OCR Text |
Show 1 age or other disability" be can not persoi~ally, and with beuefit to him- , . self, occupy or improve his allotment. There are cases, however, whzre ':by reason of age or other disability" the allottee should be permitted ! to lease his lands, and to meet these exceptional cases t l ~ ep rovision i authorizing the leasing of allotted lands was enacted. The m a t h of leasing :allotted lands has been placed largely in the hands of Indian agents in charge of the agencies where allotments in severalty have been made. Hence, applications to lease allotted lands should be made direct to the ageilt in charge of the reservation in which the allotted lands are situated. Each application is cousidered iudivid-ually, and it muat be determined that the applicant clearly conlev within the provisious of the law before authority will be granted him to lease his allotment. An allottee is held to be one who has a trnst-patent for his lands, or one whose allotment has been approved by the Secretary of the Interior. Agents are expressly directed that it is not intended . to authorize the making of any lease by an allottee who possesses the necessary physical and mental qualifications to enahlel~imt o cultivate his allotment either personally or by hired belp. A11 leases u~itler the above ism alast be executed io triplicate on bl;mk forms f~lmishedb y this otlioe, in the presence of two s ~ ~ b s c r i b i ~ ~ g witnesses, and must be acknowledged before the Indian agent and ap-proved by the Secretary of the Interior. For the information of Indian agents, this office has formulated n set of rules and regulations to be observed in the executioa of leases of Indian allotme~~tws,h icl~w ere s~provedby the Secret.ary of the Interior on Febrnary 8,1892. A copy of the rules and regulations will be fouud ou page - of this report. Since the last annual report the following leases of allotted lands. have been approved : Quaputu Agency, India% Territory.-Guardian of Amos Kist, Modoc allottee, to Dan S. Hawkins et al.; miniug lease for term of ten years from date thereof; approved November 11, 1892. Samuel Bull, Modoc allottee, to James L. Sherer Thomas E. Thompson; niining lease for term of ten years from (late thereof; approved February 20,1893. John Zane, Wyaudotte allottee, to John T. McElhany et al.; mining lease for term of ten years from date thereof; approved April 22, 1893. Santee Agency, Nebraska.-" Dlissonri Timber," allottee of Ponca Sub-agency, to Hugh Haight; farming and grazing lease; approved Sep-tember 1, 1892. I UNALLOTTED OR TRIBAL LANDS. It is to be observed that the above law provides for leasing tribal or unallotted lands only in cases where the 1audsi11 question are occupied by Indians who have "bought and paid for the same." At the request of this office for iustn~ctions as to mhetlier or not the Omahalndians could lawfully lease their unallotted lands for grazing purposes, the Assistant Attorney-General for Dhe Interior Department gave an |