OCR Text |
Show Chippewa Eesemtions, Him.-The annual report of this o5ce for 1890 gives an account of the negotiations with the Chippewa Indiansof Minnesota for the cession of certain of their lands, in accordance with the provisions of the act of Congress approved January 14,1889 (25 Stats., 642). In subsequent reports will be found statements of the work accomplishcd by the commission from year to year in removing Indians to White Earth, in making allotments, etc. But few removals to the White Earth Reservation have been made during the past year, owing somewhat to the change in the rule spoken of in the last annual report which provided that after October 1,' 1894, efforts for the removal of 111dians thither should cease. May 24,1895, the Assistant Attorney-General gave an opiniona decid-ing certain questions which had embarrassed the commission and retarded the progress of their work. The most important of these questions were: (1) "Who is a Chippewa Indian, within the meaning of the act of January 14, 1889Tn (2) "Is a Chippewa Indian who is an actnal resident of another State or Territory entitled to the benefits of said act of 18891" (3) "Is a mixed-blood Chippewa, who was a resident of the State of Minnesota at the date of the passage of the act of 1889, but who resided apart and away from any of the reservations, and who refuses to go to the White Earth Reservation and reside there, entitled to any of tho benefits of said act?" (4) "Are mixed-blood Chippewas who have received scrip under the treaties of 1854-55 entitled to allot-ments under the act of 18891" and (5) "Are the children of a Chip-pewa Indian woman who was married to a citizen of the United States subsequent to August 9, 1888, entitled t,o the benefits of the act of 18891' The questions were decided as follows: (1) A Chippewa Indian must be of Chippewa Indian blood; must have a recognized conneetion with one of the bands of Chippewa Indians within the State of Minnesota; must have been a resident of the State at the date of the passageof said act of 1889, and must remove to (if he is not already a resident on) one of the Chippewa reservations with the hona fide intention of making it his permanent home. Questions 2,3, and 5 were answered in the neg-ative, and question 4 in the affirmati+e. The commission now consists of Hon. Melvin B. Baldwin, chairman; J. Montgomery Smith, commissioner and special disbursing agent, and Benjamin D. Williams. The following are itemized statements of the disbursements of the commission, and the work aocomplisbed by them from September 1, 1894, to September 1,1895. 'By Department authority of September 28, 1896, this time hss been extended to May 1,1896. $A oopy of the opinion of the Amietant Attorney-General waa furnished the com-mission September 28, 1895. |