| OCR Text |
Show , P XXXVIII' REPORT OF TBE COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIES. . , . . . , :* Where it is suitable for agricultural or grazing purposes, it is the .. .. > present policy of the Qovernment to allot land in severalty to the In- )* I. dians within their respective reservations-160 acres to heads of fam- 8:. . ilies, 80 acres to single persons over eighteen years of age, 80 acres to * ' ,).' .*. orphan children under eighteen years of age, and 40 acres toeaeh other single person under eighteen years of age-to pate?$ these individual , . ' holdings, with a restriction against alienation for twenty-five years, or . longer, in the. discretion of the President, and to purchase from the re-spective tribes any orall of the surplus land remaining after the allot. ments have been made. The general law for this is the allotment act of Febrnary 8, 1887 (24 Stat. p. 388), applicable to all reservations, except those of the five civilized tribes and three others in the Indian Territory, those in the State of New York, and one in Nebzaska adjoin-ing the Pine Ridge Gioux Reservatiou, mhich was set apart by Execn- , . tive order for the purpose of suppressing liquor trafflc with the Indians. In numerous instances, where clearly desirable, Congress has by special legislation authorized negotiations with the Indians for portions of their reservations without waiting for the slower process of the gen- . eral allotment act, which involves the survey of the land, the allot-ment in severalty by special itgentsappointed by the President for that purpose, and negotiations with the Indians for the cession and relin-qulshment of their surplus nuallotted lands. It is estimated that nuder such special legislation about 13,000.000 acre8 of land have been secured by eession from the Indians during the past year; and there are agreements now pending before Congress, through which, if ratified, the Government will acquire some 4,500,000 acre8 more; all of which will, under the operation of these laws, be open to white settlement in the near future. Of the land actually acquired; about 9,000,000 acres are in North and Sonth Dakota, secured from the Sioux (act of March 2,1889, 25 Stat., p. 888), and abont 4,000,000 acres in Minnesota,* acquired from the . Chippewas (act of January 14,1889, 25 Stat., p. 642). The agreements now pending in Congress will, if ratifled, restore to the public domain abont 1,600,000 acres in North Dakota, in the Fort Berthold Reserva-tion; abont 660,000 acres in Sonth Dakotrq, in the Lako Traverse (Sisseton,) Reservation; about 185,000acres in Idaho,in theCenrd'Al6ne Reservation; abont 1,095,000 acres in Colorado, being the whole of the sonthern Ute Reservation; and about 941,000 acres in Oklahoma Terri-tory, now embraced in the Pottawkttomie, Iowa, and Sac and Fox Res- 'The Cbippewss ceded all of their lands in Minnesota en~hrsced in the several reservations occnpiad by them, except the White Earth Reservation, of which they ceded foor entire townships, and excepting, al80, the Red Lake Reservation, of , which they ceded perhaps three-fourths; bot it can not be aaoertained llow muoh or just what pertioolsr portionaof said reservations, eseept White Earth and Red Lake, ' have aotually lwen relinquished to the United States until the Indians shall have saleoted and received-the dlotmenta to which t,hey are entitled nuder said a o t (See page XLI.) |
