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Show REPORT OF THE COXUISSIONER OF INDI-AN AFFAIPrS. 113 been made to all citizens of the tribes. The Commissioner to the Five Civilized Tribes estimates that under favorable circumstances the allotments should be finished by July 1, 1909. After that the surplus lands of each tribe will be sold, and the proceeds as well as other tribal funds will be distributed among the citizens of the respective nations When each citizen shall have received his pro-portionate share of the property of his tribe, the affairs of the Five Civilized Tribes will be brought to a finality. LANDS OF SAO AND BOX INDIANS IN IOWA. In the report of this Office for 1898 attention was called to the anomalous condition of titles to the lands occupied by the Sac and Fox Indians in Iowa and to action recently taken by the State legis-lature (see chapter 110, Iowa Session Laws, 1896) and the United States Congress by act of June 10, 1896 (29 Stat. L., 331), for the purpose of securing a just recognition of the rights of the Indians. At different times since 1857 the Sac and Fox Indians have pur-chased with their own funds sundry tracts of land in Tama County, Iowa, for which trust deeds have been executed, some in the name of the governor of the State and some in the name of the United States Indian agent. One for 80 acres was executed on July 13, 1857, in the name of Governor Grimes, in trust for certain Indians instead of for the tribe. The agent reported on November 12, 1896, that he was convinced that this deed was erroneously made to the Indians named, since in making the purchase they were undoubtedly acting for the tribe. He was thereupon instructed to call a general council and have the Indians execute in duplicate the proper paper authoriz-ing him to expend out of their interest money a snm large enough to cover the expense of settling the title to this land under the laws of Iowa, which he had estimated wonld not exceed $125. A council was duly called, but the Indians would take no action, asserting that the land had been bought by the chiefs for the entire tribe and with the funds of the entire tribe. Here the matter rested, and no action was taken by this Ofice to secure a deed to the lands held in trust for the tribe by the governor, the intention being that when he should execute such a deed he should convey also the 80 acres which he held in trust for individual Indians instead of the tribe. On February 16, 1898, the O5ce submitted to the Department a history of the Sac and Fox lands in Iowa, and recommended that the Department of Justice be requested to bring suit for quieting title in the tribe to the 80-acre tract. By letter from the Attorney-Genera1 dated March 10, 1898, the Office was advised that the United States attorney for the northern district of Iowa had been directed to consult |