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Show REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. XLIII loose upon the surrounding country. In his annual report for this year Agent Willsey says : Our laids are still occupied by settlers and wespassera to suoh an extent that it is dmast impossible to ir.orease our stock, or to proteot our growing orops from de-struction by their stock. Not only do they ooonpy every part of onr range, but that portion of the valley olaimed rsa swamp snd ovedow lands by Henley Bro%hers & Corbitt has been completely fenced in, thereby depriving us of the use of a large horlv of land. I am informed that others oontemolate doinz the same. The asaor- I - ., - ante of these people ia something inoalculable. They seem to think it perfectly right for them to me a11 of oor lsods, bat we most not treapssa upon s foot of lend to which they,ha+e a shadow of title. It is hard to foretell what will become of this reserva-tion in a very few yearn if some legislation is noo had to protect it from these nn-scrupnlons trespassers. As long as Congresa wm in aession, sod there Was a possibility that the Honse would pass the bill allotting laud in ~everaltya, nd protecting the balance of the reserve. the Indians were quite jubilant, but now that Congress has njjoumed without this bill becoming s, law, the^ am muah distressed, fearing that the friends of the tres-paasera arc the cause of its defeat. I trust that the House of ttepresentatives will see the importance of this measure, and take prompt action thereon at the ensuing session. KLANATH RIVER INDIANS 13 CALIFORNIA. I am informalllly advised that contract has been entered into to resur-vey the Klamath River Reservation. When the survey is completed the work of allotting lands in severalty to the Indians, as directed in Department letter of March 26,1883, will be resumed. It waa suspended on account of errors found in the original survey. When the work of making allotments to these Indians shall have been completed, thema& ter will be presented to the Department, with a view of obtaining leg-islation suitable to their wants and necessities. As stated in my report of last year, these Indians do not need all the lands at present reserved for their use, but they should he permanently settled, either individn-ally or in small commnnities, and their lands secured to them by patent, before any p0rti0h of the reservation is restored to the public domain. REDUCTIOOFN G REAT SIOUX RESERVATION IN DAKOTA. In December last a bill was introduced in the Senate by Senator Dawes- To divide s port,ion of the reservation of the Sioox Nation of Indian8 in Dakota into sepwte mssrves,md to seam the rslinqnishment of the Indian title to the remainder. Thig bill passed the Senate February 1, 1886, and was favorably re. ported by the Committee on Indian AEtlirs in the Honse of Repre-sentativcs. It was never referred to this 05Ce for report, but in its lnain features meets with my approval. The rights of the Indians ap-pear to be carefully guarded, and. their consent, as provided in the treat$ of 1868, is necessary before the provisions of the bill can be |