The tri-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1866-1868, 1867-01-17
CHAP. CXIX.

CHAP. CXIX.
An act for the Removal of the Sisseton, Wahpa-
ton, Medowakanton, and Wahpakoota Bonds
OF Sioux or Dakota Indians, and for the Dis
position of their Lands in Minnesota and Da-
kota.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Rep
resentatives of the United States of America in
Congress assembled, That the President is au-
thorized and hereby directed to assign to and set
apart for the Sisseton, Nahpaton, Medawakanton,
and Wahpakoota bands of Sioux Indians tract
of un-occuped land outside of the limits of any
state, sufficient in extent to enable him to assign
to each member of said bands (who willing to
adopt the pursuit of agrculture) eighty acres of
good agricultural lands, the same to be well adRp.
ted to agricultural purposes.
Sec. And be it further enacted, That the sew
eral tracts OF land within the reservations of the
said Indians, shall be surveyed, under the discre-
tion of the commissioner Of the general land-of-
flee, into legal subdivisions to conform to the
vcys of the other public lands. And the SECRETARY
OF the Interior shall cause each legal sub, vision
OF the said lands to be appraised by discreet per-
sons to be appointed by him for that purpose
And in each instance where there are improve
ments upon any legal subdivision OF said lands,
the improvements shall be separately appraised.
But no portion of the said lands shall be subject
to precinptiOn, settlement, entry, or location,
der any act of Congress, unless the party preemp-
ting settling upon, or locating any portion of said
lands shall pay therefor the full appraised value
thereof, including the value of the said improve
nlents, under such regulations hereinafter pro-
vided
Sec. s. And be it further enacted That after
the survey of the said reservations the same shall
be open to preemption, entry, and settlement in
the same manner as other public lands: Provided,
That before any person shall be entitled to enter
any portion of the said lands by preemption or
otherwise, previous to their exposure to sale to
the highest bidder, at public outcry, he shall be-
actual bona fide settler thereon, and shall
conform to all the regulations now provided by
law i'll cases of preemption and shall pay, within
the term of one year from the date of his settle
ment the full appraised value of the land, and the
improvements thereon, to the land officers of the
district where the said lands are situated. And
the portions of the said reservations which may
not be settled upon, as aforesaid, may be sold at
public auction, as other public land sold, af-
ter which they shall be subject to sale at private
entry, AS other public lands of the United States,
than their appraised value before the first of Lau
nary, Ammo Domini eighteen hundred and sixty
five, nor for less price than one dollar and TWEEN
ty-tve cents per acre, until otherwise provided
for by law.
Sec. 4. And be it further enacted, That the
money arising from said sale shall be invested by
tine Secretary of the Interior for the benefit of said
Indians in their new homes, in the establishing
them in agricultural pursuits: Provided, That it
shall be lawful for said Secretary to locate any
meritorious individual Indian of said bands, who
feXertcd himself to the lives of the whites in
the late massacre, upon said lands on which the
improvements are situated, assigning the same to
him to the extent of eighty acres, to be held by
such tenure as is or may be provided by la: : And
provided further, That no more than eighty acres
shall be awarded to any oie Indian, under this or
any other act.
Sec. 5. And be it further enacted, That the
money to be annually appropriated for the benefit
of the said Indians shall be expended in such
manner US will, in the judgment of the Secretary
of the Interior, best advance the said Indians in
agricultural and mechanical pursuits, and enable
them to sustain themselves without the aid of the
government; but no portion of said appropria-
tions shall be paid in money to said indians. And
in such expenditure, said Secretary may make
reasonable discrimination in favor of the chiefs
who shall be found faithful to the Government of
the United States, and efficient in maintaining its
authority and the peace of the Indians Said In
dans shalt be subject to the laws of the United
States, and to the criminal laws of the State or
Territory in which they may happen to reside
They shall also be subject to such rnles and regu-
lations for their government as the Secretary of
the Interior may prescribe; but they shall be in
capable of making any valid civil contract with
any person other than native member of their
tribe, without the content OF the President. The
Secretary of the interior shall also make reasona-
be provisions for the education of said Indians
according to their capacity and the means at his
command. ....
Approved, March 3, 1868.