| Show WHY THE UTE UTES LEFT UINTAH Indian Commissioner Leupp Endeavors to Throw Light Upon the Situation ALLOTMENT WAS A FARCE b TITLES BADLY TANGLED ON THE RESERVATION Special tn to The Herald Washington n D C Nov No IS In his report report made public today todar Indian Leupp throws new and important light on the recent trouble caused aused by tho the Indians who left let the tIntah reservation In brief he ho says sas this trouble can be traced to the allot allotment allotment ment meat of or lands to white settlers and con consequent consequent sequent quent st tangling of ot titles The follow following followIng following ing extract Is made from the report The Uintah reservation furnished an example of rushing and haphazard methods of making allotments The T e al allotments allotments there had to l be e made very hastily because the act directing the opening of or the reservation did not allow reasonable time It was wa Impossible to urvey turvey the lands before the opening much nuch less le before the allotments were made and not even evon yet Jt are arc approved plats for all townships containing al procurable though more than thant a 1 t year has elapsed clapped ed since the ion finished its work ork The field party part is still engaged in locating allot allotments ments m scheduled by the commission Errors Made As must always be the rose ease under circumstances s like these the allotment mounted to little more than the reser of what was believed to be sum lent cieni land of or the right character Pat PatI nits IlLS I for or allotments have all nIl been Is but a large part of them do not di scribe the lands correctly The er or errors erf orr f r are material and many man disappoint disappointments ments will occur but fortunately local conditions are such uch that settlers have not riot taken lands very yer rapidly and hence it is probable that there will vill not be so soman many man conflicts and contests as there would Mould have been If the surplus lands had been bM n taken at once on the th opening of Pr th reservation The work of cor correcting the patents will wilt be bo rushed as me I rapidly as possible A number have hae been cancelled and reissued and as far faras faras fars as s now flow known knon nearly OO more will have han to be put through the same proc i ss It is certain c that some persons oth Indian Indan and white home will lose Jose part of the lands ands they nev have selected and a great deal of ot 1 labor and expense will be beI I thrown throw I n it upon upen the government all due to the unwise haste with thich work was I pushed through that properly prop demands deliberation and care Were Not Willing Perhaps Peri taps this will wIH be as good a place pla e as any an to mention the sequel to the Uintah allotment which has attracted attract some public attention through rated tales printed in various parts of o othe the country The Indian population of the Uintah Uinta reserve was divided ed be between b tween teen White river Uintah and in A large of ot the White Rivers were never reconciled to the idea of ot opening their country countr to settlement They are arc the tho group least leSt advanced in civilization In the spring of before allotment began dele delegations delegations from all three bands visited Washington with the purpose of learn leam learning leaming learning ing from the authorities here just what events were pending land and having the tIle significance thereof explained to them Representatives of the and the though not disguising their continued preference for the old over the now new no order of things nevertheless neY less Indicated their readiness to trust to the government but the White Rivers heM held out to the last Insisting upon hear hearing hearIng ing log the same facts repeated by b the president secretary tar of tho the interior and commissioner of Indian affairs and ad then only onto half recognizing the inevitable Returned Dissatisfied I At the official conference nce here they ther made an urgent plea for permission for tor their band to remove from the Uintah reservation to some reservation where no white people would disturb them or orto orto orto to find homes in a forest reserve When repeatedly assured that these requests could not be granted ranted they the returned to Utah in dissatisfied mood and did all they the could short of actual violence to embarrass the work of the allotting com corn commission commission mission A few ew weeks ago this office received information that a large lar e part of the White River band of both bolh sexes flexes and all ages had left the reservation Ind nd were starting for some point In I South Dakota apparently uncertain whether to settle down in lii h the tc Black Hills or to go o on to Pine Ridge e or Rose Rosebud Rosebud Rosebud bud To their Ignorant minds any an thing which still remains r Indian India n coun country co country un try tr must be open to all aU Indians equally for or residence purposes Their agent followed them into Wyoming intercept intercepted ed Sd d them in their Journey across that state and for several days dars counseled I with them urging and admonishing them to return to their own country and trying to point out to them the tle uso tse US of going oln further with any an such project as they the had in view Advice to the Utes When hen he Announced that the Indians were deaf to all reasoning and had de do decided d us a finality to push on I sent him the following dispatch If J absolutely absolutely lute certain you ou cannot Induce the Indians Indi ns to abandon their intention you ou will return to the agency Before do doIng d dIng ding Ing so warn them that if they ther persist in disregarding your our advice they the must take the responsibility for anything that happens to them Explain that the cit citizenship to which they the attribute their thair independence has its burdens as well i as its privileges and that as citizens they are liable to punishment by local authorities for any unlawful acts they may ma commit I What will wm happen to these Indians who on any foreign reservation cannot I be recognized except e as visitors or 01 per permitted permitted permitted to stay very long in that char chac character j acter actor there Is no prophesying As s allot i tees under the tue old law they the are citizens and nd as citizens they are not subject to j joven oven even the benevolent despotism exer exercised over owr Indians by b tj I United States Staten government Cannot Be Forced to Return I 1 do not see sec that there is an am fed federal fedE eral cral E authority which can convey them I back forcibly and against their will to t a u L country where they th v belong bolong except by bj process provided by b the constitution I to meet situations with which local au authorities authorities confers is them themselves ees unable to I tope The most that this office or de cJe department department can ron do of its own initiative I 1 is to order their expulsion from any foreign reservation they the may ma have haye pen penetrated penetrated penetrated and impose a fine of 1000 upon inv any an one of o them who vho returns without I permission But as they the have no mon moncy mony moncy cy y the fine One would be for all an practical j purposes a 1 nullity Threats of or the I guardhouse would have no terrors for forthe forthe forthe the guardhouse would at least mean j free f ee food and shelter and on the reser reservation i I w where here much difficulty is exper J In finding employment for In Indians j already alread living there then no opening a seems to offer itself for the utilization I of the labor of a band of intruders un Under i j ider der condemnation of vagrancy j I To forestall forStall criticism that all this is narrative of adventure rather than dis clis discussion discussion of the allotment question I 1 Imay Imay may conclude by b saying that the White WhiteRiver WhiteRiver River exodus means fresh troubles in straightening out the land tangle at Uintah These wandering Indians who have hae not yet et fairly fairl identified themselves with their allotments will be all ll the themore themore I Imore more difficult to identify after their ex cx excursion even though they the may return by bJ and by bo Indeed it may ma eventually be impossible to determine the owners of many tracts set apart for the White WhiteRiver WhiteRiver River Utes Thus through the defee of so many land titles the de development development development of the country may ma be erI retarded |
