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Education

Since the preparation of my legislative report, the Congress of the United States has indicated its intention to adopt a new bill providing for federal aid to educational activities occasioned by federal projects. This will include aid to joint Indian-White schools in communities where the population is mixed. It will make it unnecessary for special bills to be adopted for the purpose of paying for such schools. This bill will bring great benefits to Indian tribes in many parts of the country.

Governor's Conferences

Your General Counsel attended the meeting in Minneapolis called by Governor Youngdahl at which representatives of fourteen states met to discuss establishment of "Governors' Committees" to deal with Indian affairs. Your attorney did not participate himself but did help to advise Indians who attended and spoke in your behalf.

The Governor's Committees can be a great help to the Indian cause so long as the Indians appointed maintain their independence and insist, as did Mr. Frank George and your other representatives at Minneapolis, that such committees should not adopt any policy without first referring it back to the interested tribal councils for their action.

Some of the people connected with these governor's councils are interested in bringing about the taxation of Indian lands and also in imposing upon the federal government an excessive share of the cost of Indian social security. The Indians on the committees will be very helpful if they can prevent these people from carrying their ideas into effect or induce them to change their mind on the subject.

Heirship Matters

For some years now, the Indian Office has followed a practice of deducting from Indian estates any moneys that may have been paid to the dead Indian for state old age benefits prior to his death.  Your attorneys have filed representations to the Indian Office in opposition to this practice contending that the estate belongs to the heirs.  We argued that the Indian should not first be given these benefits and his heirs then be forced to pay them back.  The former Commissioner stated that he was preparing new regulations that would represent a partial concession to our point of view.  But the new Commissioner has not advised us that any such action has been taken.

Indian Office Interference with Self Government

The Indian Reorganization Act established the principle that the Indian tribal councils should, so far as possible, control Indian tribal affairs. But there is a tendency on the part of many superintendents to attempt to control the tribal councils.

At Mescalero Reservation, just before the last convention, the tribal council passed a resolution condemning the superintendent.

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