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49th Congress,}    SENATE       {Ex. Doc.
1st Session.  }                 { No.90

MESSAGE
FROM THE
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
TRANSMITTING

A communication from the Secretary of the Interior relative to proposed legislation for the relief of the Omaha Indians.

MARCH 10, 1886.- Read and referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs and ordered to be printed.

To the Senate and House of Representatives:

I transmit herewith a communication of the 5th instant from the Secretary of the Interior, submitting, with accompanying papers, a draft of a bill prepared in the Office of Indian Affairs, "for the relief of the Omaha tribe of Indians in the State of Nebraska."

The matter is presented for the consideration of Congress. 

GROVER CLEVELAND.
EXECUTIVE MANSION, March 10, 1886.

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR,
Washington, March 5, 1886.

The PRESIDENT:

I have the honor to submit herewith copy of a communication of 4th instant from the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, with accompanying petition signed by 210 members (heads of families) of the Omaha tribe of Indians, presented through United States Indian Agent Potter of the Omaha and Winnebago Agency, in the State of Nebraska, setting forth the fact that they have taken lands in severalty and received patents therefor, and that, being desirous of making further improvements on their farms and needing money for that purpose, they pray that the remaining money due and to become due them under the fourth article of their treaty of March 16, 1854 (10 Stats., 1044), being nine installments of $10,000 each, aggregating, $90,000 may be distributed among the members of the tribe within the present year in one per capita payment.

The Commissioner reports that the Omaha Indians are a steady, sober, and industrious people; that allotments were made to them under the provisions of the act of August 7, 1882, to the amount of 75,931 acres; that in order to enable these allottees to improve their farms, build houses and barns, purchase stock, agricultural implements, and