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Show COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFBIRS. xli On April 21, the following telegram was sent to him : By direction of t,he Secretary you will not permit the driving or removal of any logsnntil contracts are approved and complete settlentsnt and payment is "lade to Indians. On April 23, he was again telegraphed to as followtl: By direation of the Secretary n ~ oyr der of Slat is modttied so that logs may be driven at once to the bolms if you are satisfied that payment for them is perfectly secure. Departmenrt will not undertake to control the character of the labor to be nsed in driving the logs. July 31, the Department instructed this office as follows: From the consideration whioh I have given the matter of sale of pine timber from the lands of Indians. I sm satisfied that the regulations under whtoh this important hnsiness has heen conduoted ere not such as to ieoure to the ~ndi antsh e fol!;alue of the timber cut snd sold from their lands. For the purpose of adopting proper regulations and making seasonable arrange-ments for the outting of pine timber oo Indian ailotmeuts yon are hereby directed to aall upon the agent for the La Pointe Agency, Wisoooain, to ascertain aud report to your oEoe, in time for the information to reaoh you not later than August 25 next, the names of the Indians to whom lands have been allotted and who are in possession of their patents therefor who desire to diapose of the pine timber or s, portion thereof fmm their o.~at~e oted trsots. the oharacter. condition. and orobal,le ouaut i t ,~o f the ~ ~. timber inpun nnrlr ot '8u~hI~ R(:IJ, 8r~dw ltulher i f I + d ~ ~ i r a balnod ti)r r l ~ ebc 8r inte~~e*G of rha rc:aprvtiun Inllian p:,tentees fhnr t11s.y slaut~ld bu illlowod todiqpuaa oitlw,ir pin,) timber, and also whether as to ttng of said patentod trecta the contraots made for aoc-ting the timber therefrom last winter have not been completed, and, if so, which of them, and whether it is desirable and proper t,hat the aompletion of said contraotsor arrangements, or any of them, during the coming wiuter 8houuld be permitted. The agent should exercise cam to preveut the Indian patentees from disposing of all ofths timber from their ~lllotmeuta. Euaugh should be reserved for domrstio and farm purposes. No timber wili be permitted to be ont ooa diaposedof under any oiroumstmcas from any lands exospt the traots whioh have been allotted to Indiansin severalty, and for which the respeative allottees have received their patents. Oq August 1, the office gave dire~t~iooton Agent Gregory in accord. ance with the foregoing instructions. The matter having been further considered by the Department, uu- . der its instructions I addressed the following letter, dated October 29, 1888, to Agent Gregory: You are hereby informed that in casr.8 where oautraotors were prevented from oom-pleting their contracts by reason of offioe telegram of Maroh 13, 1888, said ooutrect- 018, who 80 desire, may be permitted to out timber wEoieut to complete their oon-traots; but each contractor must file n statement indue form that he was, by reason of said telegram, prevented from completing his contracts, and a. further statement of the amount of timber he was a,uthorieod to cut by the torms of his contracts and the amount necessary to complete said contracts; thia permission to be coofined ex-closively to tracts which have been eliattod and the allotment of which has been ap-proved by thepreaident. The statements above required, with yom approval indorsed tl~areons, hould be for-warded withoot delay to this Department for consideration and approval. Before you permit any cutting you must satisfy yonrself that proper and full settle-ment in each case wili be made with the Indians; and this snort be include6 in your indorsemeut of approval of said stntements. |