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Show . < r Indians Have HaveI HaveRights Haveirights HaveRights I Rights irights ? to CededLands Ceded CededI CededLandss CededLands I Landss Lands ; is Claimed ; In an opinion rendered by War Warl1E"r Warnor Warner l1E"r l1Er nor " W Oardner Gardner olictor soUctor solictor tor for theDepartment theDepartment the theDt'partment Dt'partment Dtpartment Department ' of the Interior reCarding re regRrdlng regarding gRrdlng garding ( the so called ceded landswithin lands landswithin landswithin within the old Ulntah Uintah Reservation Reservationtt-e Reservationtt e Reservationft't ft't ftt tt ' - e ' rtgh rights l of the Utes Ute * are stiU still val ml valId mlId valId Id to thee these areas The opinion opinionas , a " ' ! as IS written April Aprll 2fl 26 28 143 1943 * and andrt'ads andreads andmdt andmdtDuring rt'ads rtads reads ' rt'adsDuring readsDuring During a recen recent t session of ot the theG the0 G < (7 7 ( , ' mmlttee mmittee on Public Publ1c Lands atVernal at atV atVernal V Vernal t'TI1al tTI1al ' Utah Senator Murdockraised Mqrdoc.k Mqrdock Mqrdoc.kraised Murdock . , raised the question whether whethet surplus sur surpills I Iplus plus pills lands resulting resulUng : from tram the pea- pea - peasage P Psate -sate sate - - | sage pa81sage act of May 27 rr 1902 19O'J 19OJ ' (32 32 (33 33 ( stat Stat24.i 9tat245283) 9tat245283 pa8-1 pa8 1 245 24.i 24i . 263) 263 ) were really Indian lands lands.He landsHe . . . Be Ee & seems &ee018 ee018 to have continued that thatthe thatthe thatthe the act ad restored these lands to the thepubUe thepublic thepublic pubUe public domain doma1n and that the In- In Indiana Indiana In Indians - dians diana therefore were not entlUadto enUt.1edto entitledto enUt.1ed enUt1ed entitled . to any proceed prooeeds proceeds * derived dertved troftt from fran thesjands these theseJands theseyards * Jands yards Uy My opinion oplnton opinl i hu has naj b befD bexi D mfor-Ballv mfor Ballv lnfor- lnfor Infer- Infer lnformallv Infermsav - - . mallv msav rwluexted requested OR oa thia th1a this questton . quetle quMtionConUnud m , . . ( Continued * on Page Pa Three Ttu ) I , Indians 'Indtans Indtans < ' Have RIghts RightsTo To Ceded Land LandClaims Olalms Interior Intenor Sohcitor SohCltor . ( ( Continued from Page one onl ' ) ) , ri am of the opinion that these thesesurplus thesesurplus surplus lands of or the Uintah Ulntah and andWhIte andWhite WhIte River Utes are properly to tobe tcbe be regarded as Indian lands the < . proceeds prC'eds prCeds ( ) ' of which belong to the theIndians theIndians Indians It Is true that the act actor actof or May 27 'J:7 J7 ' : 190 1902 declared that tilat at atter atter ter the allotment all the tile un unalloted allot allotE"d E"d Ed " lands within witilln said reservation reservation8hall reservationnhall 8hall be restored to the tile public do dor domain r " main Tills This Is however only a amethod amethod method of Indicating that the theland thelands land < ; are to be subject subjt'ct subjtct ' to the tile dlB dlBposition disposition position under the public publ1c land landlaws landlaws laws The act nevertheless provid provld , es that the tile procee proceeds 1S < of the tJ1e lands landsshall landsshall shall be used for the benefit of ofthe ofthe the Indians and such a provision provisionronstltutes provisionconstitutes ronstltutes them Indian lands landsBnd landsand Bnd requlrea requJres the tile United States to tohold tohold hold the tile proceeds of such lands land ' ! In In"trust Intrust "trust trust " for the Indians ( A&h Ah A h . < ; & Sht"ep Shtep Sht"epCompany SheepCompany " Company vs VB United States 252 U UB U8 B 159) 159 ) 159)The The Department has ' ! similarlyheld Imllarly Imllarlyht'ld ht'ld htld ' that the lands ceded by the 1 Ute Indians of Colorado by U e enet eact net of June 15 1880 ( (21 21 ( 8tat Stat 199) 199 199)were 199)were 199were ) ) were Indian lands despite the tht ' pro provision provl&lon provllon vision & of section st'ctIon stctIon ' 3 of this act that thattht thatthe tht ' ceded cffit'd cffitd ' lands ' shall 'ihall ihall be held and andX X deemed to be public lands of t tieUnited t f ' Unltt'd Unlttd ' < ; States tate ' ! and subject to dis dispo disposal po 18 ' . I of public publ1c lands (56 56 ( I D D3303J7 I)330 I330 ) 3303J7 3J7 38 ) In fact the " Depart Department Departmerit ment has held Infert Infer < ntlally ntIally that thatI thatthl thatthe thl ' < ; surplus urplus land lands " , of the UlntahBnd Ulntah I * and Bnd White River Utcs Utes resulting resultingfrom resultingfrom from the Act of May 27 1902 1902werE 1902were werE " Indian lands by including Includingthem I them in the list of lands tempor temporUy temperlly Uy withdrawn on Sepetember 19 19I , I 1934 pending restoration to tribal tribalownerhlp tribalownership owner-hlp owner hlp - ; pursuant to section 3 3f 3f f the Ii dial Reorganization Act Actact Actact act f f Jui Jill e 18 1934 48 Stat 984 98425 2 ' ) 1) 1 U ) S < ; C ( , < ; { ' sec 'c c 463 ThLs Thb list Is , < printed in 54 I D 559 Such lands landswere landswere were s 'i i ' ibject U t < restoration rf'stornUon rfstornUon ' to tri tribal tribal bal c ( \ vinerslip ner-I ner I - ; Ip OI oily ly If they th'y thy ( ' were wereJai ,1aI 1aI . , d ( Is < ; in v . wlikt hl ( I the tht ' Ii Ir lians lIan'i lIani ' still stillI } id an 1 I kre terest < ; t ' ) 56 )6 6 I D 330 334 334I 37) 37 ) , |