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Show 168 REPOET OF TEE OOM~SSIONER OF XNDIAR A~FAII~S. On the 9th of July the Indians were met in council, and at the inspector's suggestion a committee of seven leading Indians of the reservation were designated to confer with him on the terms of an agreement. The inspector offered them $125,000 for the disputed tract, which was accepted by the committee; hut the terms of payment could not be agreed upon, the Indians demanding a larger sum in cash than the inspector was willing to agree to, and also expressing their unwillingness to have any considerable sum used for irrigatiou pur-poses. Deeming it best not to accede to the terms demanded by the Indians, the negotiations were closed. The inspector states that he was very much handicapped in his work by the previous negotiations of the Crow, Flathead, etc., Commis-sion, which had held various councils with the Indians since February, 1897, and had offered the Indians $1,400,000, practically in cash, for their surplus lands-more than $3 per acre for the sterile, arid, moun-tainous, and least valuable partions of the reservation. This offer, although it was rejected by the Indians, notwithstanding it was more than double the value of the land, left the impression in the minds of the Yakima that their Ian& were very valuable and much desired by the Government. Also, Inspector McConnell, who visited these Indians during the autumn of 1900, is alleged to have made the Indians an offer of $1 per acre, or $300,000 for the disputed tract. These propo-sitions have given the Indians erroneous impressions as to the value of their lands, so that the prices they now place on them are fictitious, and it will require some time to overcome such mistaken ideas. It appears, also, that these Indians have been led to believe, through the representations of members of their tribe, that Congress will act favorably upon this matter and adjust it during the coming session, and the inspector therefore suggests that no further negotiations be attempted until after Congress adjoprus next year. STOCKBRIDGE AND MUNSEE INDIANS IN WISCONSIN. October 2,1900, the Office recommended to the Department that Inspector Cy ~ uBs eede be assigned to the duty of conferring with the Stockbridge and Munsee Indians of Wisconsin, with the view of for-mulating s, plan for the allotment in severalty of the comnlon Ian& of their reservation. October 8, 1900, the Department detailed the inspector to that duty, and October 27,1900, the oi6ce submitted / instructions for his guidance, which were approved by the Department i October 31. Inspector Beede reported to this office, December 26, that he had held three general councils with the tribe, at which their affairs were thoroughly discussed and various plans presented; that the larger por-tion of the tribe seemed anxious for some kind of a settlement, but |