition to certain annuities and Hums for provisionv and clothing, a sum of money, or its equivalent in bonds of the United States, sufficient to produce \ $50,000 per aunum, sl~ould be set apart and held by the Government; , to be distributed to the Utes per capita, annually, forerer. When this agreemeut was submitted to Congress it was amended by the following proviso: That the Presillent of the Uniterl States may, iu his discretion, appropriate an amount thereof, not eaoeeding $10,000, for the education, in aohools eatablishod within or beyond the limits of the lands seleoted, of sooh yonth of both sexes as in his jndg-ment may be bestqualified to make profioienoy iu praoticsl industries and pnrauits neoeasery for their self-support. Under this proviso, $10,000 of the Utes' $50,000 alinual per capita fund was appropriated by the President for educatio~ial purposes in 1883, but oo appropriation was made in 1884. It is respectfully sug-gested that the President shonld be requested to apl~ropriateth e pro-viso amount. of this fund for educational pnrposes during the current fiscal gear. |