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in full satisfaction of their claims for damages caused by the Ute Indians at the time of the Ute massacre at the White River agency, in eighteen hundred and seventy-nine, to be paid from the funds belonging to the confederated bands of Ute Indians, namely: To Josephine Meeker, four hundred and sixty dollars; Mrs A. D. Meeker, seven hundred and seventy-eight dollars and eighty-five cents; Sophronia E. Price, seven hundred and one dollars and fifty cents; Sarah M. Post, five hundred dollars; W. E. Eskridge, two hundred and twenty dollars; George T. Dresser, eight hundred and eighty-one dollars; George L. Shephard, one hundred and eight dollars; Thomas F. Thompson, two hundred and three dollars; Albert A. Woodbury, seventy-nine dollars and fifty cents; E. L. Mansfield, one hundred and eighty-seven dollars and twenty-five cents; McLane and Dillman, three hundred dollars; in all, four thousand four hundred and nineteen dollars and ten cents. That such Indians as may now be located on public lands, or as may, under the direction of the Secretary of the Interior, or otherwise, hereafter, so locate may avail themselves of the provisions of the homestead laws as fully and to the same extent as may now be done by citizens of the United States; and to aid such Indians in making selections of homesteads and the necessary proofs at the proper land offices, one thousand dollars, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated; but no fees or commissions shall be charged on account of said entries or proofs. All patents therefor shall be of the legal effect, and declare that the United States does and will hold the land thus entered for the period of twenty-five years, in trust for the sole use and benefit of the Indian by whom such entry shall have been made, or, in case of his decease, of his widow and heirs according to the laws of the State or Territory where such land is located, and that at the expiration of said period the United States will convey the same by patent to said Indian, or his widow and heirs as aforesaid, in fee, discharged of said trust and free of all charge or incumbrance whatsoever.

INTEREST ON TRUST FUND STOCKS.

SEC. 2. For payment of interest on certain abstracted and non-paying State stocks belonging to the various Indian tribes, and held in trust by the Secretary of the Interior, for the year ending June thirtieth, eighteen hundred and eighty-four, namely:

For trust-fund interest due Cherokee national fund, twenty-six thousand and sixty dollars;

For trust-fund interest due Cherokee school-fund, two thousand four hundred and ten dollars;

For trust-fund interest due Chickasaw national fund, nineteen thousand eight hundred and twenty dollars;

For trust-fund interest due Choctaw general fund, twenty-seven thousand dollars;

For trust-fund interest due Delaware general fund, eight thousand nine hundred and thirty dollars;

For trust-fund interest due Iowas, three thousand five hundred and twenty dollars;

For trust-fund interest due Kaskaskias, Peorias, Weas, and Piankeshaws, four thousand eight hundred and one dollars;

For trust-fund interest due Kaskaskia, Wea, Peoria, and Piankeshaw school-fund, one thousand four hundred and forty-nine dollars;

For trust-fund interest due Menomonees, nine hundred and fifty dollars;

For trust-fund interest due Ottawas and Chippewas, two hundred and thirty dollars; in all, ninety-five thousand one hundred and seventy dollars.

SEC. 3. That no purchase of supplies for which appropriations are herein made exceeding in the aggregate five hundred dollars in value at any one time shall be made without first giving at least three weeks' public notice by advertisement, except in cases of exigency, when, in the discretion of the Secretary of the Interior, who shall make official record of the facts constituting the exigency, and shall report the same to Congress at its next session, he may direct that purchases may be made in open market in amount not exceeding three thousand dollars. SEC. 4. That so much of the appropriations herein made as may be required to pay for goods and supplies, and for transportation of the same, for the year ending June thirtieth, eighteen hundred and eightyfive, shall be immediately available; but no such goods or supplies shall be distributed or delivered to any of said Indians prior to July first, eighteen hundred and eighty-four; and the Secretary of the Interior, under the direction of the President, may use any surplus that may remain in any of the said appropriations herein made for the purchase of subsistence for the several Indian tribes, to an amount not exceeding twenty-five thousand dollars in the aggregate, to supply any subsistence deficiency that may occur: Provided however, That funds appropriated to fulfill treaty obligations shall not be so used: And provided further, That any diversions which shall be made under authority of this section shall be reported in detail, and the reasons therefor, to Congress, at the session of Congress next succeeding such diversion: And provided further, That the Secretary of the Interior, under the direction of the President, may use any sums appropriated in this act for subsistence, and not absolutely necessary for that purpose, for the purchase of stock cattle for the benefit of the tribe for which such appropriation is made, or for the assistance of such Indians to become farmers, and shall report to Congress, at its next session thereafter, an account of his action under this provision.

SEC. 5. That when not required for the purpose for which appropriated, the funds herein provided for the pay of specified employees at any agency may be used by the Secretary of the Interior for the pay of other employees at such agency, but no deficiency shall be thereby created, and, when necessary, specified employees may be detailed for other service when not required for the duty for which they were engaged; and that the several appropriations herein made for millers, blacksmiths, engineers, carpenters, physicians, and other persons, and for various articles provided for by treaty stipulation for the several Indian tribes, may be diverted to other uses for the benefit of the said tribes, respectively, within the discretion of the President, and with the consent of said tribes, expressed in the usual manner; and that he cause report to be made to Congress, at its next session thereafter, of his action under this provision.

