OCR Text |
Show REPORT OF THE COMMISSIOUER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. V to make his sclectiou, t l ~ eag ent, or if there is none a speoial agent, may 'make tile selection for such Indian, and the tract so selected shall be a1- . lotted to him. Allotmcr~ts shall be made by the agents in charge of the respective reservations, and also by special agents appointed by the President for the purpose, according to rules which the Secretary of the Interior :nay prcscribc,and tbe allotments shall be certifierl by the agents in du-plicate, one copy for the Indian and one for the Land Office files. Auy Indian not residingou a reservation, or for whose t,ribe no reser-ration has been prgvided, may settle upon unappropriated Government land and base the same allotted and patented to him and his children, in quantity and manner above set forth, and entry fees therefor sl~albl e . paid by the Unifed States. ' When the Secretary of the Interior shall have approved the allot-mcnts made, then patents for such lands, recorded in the General Land Office., shall be issued to the respective allottees, declaring that the United States will hold said lauds in trust for their sole use and benefit for twenty-Ere years, and at the end of that time will convey them, without charge, to said allottees or their heirs, in fee and free of all in-cumbrance; the President, however, may in his discretion extend the period beyond twenty-fire years. After patents have been delivered the laws of descent and partition o f the Sta.te or Terribory in which the lands arc located shall i i~q~tloy said lands ; the lnws of Kansas applying to lands allotted in the Indian Territory. After lands have been allotted to all Indians of a tribe (or sooner if the President thinlrs best), the Secretary of the Interior may negotiate with that tribe for tbe.sa.le of any of their unallotted lands, such negotia-tions to be subject to ratification by Congress. In case lands are thus sold, the purchase money to be paid therefor by the United States shall be held in the United States Treasury iq trust for that tribe, at 3 per cent. interest, which interest shall be sub-ject to appropriation by Congress for the civilization of said tribe. Any religious society or other organization now occupying, for relig-ious or educational work among Indians, any lands to which this act applies, may be confirmed by the Secretary of the Interior in the ocou-pation of such lands, in quantity not exceeding 100 acres in any one tract, on such terms as he skall deem just, and so long as the organiza-tion ocoupies the land for the abor-e-named purposes; but this does not alter any right heretofore granted by law to any such organization. A11 lands adapted to agriculture released to the United States by Indian tribes shall be disposed of only to bona fide settlers, in tracts not exceeding 1GO acres (subject togrants which Congress may makein aid of education), and no patents shall issue to any such settler or his heirs for such lands until after five years'contir~nous occupancy thereof as a homestead, and any conveyance of or lien on said land prior to the issuance of patent thereto shall be null and void. |