Show Indian Land DIl\pute DIl pute Dispute DIlputeAlred DisputeAired DisputeAired \ Alred Aired Alredat Airedat at Salt Lake MeetEfforts Meet MeetEfforts Efforts to settle a controversy contrcversv of ofmany ofmany o1many many } sears years ears s andmg between bet\\een bet een \ \ v.hlte vhlte white v.hlteand whiteand . whitand and Indian residents of San Juan Juancounty Juancounty Jualcounty county \ were \ ere ' irade IT'ade ITade made at a conference conferenceheld conferenceheld conlerencheld held in m Governor Bleod Blood Bloods s office 111 in 111Salt inSalt nSalt Salt Lake City last Thursda Thursday } At Attendmg Attending Attending tendmg tending wei wer \ \ er " white \ \ hlte citizens ct SaiJuan San SanJuan SanJuan Juan countand county count\ count counts \ and representatives represrntahves of ofthe ofthe cthe the grazing grazmg service and Indian de department department department departmentThe partment partmentThe The controveisy contro\elsy contro elsy controversy \ Involves the sta status stati's status tus ti's tis ' of 45 appli appll atlons ations for use of ofland ofland oland land by the Indians which the thehltes thewhites thwhites \\hltes hltes whites \ \ sav say sa } are barred by the Colton Coltonact Coltonact ColtoLact act ' passed assed by ecngr ccngr-ss ccngr ss ccngT"ss ccngTss " - ss in m 1933Ccngressman 1933Congressman 1933 1933Congressman Congressman Ccngressman Abe Murdock asked ask asked asked ed Governor Go\ernor Go ernor \ Blood for "l l " a'sis asis Psis ' sis ance ante m in mgettmg ingetting ingetting gettmg getting facts to present to the de department department department partment of the interior mtenor and andGcvernor andGovernor andGovernor Gcvernor Governor Bicod Blcod in m turn asked As Asslstant Assistant Assistant slstant sistant Attorney Attornev General Glover Giover GloverA GioverA GiovelA A Giles to prepare reecmmenda reccmmenda reecmmendations reccmmendations reccmmendations tions on legal aspects of the mat matter matter matter matterIn ter terIn In 1932 Governor Go\ernor Go ernor \ George H Dernheld Dern Dernheld Dernheld held a meeting at B andmg wIth wItha witha a commttee COmlTlttee committee representing representmg thehlte the \\hlte hlte white whiteresidents \ whittresidents hlteresIdents resIdents cf ef of San Juan county and andoffIcIals an anofficials andofficials d offIcIals cf of the U S Indian ser see service seevice service vice The subject for discussion was wastte wasthe wathe tt-e tt e the - proposed return to the NavaJo NavaJoleservatlOn Navajoreservation Navajleservation leservatlOn reservation of what is known kno\\n kno n \ \ as the thePlUte thePiute th-Piute th Piute - 550000 PlUte Piute stri strip ! = a tract containing contammg 550 000 acres Ivmg lying lj mg south scuth of the SanJuan San SanJuan SanJuan Juan river east of the 110th 110thmell 110thmeridian 110thmeildian 110thmeildianYears mell meridian lan lanYears meridianYears Years before this had been taken takenaay takenaway take ; away a\\ay a ay \ \ from the reservation resenahon by the theI thegovernment thgovernment I publie pubhc public government and placed in the pub hc lic domain domam Thehites The \ whites \\hites hites had pro testea testen protested protestea protesten the unrestricted use of lands landby landsby by the Indians andan and \ wan \\an an ed the thegovClDment thigovcinment govClDment goveinment to set a.ide aide aside a . < ; ide an area areaoutside areaoutside are ; outside efhlch cf ef which \\hlch hlch \ \ the Indians could couldnot couldnot coulinot not take up landAt landAt land landAt At the Blanding BJandmg conference It Itwas itwas iwas was agreed that If the go\ernmmt go ernmmt government govemmenvouM governmentvoulrt \ voulrt . oul . ; leturn return the Piute PlUte strip stnp to the theI ther thileservation thiIndians theIndIans I r esen eserv atlon ation the use of land by the IndIans w \ vvoud \ ou d be restricted to the theenlarged theenlarged thienlarged enlarged reseivation reservation resel \ at IOn area arca The es essentlal essenfial essential sentlal senfial points pClnts of this tillS agreemem agreement agreememere agreementwere agrecmtn-were agrecmtn were - \\ere ere were \ en'bodled enbodled embodied eir ' bodied in m a bill introduced introducedIn introducein ! In repreientatives entatal's representatrues the national house of repre representa enta tal's tals trues ' by Congressman Congressm n Don B Col Colten Coltcn Colton tcn ton an and enacted on March 1 1933 Tlls Tl Ti 1933Tl 1933Ti is bill bllJ pro\ pro provided proIded \ Ided for fer the r turn turnof turncf turncf of cf the Piute PlUte strip to the reserva rcservatlon reservatlon reservation tlon tion and prohibited the grantmg granting grantingof grantmgof of any an > ) more Indian allotments alJotments or orhomesteads homesteads in San Juan county countycu countyou ou cu side the reservation reservationIt It appears ho however v \ ever that 45 ap applications apphcahcns applicatiens phcahcns plicatiens by Ute Indians for al lotments allotments outside the reservation reservationarea reservationarea reservationarea area Theywere had been filed in 1930 They were accepted by the register of the ofthe land office but later suspended by suspendedby the secretary of interior interiorIt It is the contention of the IndIan IndIansel1ce Indianservice Indianseivace sel\1ce sel 1ce service \ ' that these ap lications IIcatlOns IIcatlOnsere \\ere ere were werenot \ werenot erenot not whilethe hllethe haired barred by the Colton acthlle act \\hlle hlle while \ \ theywere the white residents claim they were \ \ ere In ott other > er \ words \ ords the whites whiteswant ' " whiteswant hltes hltesant \\ant ant want \ \ to keep the Indians on thei thel the I l eservation eservahon eservatlon eservationSince eservahonSince eservatlonSince Since state school lands are in involved involved involved volved in the problem the gov erner erncr governcr governer of the sta state te \ was as asked to toas toassist toassist as assist ISt in m Its solltJon solltJonAt sol itionAt ition itionAt At Thursd Thursdays y s ' meeting l1'eetmg l1eetmg Assistant Attorney AssistantAttorney General Giles rendered an anopmlon anopinion anopinion opmlon opinion holding for the San Juan Juancounty Juancounty Juancounty county white settlers The result resultof resultof resultcf of transmittedto the conference ccnference \ was \ as transmItted | interiorfor to the depaitment department depal tment of the Interior for final action |