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Show 90 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. the lands 'llotted to them under the treaty of 1866 and the act of 1871. This duty has not yet been performed, for &he reason that it has been impracticable up to this time to identity allottees entitled to patent under this provision of the law. This work will be done as soon as a, special agent of this Department can be spared for that purpose. After the identification of .these allottees and the issuance of patents to them, it is my purpose to recommend that authority be granted for the allotment of the remaining lands of t,he reservation, either vnder the act of February 8,1887 (24 Stats., 388), as amended by the act of February 28,1891 (26 Stats., 794), or under some special act of Congress to be obtained for that purpose. I am convinced tha,t the soolier all the lands of tbe reservation are allotted arid the trust funds of these Indians distributed to them, the better it will be both for the Indians and the Government. On account of their disposition to disagree in all matters relating to their affairs, I am satisfied that as long as there is any common property belonging to the tlibe there will be contentions and trouble. They are well advanced in civilization, and, in my opinion, competent to take care of themselves and manage their personal affairs. UINTAH AND UNOOMPAHGRE UTES. During the last session, H. R. bill 6557 and S. bill 1887 were intro-duced in Congress, bothproviding for makiug allotmentsonthe Uiritah and Uncompahgre Ute reservations and opening the surplus lands to settlement. This proposed legislation did not originate in this office, and in reports to the Department, dated April 19th and 23d last, recom-mendati~ mw as made, for tlie reasons therein set forth, against the pas-sage of either of said bills. Neither of these bills passed as a separate measure; hut their provisions were substantially incorporated in sec-tions 20,21, 22, and 23 of the Indian appropriation act for the current fiscal year. THE WENATCHEE FISHERY. In my last annual report (pages 100,101) recommendation was made that riegotiations be had with the Yakima Indians for the cession of all their rights to the township of land and the fishery, which, by the tenth article of the treaty of June 9, 1855 (12 Stats., 954), was to be reserved and set apart fbr their use. Accordingly, John Lane, special U. S. Indian agent, and Lewis T. Erwin, U. 9. Indian agent, were instructed October 25, 1893, to call a council of the Yakima Indians, for the purpose of negotiating for said cession. Theseiustrua ~1to' n8 were promptly carried into eilect, and on the 29th of January Agent Erwin forwarded council proceedings and an agreement executed January 8, 1894, whereby the Indians ceded and relinquished to the United States, for the aum of $20,000, all their claim to lands and rights of fishery as set forth in the tenth article of said treaty. A copy of the council proceedings and agreement was forwarded to |
