OCR Text |
Show The leasing of lands on the Allegany Reservation for oil purposes has been agitating the Indians to a considerable extent during the year. In 1893 a lease made by the Seneca Nation to William B. Barker, of Fredonia, N. Y., gave him the exclusive privilege of boring for oil on any part of the Allcgany, Cattarangus, and Oil Springs reservations. Thls lease, to which this office was not a party in any way, was ratified and confirmed by the act of Congress approved February 20,1893 (27 Stat., 470). Owing to an alleged breach of covenant by Barker, a new lease was entered into between the Indians and the Seneca Oil Company, Decem-ber 3,1896. As some of the Indians alleged that fraud and undne influence were used in procuring the new lease, the Senate by resolt~tion adopted April 29,1897, called upon the Department for an investiga-tion and report. United States Indian 111speotor McCormick, was detailed to make the investigation, and he reported May 11, 1897, recommending ratification of the lease. His report may be found pub-lished in Senate Ex. Doc. 76, Fifty-fifth Congress, first session. The lease was ratified by a clause in the Indian appropriation act approved June 7,1897. This office assumes no jurisdiction over the subject of these leases and neither approves nor disapproves them. TURTLE MOUNTAIN CHIPPEWAS, NORTH DAKOTA. The affairs of these Indians continue in the same unhappy state of uncertainty. The agreement conclnded with them October 22, 1892, has not yet been ratified, and until it shall be their state of disquiet and unrest will doubtless continue. Drafts of bills for the ratification of the agreemelit have several times been submitted to Congress with recommendation for favorable action, and it is hoped that ratification will not he much longer delayed. REMOVAL OF SAC AND FOX AGENCY SITE, OKLAHOMA. A provision of the Indian appropriation act approved August 15, 1894 (28 Stat., 295), authorizes any member of the Citizen Band of Pottawatomie Indians and of the Absentee Shawnee Indians of Okla-homa to whom a trust patent has been issued, and who is over 21 years of age, to sell and convey any portion of the land covered by such patent in excess of 80 acres, etc. Under this act and under pre-vious legislation authorizing the leasing of Indian lands the Indian agent at the Sac and FOX Agency, Okla., must devote muoh more of his attention to looking after the interests of the Citizen Potta. watomies and Absentee Shawnees, in the lease and sale of their lands, than is given to the affairs of the other Indian tribes under his agency. But the present site of the agency on the Sac and Fox Reservation is too remote from the Pottawatomies and Shawnees to permit his attendance upon these specific duties, which required in the past few years the constant services of a United States special Indian agent. |