| OCR Text |
Show sum shall be a just aid cqnitsblo liquidation of all claims which any of said tribes now have upon the Government; and also to enable said Secretary to uogotiate with the various bands or tribes of Indiana in northern Montana, and at Port Berthold, in Dakota, for a rednctian of their respeotira reservations, or for removal therefrom to otherreservstions; and slw to enable said Seoretmg to negotiate with the npper aud middlebands of Spokane Indians and Pend dlOreille Indians, in Washiagtou and Maho Territories, for their removal to the Colville, Jocko, or Cmor d'Alene ws-ervatious, wit,h the consent of the Indians on said'reservations; and also to enable said Secretary to nexotiate with said Indians for the cession of their lands to tho United States; and also to enable said Seoretary to negotiate with the Cmur d'dleno Indians for the cession of their lands outsiae the limits of the present Cmur d'dlene reservation to the United States, $15,000, or so much thereof MI mlay be nec-essaTy, to be immediately available ; but no hgreement shall take effect till ratified by Congress. The original Commissioners were Hon. John V. Wright, of Tennessee, Rt. Rev. Henry B. Whipple, of Minnesota, and Charles F. Larrabee, esq., of Maine. At the date of my last report they were in the field, engaged in the important duties assigned them. The work of this Com-mission was so extended, covering as it did a period of a year and em-bracing negotiations with upwards of khirty different Indian tribes and bands, that it will be impossible for me to give anything more than a synopsis of their necessarily voluminous reports. The agreements concluded with the Chippewas of Binnesota were submitted to the Department with office letter of February 17,1887, and transmitted to Congress, by the President, on the 28th of the samc month. No final actiou was taken bS. that body, however, prior to adjournment. Two separate agreements were made with the Chippe-was, as follows : One with thetribes and bands residing upon tae White Earth, Leech Lake, Cass Gake, Lake Winnibigoshish, and White Oak Point reservations, and the Gull River and Gull Lake bands, and the other with theIndians of the Red Lake reservation. Briefly stated, the first of these agreements prdvides for the removal and settlement of the several tribes and bands, parties thereto, upon the White Earth reservation, in the western part of the State,'the al. lotment of lands in severalty to them, and the sale of the abandoned reservations (Leech Lake, Cass Lake, Lake Winnibigoshish, and White Oak Point reservations) for the benefit of said Indians. The plan of consolidation also embraced the Chippewas of the Fond du Lac, Bois Forte, and Grand Portage reservations, and provision was made in the agreement referre(1.t.o looking to their removal and oonsolidation with the other tribes upon the ,White Earth reservation. However, owing to the prosperous condition in which the Commissioners found the Fond du Lac Indians, and the determined opposition of the other two bands (Bois Fort and Grand Portage) to removal, they refrained from urging their removal to White Edrth, and they did not become parties to tho agreement. Theagreement with the ~ h i tEea rtband other bands also embraced the Mille Lac band, but they positively refused to enter into any agreement which involved their removal from their present locality., |
