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Show 22 REPORT OF THE COMMI8SIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. A number of tracts contiguous to twelve or more of the Mission reser-vations have always been in the use and occupancy of the Indians, but through oversight or mistake they were not reserved by the wmmis-sion appointed under the act of January 12,1891 (26 Stat., 712). Special Agent Patton and a deputy surveyor, nnder office instructions of April 3,1897, have about completed the.work of describing these tracts, and it is the purpose of this office to secure to the Indians, if practicable, the title as well as the possession of the lands occupied by them. Wiohita Reservation, 0kla.-Messrs. William P. Coleman and Cwrge A. H. Mills were appointed special agentsto allot lands to the Wichita, and affiliated bands nnder theagreement ratified by the act of Congress approved March 2,1895 (28 Stat., 876), and they entered upon duty under instructions approved by the Department March 5,1897. The Indians, however, were dissatisfied with the provisions of the act which provided that their claim to compensation for nnallotted surplus lands should be adjudicated in the Court of Claims, and that the amount to be paid for the land to them or to the adverse claimants (Choctaws and Chickasaws) should not exceed $1.25 per acre; also that it should not he paid nntil the United States shonld receive the money from settlers nnder the homestead and town-site laws, who were not required to make payment nntil final proof. Consequently there was strong oppo-sition on the part of the Indians to taking allotments, and a delegation came to this city for the purpose of urging their objections and of making an appeal to the Department to diswntinue or suspend the work. They were told, however, as I am informally advised, that this could not be done, and thereupon they returned to their homes. Considerable preliminary work was done by the allotting agents, and according to their weekly report of May 1,1897,249 allotments had been made up to that date. There is nothing on file in this office to show that any allotments were made after the return of the Indians, and on Jnne 1,1897, the Senate passed the following resolution : Reaolued, That the right to compensation on the part of the Wichita and afflliated bands of Indians for their possessory right in and to the lands ceded to the United States by asid Indians nnder the agreement made and entered into between said Indiana and the United States 8t Anadsrkko, in the Indian Territory, on the 4th day of June, A. D. 1891, should be considered and adjusted at the same time and by the same tribunal which shall determine the alleged olsirn of the Choctaw and Chioka-saw Nations in and to the said lands, and that the President is hereby requested to anspend the allotments to said Indians now in progress until the oompensation to be allowed and paid to said Indian6 for the l&nlain 0XC0880f sllotrnents8hsll be finally determined. June 5, 1897, the allotting agents were accordingly ordered to their homes, but Special Agent Coleman was subsequently aUowed until the 1st of July to prepare a record of the work accomplished. . glamsth Reservation, 0reg.-October 31, 1896, Special Agent Charles E. Wordeu was ordered to discontinue work on this reservation and to |