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Show REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. 105. This action was in pursuance of the instructions contained in Depart-ment letter of February 7,1895, given on account of a resolntion passed by the Seuate January 31,1895, as follows: Whereas complaint is made of the result of the carryingout by the Secretary of the Interior of the act of Congress entitled "An sot for the relief of the Stockbridge and Munsee Indians in the State of Wisconsin," approved March third, eighteen hundred and ninety-three: Therefore, Rraolued, That the Secretary of the Interior is hereby inatrooted ta report to the Senate of the United Statea the names of all persona enrolled by him in pursuance of said act, and his reasons therefor; s l l allotments made by h ~ man d their extent, and all patents issued, if my, giving names and dates and amounts of land; and a full account of all his xotions and proceedings under aaid act since the third day of March, eighteen hundred and ninety-three; and that dl further prooeedinga under aaid act be suspended ontil aaid report is made and until further sction of Congress. On account of the volume of correspndence and records to be copied it was impracticable to reply to the resolution of the Senate before the final adjournment of the last Congress; but on March 23,1895,I trans-mitted a copy of all papers in this office having any bearing on the questions 011 which the Senate desired information and reported all facts relating to the matter not disclosed in those papers. The Indian appropriation act of March 2,1895 (28 Stat., 8%), eon-tained an item affecting these Indians and their common property, as follows : The Seoretary of the Interior is hereby authorized and directed to pay to auoh of the Stockhridne Indiana.. n.e r oaoita, as he shell find entitled under the act of Mwch third, eighrren hundred and ntnetg-three, to hoonrullud ttnd to pnrtivipate ill the di~rribnrion one-half of rho rtwat fnlnd now to their eradir in rho Unitrd Jtntas Treasury, md heretofore appropriated, when the allotment to their lands shall hhae been completed. Construing t.his item as "further action of Congress" on the matter within the meaning of the Senate resolution above quoted, Mr. J. C. Adams, attorney for the Indians, in a letter of March 12,1895, to the Department requested that Agent Savage be directed to resume the workof identifying the Stockbridge allottees entiued to receive patents. On the receipt of this communfcation I submitted the matter to the Department, March 15,1895, for advice whether it were not advisa-ble, in view of the circumstances recited, to direct the agent to proceed under his ii~structions and complete the work. Under Department instructions of May 15, 1895, I directed Agent Savage, May 25,1895, to resume the work of identifying the allottees under his former instruc-tions. No report from him on that subject has since been received. WINNEBAGO HOMESTEADS IN WISCONSIN. I Under regulations of this Department, dated as early as February 11,1870 (Copp's Public Laud Laws, Vol. I, p. 283), Indians were allowed the privilege of making homestead entries of public lands under the general homestead laws. |