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REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. 45 ber ttlken from the reservation by their connivance, and that criminal proceedings shoulcl be commenced against them under seotiou 5388 of the Revised Statutes as amended by tlle act of June 4,1888 (25 Stats., 166);" and the recommendation wiis made that the Co~nmissionero f the General Lalid Office be directed to take t l ~ cs teps ~~ccessatroy h a ~ ~ e the suits a,nd indict~ne~iitnsd icated brought agai~isttl le parties named. No further informatio~i on this matter 112s bee~i receiyed in this office as the whole matter is for the consideration and action of the GeueraI Lwd Office. After the stopping of the cutting cilrried OII under Mr. Stack's ~nan-agement, the Indians were without work, and in the spring and scunmer of 1892 it was reported to this offioc that they were in a most destitute condition. An effort was made to give the111 relief by authorizing the establishment by respollsible parties, of s sl~inglea nd lath mill on the reservation for the purpose of creating a. market for the sale of the old butts, laps, and ot,her waste timber left by lumbermen on the old cnt-tings on tile reserva.tion. As was reported last ycnr, regulatiolls vere approved by the President, Jnly 14, 1892, to govern the sale of the "down and abandoned" timber by the Indians, and the panufacture thereof into shingles and laths. This plau, however, WAS never put in operation, and no timber operatiol~s on the reserv:~tiou have been carried on. Lac r%uF la.mbt.au Reservation, Wis.-llnri~~g t l ~ esp ring and sulluner of 1891, an inspector of the Department investigated the conditioll of the Indiaus of the various reservations attached to the La Pointe Agency in Wisconsilr, and, a~nougo ther things, reported the Indians of the Lac du Flmnbean Reservation to be in a most destit,ute and almost starving conditio~l,a nd urgently recomm~~en~lethcla t the Department adopt some plan by mllicll they could sell the dead and down timber on the noallotted portions of the ~e s c r v a t i os~o ~t, hat they would be given an opportunity to earn subsiste~~fcoer the~nselvesa nd families during tlie winter of 1891-'92. He also reported that on accor~not f fires aud high winds which occurred d u r i ~ ~thge nrinter of 1890-'91, and spring of 1891, large qnantitiesof timber hnd bee11 killed aud would be available for market under theact of Febrnary l(i,1889 (25 Stats., 67.3). if the Indians coold be iissisted with money for purchase of logging outfits and supplies. Upou receipt of this report, referred to this ol3icc by the Tlepartment, the Indian agerit for the La Pointe Age~lcyw as inst,ructed that there were no funds in the control of the office that could be applied to the purchase of logging o~~t f iftosr the Indians. However, if h e thought i t impracticable to have logging d o ~ ~one t he stumpage plan which was proposed for the fieason before (and which failed on account of t.he scarcity of dead tiuiber on the reservatiou as claimed by the lumber-men) money could be used for the purchase of food a11c1 clothiug for the Indians, nuder resolution of February 11, 1890 (26 St,ats., 669), if they |
