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Anyone familiar with Title 25 of the United States Code must realize that it is no substitute for the Handbook of Federal Indian Law, even if the former should be revised to include a detailed index to legislation and treaties by individual Indian tribes. The value of the Handbook is the perspective it provides across the broad field of Indian legislation, treaties, Federal and State court decisions, and Federal regulations.

4) The discussion of the Indian tribes and Indian census rolls in the last two paragraphs on Page 9 reveals great confusion. The fact that the Federal Government for its own convenience settled Indian tribes (often with a prior history of hostility and of different culture and language) within the same geographical boundaries is here used as an argument in favor of ignoring all tribal units.  Even where these jurisdictional hodgepodges occurred for administrative convenience, the census rolls continued to recognize tribal distinctions and a tribal designation was shown for each individual enrolled.

The comparisons of Indians to immigrants becoming citizens is, of course, irrelevant and insulting to Indians --- the First Americans!!!!

The recommendations offered by the Subcommittee, if offered by any other body of citizens would be ignored because of their short-sightedness and their callous disregard of the human problems involved.  The fact that they are offered by members of Congress and may lead to legislative action (indeed, in certain details, have already produced legislation!!), demands the most careful study of this report.

The underlying purpose and intention of the Subcommittee is revealed at two places in the report.  Under Item (4) on Page 2, the report states that "no law yet enacted in the field of Indian Affairs has had the effect of stimulation of Indians, as a group, to make an active effort to end Federal wardship."  This suggests two things:  First, that the members of the Subcommittee believe that the complex problems of human adjustment, changed attitudes, changed ways of living, can be brought about by law alone (we know of no law in any other field that has stimulated other tax-exempt individuals or organizations to end their tax exemptions.); and Second, that law will be used as a club, if necessary, to make Indians conform to the wishes of Congress.

The other point at which the intentions of the Subcommittee members come into the open is found at Page 7, in the recommendation that surveys be made to obtain "authentic information regarding ownership, title, extent, and value of Indian lands which may ultimately be added to the local tax rolls."  It is in keeping with this recommendation that, in the next to the last paragraph on that page, the members express the view that "the only permanent solution for the problem involved in the handling of Indian lands by the Bureau of Indian Affairs lie in the removal of Indian Bureau control."

THE DAY WHEN TRUSTEESHIP IS REMOVED ALTOGETHER WILL BE THE BEGINNING OF THE END FOR A PEOPLE WHO ONCE WERE MASTERS IN THEIR OWN HOUSE, BUT WHO NO LONGER ARE.  In fact, the record on this is clear where

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