SEC. 6. That the President may, in his discretion, consolidate two or more agencies into one; and where Indians are located on reservations created by executive order, he may, with the consent of the tribes to be affected thereby, expressed in the usual manner, consolidate one or more tribes, and abolish such agencies as are thereby rendered unnecessary; and preference shall at all times, as far as practicable, be given to Indians in the employment of clerical, mechanical, and other help on reservations and about agencies.

SEC. 7 That whenever, after advertising for bids for supplies in

accordance with section three of this act, those received for any article contain conditions detrimental to the interest of the Government, they may be rejected and the articles specified in such bids purchased in open market, at prices not to exceed those of the lowest bidder, and not to exceed the market price of the same, until such time as satisfactory bids can be obtained, for which immediate advertisement shall be made. SEC. 8. That any disbursing or other officer of the United States, or other person, who shall knowingly present, or cause to be presented, any voucher, account, or claim to any officer of the United States, for approval or payment, or for the purpose of securing a credit in any account with the United States, relating to any matter pertaining to the Indian service, which shall contain any material misrepresentation of fact in regard to the amount due or paid, the name or character of the article furnished or received, or of the service rendered, or to the date of purchase, delivery, or performance of service, or in any other particular, shall not be entitled to payment or credit for any part of said voucher, account, or claim; and if any such credit shall be given or received, or payment made, the United States may recharge the same to the officer or person receiving the credit or payment, and recover the amount from either or from both, in the same manner as other debts due the United States are collected: Provided, That where an account contains more than one voucher the foregoing shall apply only to such vouchers as contain the misrepresentation: And provided further, That the officers and persons by and between whom the business is transacted shall, in all civil actions in settlement of accounts, be presumed to know the facts in relation to the matter set forth in the voucher, account, or claim: And provided further, That the foregoing shall be in addition to the penalties now prescribed by law, and in no way affect proceedings under existing law for like offenses. That where practicable this section shall be printed on blank forms of vouchers provided for general use.

SEC. 9. That hereafter each Indian agent be required, in his annual report, to submit a census of the Indians at his agency or upon the reservation under his charge, the number of males above eighteen years of age, the number of females above fourteen years of age, the number of school children between the ages of six and sixteen years, the number of school-houses at his agency, the number of schools in operation and the attendance at each, and the names of teachers employed and salaries paid such teachers.

SEC. 10. That no part of the expenses of the public lands service shall be deducted from the proceeds of Indian lands sold through the General Land Office, except as authorized by the treaty or agreement providing for the disposition of the lands.

SEC. 11. That at any of the Indian reservations where there is now on hand Government property not required for the use and benefit of the Indians at said reservations the Secretary of the Interior is hereby authorized to move such property to other Indian reservations where it may be required, or to sell it and apply the proceeds of the same in the purchase of such articles as may be needed for the use of the Indians for whom said property was purchased; and he shall make report of his action hereunder to the next session of Congress thereafter. Approved, July 4, 1884.

[PUBLIC-No. 85.]

AN ACT making appropriations for the payment of invalid and other pensions of the United States for the fiscal year ending June thirtieth, eighteen hundred and eightyfive, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the following sums be, and the same are hereby, appropriated, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, for the payment of pensions for the fiscal year ending June thirtieth, eighteen hundred and eighty-five, and for other purposes, namely:

For Army and Navy pensions as follows: For invalids, widows, minor children, and dependent relatives, and survivors and widows of the war of eighteen hundred and twelve, twenty million dollars; and any balance of the appropriation for the above purposes for the current fiscal year that may remain unexpended on the thirtieth of June, eighteen hundred and eighty-four, estimated at sixty-six million dollars, is hereby reappropriated and made available for the service of the year ending June thirtieth, eighteen hundred and eighty-five: Provided, That the appropriations aforesaid for Navy pensions shall be paid from the income of the Navy pension fund, so far as the same may be sufficient for that purpose: And provided further, That the amount expended under each of the above items shall be accounted for separately.

For fees and expenses of examining surgeons, five hundred thousand dollars.

For pay and allowances of pension agents: For salary, fees for preparing vouchers, rent, fuel, lights, and postage on letters to the Executive Departments and to pensioners, three hundred thousand dollars: Provided, That from and after July first eighteen hundred and eightyfour agents for the payment of pensions shall receive only twelve dollars and fifty cents for each one hundred vouchers, or at that rate for a fraction of one hundred, prepared and paid by any agent in excess of four thousand vouchers per annum.

For contingent expenses of pension agencies, ten thousand dollars. That the act entitled "An act relating to claim agents and attorneys in pension cases," approved June twentieth, eighteen hundred and seventy-eight, is hereby repealed: Provided however, That the rights of the parties shall not be abridged or affected as to contracts in pending cases, as provided for in said act; but such contracts shall be deemed to be and remain in full force and virtue, and shall be recognized as contemplated by said act.

SEC. 2. That sections forty-seven hundred and sixty-eight, fortyseven hundred and sixty-nine, and forty-seven hundred and eighty-six of the Revised Statutes are hereby made applicable also to all cases hereafter filed with the Commissioner of Pensions, and to all cases so filed since June twentieth, eighteen hundred and seventy-eight, and which have not been heretofore allowed, except as hereinafter provided. SEC. 3. That section forty-seven hundred and eighty-five of the Revised Statutes is hereby re-enacted and amended so as to read as follows: "SEC. 4785. No agent or attorney or other person shall demand or receive any other compensation for his services in prosecuting a claim for

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