Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-02-28
Senate Agrees on
Lacey's Indian Bill
Measure Providing For Al
lotment and Distribution
ofLands May Go Through
Washington Bureau of
The 0ttumwa Courier

Washington %. g., Feb rs.
The senate on Thursday agreed t.
a conference on Congressman Lacey's
bill providing for the allotment and
distribution of Indian tribal funds,
which was introduced In the house dur
Ing the last session. The bill as pass
ed by the house provides that the
PRESIDENT be authorized in his discre-
ton. from time to time. to designats
any individual Indian belonging to any
tribe whom he may deem to be suffi-
clently advanced in civilization to be
capable of managing his or her own
affairs, and he may cause to be ap-
portioned or allotted to any such In
dian his or her pro rata share Of any
tribal or trust funds now on deposit
in the treasury Of the United States
10 the credit of the tribe to which said
Indian belongs, and that such amount
shall be placed to tho credit of the
,adian upon the books Of the treasury,
to be paid him at s',ch time and in
such manner as the President may ii-
rect.
= There is a proviso to the effect that
no such aportionment shall be made
to any Indian until he has first made
application for the same. and until he
has filed a lease of any flrther interest
In the tribal or trust funds Of the tribe
OF which he is a memte-.
TO-
1t is also provided in the bill as
passed by the house that the Presi-
dent shall prescribe the rules and reg
ulations to carry ont the purposes Of
the act. and which mey also prescribe
the method for the distribution of tho
sI1ale of any allottee who may die be-
fore payment and after such allotment
II was the intention, In the original
ILL, that the President should be given
the power to designate such tribes as
he deemed sufficiently advanced In
civilization to be allowed to take
charge of their trust funds, but In the
committee this was amended so as to
make the designation applicable to in
dividllal Indians. 1t Was slso provided
that rolls should be mad: of the indi-
v!dual members of the Tribes, and the
several accounts OF the individuals
placed to their credit on the books Of
the treasury, keeping Gil account of
each individual share, and that orders
for distribution should be made from
time to time under executive order.
The house committee did not agree
that the advanced position taken by
this clause should be adopted at the
present time, however, Under the
clause as amended 1t would not be
necessary to keep these many indiyi-
dual accounts in the books of the treas
ury.
-:o:-
o nnfc Of
which the house did not concur, pro-
vided among other things, to transfer
the power sought to be placed in the
hands of the President on the matter,
to the secretary Of the interior, and
provides that the money allotted to
the Indian shall be subject thereupon
to his order, instead of providing that
it shall be paid at such times and in
such manner as the President may
elect.
The senate amendments provided
furtrnr that that part of the bill which
provided that the Indian should file "a
release of any further interest in said
trust funds, and that the President
may prescribe rules for carrying out
the purposes of the act and for a
method of distributing the share CT
an allottee who may die before such
payment is made. should be stricken
out, and in their place should be sub.
stituted the following:
That the secretary Of the interior
is hereby authorized to pay any In
dian who is blind, crippled, decrepit,
or helpless from old age, disease Or
accident, his or her share of the tribal
trust funds in the United States treas
ury belonging to the tribe Of which
such Indian is member, and of any
other money which may hereafter be
placed in the treasury for the credit