The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1863-03-13
THE WINNEBAGO INDIANS.
An Act for the Removal OF the Win.
nebagO Indians, and for the Sale Of
Their Reservation I'm Minnesota for
Their Benefit.

An ACS lOE tine x6cmOV0l OF the Win
nebagO Indians, and for the Sale OF
Their Reservation I'm Minnesota for
Their Benefit.
BE ii enacted BIZ The Senate and House
Of Representatives Of the United States O,
America an Congress assembled, That the
President of the United States is author
lied to assign and set apart for the Win
nebago Indians tract of unOccupied land
beyond the limits of any State, in extent
at least equal to their diminished reserva-
ton, the same to BIZ we'll adopted for ag-
rlcuitural purposes. And it shall be lawful
tor the President to take such steps as he
may deem proper to effect tho peaceful
and quiet removal Of the said Indians from
the State of Minnesota, and to settle them
upon the lands which may be assigned to
them under the provisions of this act.
Sec. 2. And be ii further enacted, That,
upon the removal of the said Indians from
the reservation where they now reside, it
shall be the duty of the Secretary of the
Interior to cause each legal subdivision of
the said lands to be appraised by discreet
persons to be appointed by him for that
purpose. And in each instance where
there are improvements upon any legal
subdivisions of said lands the improve
ments shall be separately appraised. But
no portion OF the said lands shall be sub
lect to presumption, settlement, entry, or
location under any act of Congress, unless
the party pre-empting, settling upon, or
locating any portion of said lands shall pay
therefor the full appraised value thereof,
including the value of the said improve
ments, under such regulations as hereinaf-
ter provided.
Sec. 8. And be ii tu,1her enacted, That
after the appraisal of the said reserva-
ton the same shall be open to pre-emp-
ton, entry, and settlement, in the same
manner as other public lands: Pro-
cidea, That before any person shall
be entitled to enter any portion of the said
lands, by presumption or otherwise, pre-
vlOus to their exposure to sale to the high
est bidder, at public cutlery, he shall be-
come an actual bona fine settler thereon,
and shall conform to all the regulations
now provided by law in cases of pre-emp-
ton, and shall pay, within the term of one
year from date of his settlement, the full
appraised value of the land, and the i'm
provements thereon, to the land officers of
the district where the said lands are situa-
ted. And the portion of the said reserva-
ton which may not be settled upon as
aforesaid may be sold at public auction as
other public lands are sold, after which
they shall be subject to sale at private en-
try, as other public lands of the United
States, but no portion thereof shall be
sold for sum less than their appraised
vnlue before the 1st of January, Ammo
Domini eighteen hundred and sixty-five,
nor for less price than one dollar and
twenty-five cents per acre, unless other
wise provided by law: Provided, That
where improvements have been made upon
said lands by persons authorized by law to
trade with said Indians, the value of such
improvements or the price for which the
same may be sold shall be paid to the par
ties making the same; and in case the land
upon which such improvements shall have
been made shall be purchased by the party
making the same, at the appraised value
as aforesaid, the value of the improve
ments so made by him shall form no part
of the purchase price to he paid for said
land.
Sec. 4. And be ii further enacted, That
the lands of said Indians which have been
set apart for the payment of the debts of
said Indians shall be sold on sealed bids
for the best price the same will bring but
no bid shall be received for said lands I'M
til the first day of January, ammo Domini
eighteen hundred and sixty-five, for less
than two dollars and fifty cents per acre.
Bids shall be received for tracts of quarter
sections and for such tracts conforming
to the Government surveys less than one
hundred and sixty acres as will secure the
largest price for said lands, the Secretary
is authorized to receive, in payment of
said lands, certificates of Indebtedness of
said Indians, issued by the Commissioner
of Indian Affairs, for the debts of said In
dams, secured to be paid out of the sale of
said lands by the third article of the
treaty of said Indians with the Uni
ted States concluded at Washington
on the fifteenth day of April, eigh-
teen hundred and fifty -nine. The money
arising from the sale of their said lands,
after paying the Indebtedness required by
said treaty to be paid, shall be paid into
the Treasury of the United States, and
shall be expended as the same is received,
under the direction Of the Secretary of the
Interior, in necessary improvements upon
their new reservation; and it shall be the
duty of the Secretary of the Interior to
allot to said Indians in severalty lands
which they may respectively cultivate and
improve. not exceeding eighty acres to
each head of family other than to the
chiefs, to whom larger allotments may be
made, which lands, when so allotted, shall
be vested in said Indian and his heirs,
without the right of alienation, and shall
be evidenced by patent.
Sec. 5. And be ii. further enacted, That
the money to be annually appropriated for
the benefit of said Indians shall be ex-
pended in such manner as will, in the
Judgment of the President, best advance
the said Indians in agricultural and me-
chanical pursuits, and enable them to sus-
tain themselves without the aid of the
Government And in such expenditure
reasonable discrimination NAV be made
in favor of the chiefs who shall be
found faithful to the Government of the
United States, and efficient in maintain.
ing it's authority and the peace of the
r1..-, Co;J In1;opo 81 Il,