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Show VIII REPORT OF TIIE COMMISSIONER OP INDIAN AFFAIRB. lotment mder said section; and that, as the presenceof aspecial $gent in thefield was not absolutely required, the work could be satisfactorily accomplished in this office, by having a special agent on di1t.y in the office by whom allotments could be made in anS part OF the country without expense or unnecessary loss of time, and by whom they could be certified to the Commis'sioner of Indian Affairs as the act requires. I therefore recommended that Mr. Charles I?. Larrabee, of the Law and Land Division of this bureau, be appointed a special agent for !hat pur-pose, and ~cordinglyu, pon your wncurredt recommendation,'Mr. Lar-rabee was appointed by the President (July 8, 1Y87) to make 'the re-quired allotments. Rules and regulations for systematic procedure in making these allotments are now being and will shortly be published in the form of a circular, to be sent to the various district land offices in the West, together with printed forms for the use of appli-cants for allotments, so that Indians ewrywhere,living outside of res-ervations, who desire to avail themselves of the provisions of the said fourth section,may have every possible facility for making their desires known. I t will be less difficult ibr an indim t.o apquire title to a home under the recent act than it was under the homestead laws. The'require-ments are more easily fulfilled, and can be more readily understood. As might be expected, the ,Indian generally finds it very difficult to comprehend om land system, hut under the present law the way is wade much easier for him. Any friend, citizen.or soldier, can direct him to the local land office; and.specia1 agexits, Indian agents, inspect-ors, and others connected with %he Indian service, who have cases con-stantly appealing to them, will' no do1111t find in this 1a.w a mucb more certain and satisfactory means of protection for the Indians than they have found in any of the existing laws. I think it ma.y safely be pre-dicted that when the system is tho;oughly in operation there will be fewer cases reported of Indians having been driven from their homes through ignorance of their rights, there will be less conflict between the races, and the wisdom.of Congress in making this beneficent pro-vision will everywhere be recognized. I fail to comprehend the full import of the allotment act if it was not the purpose of the Congress which passed it and of-the Executive whose signature made it a law ultimately to dissolve all tribal relations andto place each adult Indian'upon the broad platform of American citizeni ship. Under this act it will be noticed that whenever a tribe of Indians :; or any member of D hibe accepts lands in severalty the allottee at once, 'i ips0 faoto, becomes a citizen of the United States, endowed with all the 1' civil and political privileges and subjectto all the responsibilities and duties of any other citizen of the Republic. This should be a plea,sing and encoura.ging prospect to all Indians who by experience or educa tion have risen to a plane above that of absolute barbarism. The Indian is not unlike his white brother in moral and 'intellectual endowments |
