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RESOLUTION NO. 56


WHEREAS the Colville Indians, pursuant to regulations and with full knowledge of their superintendent entered into an agreement with certain attorneys for prosecution of tribal claims; and

WHEREAS there is a federal law borbidding Indian tribes to hire attorneys except as approved by the Department of the Interior; and

WHEREAS this law is a vestige of the days when it was considered proper for all Indian affairs to be controlled not by Indians themselves but by bureaucratic dictatorship in Washington; and

WHEREAS the Commissioner of Indian Affairs has first delayed a decision on the approval of the Colville attorney contract for the unreasonable period of almost a year and has now refused to approve it unless it is amended so as to deprive the attorney of the compensation agreed upon by the Indians, so as to make his compensation a matter to be determined by a government agency, and so as to give the Commissioner of Indian Affairs authority to remove him at any time; and 

WHEREAS the conditions insisted upon by the Commissioner represent an attempt to bring the lawyers in question under the domination of the government against whom the claims of the Indians are to be asserted and to prevent them from properly representing ktheir clients; and

WHEREAS the case of the Colville contract is typical of the malfeasance of the Indian Bureau in administration of the law above described;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the National Congress of American Indians condemns the maladministration by the Department of Interior of the law regarding attorney contracts, insists that the Commissioner of Indian Affairs reverse the policies described, urges the immediate approval of the Colville contract and urges that all other contracts entered into between Indians and attorneys should be promptly approved so long as their terms are reasonable and the attorneys chosen are in good standing; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Congress of the United States is urged to repeal the law requiring approval of Indian attorney contracts by the Department of the Interior.

Mr. Madrano moved that Resolution No. 56 be adopted. Motion was seconded by Mr. R.O. Curry. Motion was agreed to.