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Show Citizen Pottawatomie and Absentee Shawnee Lands, Oklahoma-The act of August 15,1894 (28 Stat., p. 295), authorizes the members of these tribes who are over 21 years of age to dispose of any of the lands pat-ented to them under the general allotment act in excess of 80 acres. Up to the 5th of August, 1898, there had been approved by the Depart-ment 378 conveyances, aggregating in area 40,093.51 acres of land, valued at, $229,461.77. Between August 5, 1898, and August 31, 1899, there had been approved by the Department 97 conveyances of the Oitizen Band of Pottawatomie Indians, at an average valuation of $4.60 per acre, viz, 79 in Pottawatomie County, aggregating 8,325.03 acres, for $37,014, and 18 in Cleveland County, aggregating 1,490.72 acres, for $8,135. During the same period there have been approved by t,he Department 34 conveyances by the Absentee Shawnee Indians, at an average of $6.71 per acre, viz, 33 in Pottawatomie County, aggregating 2,926.10 acres, for $19,871.34, and 1 in Cleveland County, 80 acres, for $320. The total, 131 conveyances, cover 12,821.85 acres of land, at a valuation of $65,340.34, or an average of $5.10 per acre. The total sales of land by these two tribes of Indians since the pas-sage of the act of August 15,1804, are 509, aggregating 52,91536 acres of land, for $294,802.11. In the last annual report it was recommended that additional legis-lation iu behalf of the Pottawatomies be secured which will allow those who took allotments under the act of May 23,1872 (17 Stat., 159), the same privilege of alienating portions of their lands as has been accorded those who took allotments under the general allotme~lt act. This recomme~~datioins renewed and a draft of a bill to carry i t out will be submitted to the Department to be laid before Congress. Additional legislation needeil-By the act of Xay 23, 1872, the Secre-tary of the Interior was directed to make allotments to the members of the Oitizen Band of Pottawatomies aild to Absentee Shawnees residing upon the tract set apart for them in what mas then the Indian Terri-tory. No provision was made for patents, but it was directed that certificates of allotments should be issued, and that the lands thus allotted should be alienable in fee or leased or otherwise disposed of only to the United 8tate6 or to persons of Indian blood lawfully residing within said Terr.it,ory, with permission of the President, and under suoh regulations as the Seoretary of the Interior shall preaoribe. A few of the tracts thus allotted are still held by the original allot-tees or their heirs, while others, with the permission of the President, have been alienated to persons of Indian blood. Since no time was fixed at which the inhibition against alienation should terminate, if tbose holding allotments nuder that act are to be allowed to sell their land or any part of itexcept to Indians, fiirther legislation is necessary. There would seem to be no good reason for permitting those who |
