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Show one of which is '' thatthe lands hereby granted shall revert to the United States if the said Cherokees become extinct or abandon the same." March 23,1842, to the Choct,aw Nation, in fessimple to them and their descendants, &'to inure to them while they shall exist as a nation and live on it, liable to no transfer or alienation, except to the United States or with their ~onsent.~ Angnst 11,1852, to the Muscogee or Creek tribe of Indians iiao long as they shall exist as a nation and continue to occupy the country hereby wnrejed to them." The title, therefore, of the Oherokees, Choctaws, and Creeks to their lands is not the ordinary Indian title by occupancy; but is a base, qualified, or determiuablefee, with only a possibilty of rerersion to the United States (United States v. Reese, 5 Dill., 405), and the authorities of these nations may cut, sell, and dispose of their timber, and may per-mit mining and grazing within the limits of their respective tracts their own &tizens.* The general allotment act provides that the law of descent and par-tition in force in the State or Territory where such lauds are situate shall applg to all allotmepts made under said act after patents therefor hare been executed and delivered; and that the laws of the State of Kansas regulating the descent and partition of real estate shall, as far as practicable, apply to all lauds in the Indian Territory whioh may be allotted under the pro~isionso f said act. LANDS OCCUPIED BY RELIGIOUS AND OTHER SOCIETIES UPON INDIAN RESERVATIUNS. The work carlied on by thevarious religious denominations has been a very potent, if not indispensable, auxiliary in the efforts of this Bu- : reau for the elevation of the Indians. . As a st,rong illustration of the estimate in which this work has been held, your attention is invited to the fact that when under the provis-ions of the eighteenth section of the act of July 15,1870 (16 Stats., p. 319) it became necessary to relieve omcers of the Army from service as Indian agents, it was decided by the Executive that all agencies thus vacated should he filled by appointment upon the recommendation of some religious body. In compliance with this policy the agencies were, so to speak, apportioned among the prominent religious organizations of the oonntry. This system aas kept up for several years and proved more or less euccessful and satisfactory. Zealous, self-sacrificing missiouaries of both seses have gone to the reservations, devoting their time, talents, and often lives to the good o f the ~naiansi,n many cases accomplishing great good, at the great-estpersonal sacrifice. While in some instances friction has arisen betmeendifferent denom-inations on reservations and between them and the Indian Agents, S e e o n page 1,xxlr referenos to modifiostion by Congress of reatriotions in regard to mining in Five Civilized Tribes by others than oitizeoa thereof. |