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[[preprint]] 174 [[/preprint]]

2.

are legitimate. I do. I would however word the law a little differently in order to cover all cases, & prevent any contest since some children have rec'd land who had no parent allotted, but who would be legal heir to Uncles, Aunts, or Grandparents' estate. I think if the law could declare that all Indians who have rec'd allotments, and who were born under Indian marriage customs, are legitimate, it would leave no case unprovided for.

Your second proposition, "that hereafter before patents are given Indians, men & women now living together should be legally married."  I am in favor of this law theoretically but I am wondering if it could be carried out. In this territory no license is required nor ^[[to]] any expense incurred ^[[in marrying ]] them ^[[would]] render the enforcement of such a law easy & still here on this reservation there are men who would refuse legal marriage, and then what could be done? It is possible some sort of force could be applied. I should not despair of making the law operative here, but take the law [[strikethrough]] wh [[/strikethrough]] in a state where a license must be [[licensed??]] at the County seat, and it would be well