Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1880-04-16

with lavish hand deals ont go0d giits TO
thoxe who are evilly disposed. ssfs ts'5@.
We cannot believe that such 3 policy il
either just OF calculated to insure good be-.
hayior on the part Of the Indians. We, there
fore, in view ofthe facts herein set forth, and
many Others to the same effect that might be
oct up, would respectfully ask in behalf Of
said Indians and the people living in the SUR
rounding country that the proper authorities
take immediate steps. to secure to said Indians
their reservation and home at Mile Lacs, and
give them such assurance as to dispel their
present apparently we'll founded fears and ap-
prehensions Of foul play and dishonorable
dealing with them by the Government.
We desire to etprsss the high esteem We
have for the Honorable Carl schurk, the sss-
retary of the Interior, for the honorable ac-
tion taken by him in the spring Of 1879 in
cancelling the bogus entries that were q short
time previous made of pine lands on the res
ervation of said Indians at Mile Lao. ii:
This petition was extensively circulated and
signed by the citizens of the county before
sent to the Secretary of the Interior. The
Chippewas also wrote a letter to the President
of the United States, of which the following is
. copy. .-@s.-...~ ~ T.. X. ....,.
b b - ~ ., 81. THE LETTER. 49, ...
Little Falls, Mimi, March "a, 1850.
To R. B. Hayes, our Great Father in Wash
ington: ....
We, your children, the Mile Lacs Band of
Chippewa Indians, desire to make known to
you our grievances, and ask you to assist us,
so that we shall not be driven from our home
without having done any wrong to our white
brothers and neighbors. In the summer Of
1862, when other Indians made war on the
whites, we stood by them and offered to fight
with them against our own people. For our
kindness our Great Father in Washington,
and the great and good men with him, who
ruled this great nation, made us promise
that we should inherit our home on the beau
tiful and, to US, lovely Mile Laos forever,
or So long as we behaved ourselves well
toward our white neighbors. We hear that
many false accusations have been made
against US. and sent to our Great Father. If
such is the case we hope he will not be de-
cieved by them, and drive US from our home
without giving US chance to be heard. If
we are charged with bad couduct, we demand
a full investigation and if proven to be guilty,
we will cheerfuHy submit to whatever punish
ment our Great Father may see proper, or
may think best in his wisdom, to infict upon
us. On the other hand, if we prove ourselves
innocent, we shall ask for new treaty, or
that the one we now have be made definite
and perfect, so that pine land thieves will
not dare to come upon our reservation, us they
have done in the past, and take our timber
from US without our consent. We are in
formed that on the 18th day of March, 1879,
some person or persons, to US unknown, were
permitted to enter all of our pine lands at the
U. S. Land Office at Taylors Falls, and that
the Secretary of the Interior, great and good
man, promptly cancelled the entries, by which
act he incurred the great displeasure of the
pine land thieves, who are making a strong
effort to secure his removal from office, to
make room for some one whose sense of honor
and justice may yield somewhat to the per-
suasive influences of money.
As matters now stand, and in view of what
has been done and what efforts are now being
made to drive us from our home and rob us
of the little valuable timber we have, we are
continually laboring under great fear, and
are much distressed for fear that bad men
may prevail against us, and succeed in rob-
therefore humbly ask and urge upon you to
listen to our appeal to you Tor justice, and
ask that you and our kind friend, Carl Schurz,
Secretary of the Interior, may without delay
take such action as shall make US forever se-
cure in our rights and home, We would be
pleased to 60 and make you visit; but if we
cannot be allowed that pleasure, we trust
you will uot forget us, but will do for US ~hat
we ask. We know that this is not the usual
way of addressing you, and that it is general
ly done through our Father, the Agent, but
We cannot get chance to see him. He will
not listen to us, and we fear that be is on the
side of our enemies. but we hope it is not SO.
We hope to hear from our Great Father soon,
and that he will be inclined to help us in this.
time of our great trouble.
From your Children, Of Mile Lacs, Mime
sofa.
Shob-osh-kung, Chief.
Moose-o.ma-na,
May y-may-way. aush, ("
War-we-yea-com-ick, ("
Na-guar-nay-bee, I"
Mining -gonce, {"