Cheyenne transporter. [volume] (Darlington, Indian Terr.) 1879-1886, 1885-04-30
LOUIS REL,
Leader OF the Half Breed Rebellion Against
the Canadian Government.


bloodshed, is assuming proportions
that alarm the Canadian Government.
All possible haste is being made to
suppress it by the dispatch of military
in sufficient numbers. Thus far Riel
has been successful in operations he
has undertaken. He is said to have
an army of more than 1900 men and
six cannon 1t is possibly larger by
this time. Nothing succeeds like sue
cess" and as about one-third OF the
indians of Canada, or nearly $1,000,
are in Manitoba and the Northwest,
and as these people, or the mojority
of them, have a grievance, there is
imminent danger the movemenr under
Riels leadership will attain formida-
BILE strength. He is competent to lead,
as was demonstrated many years ago,
and is able to work adroitly on the
view of their interest taken by the un-
educated half-brecds and Indians in
habiting the district of country in
which he is operating, IN the enlarge
ment of the movement which again
brings his name prominent into his
tory.
Riel was first heard of IN 1869, the
year in which the Canadian Govern
ment bought the greater part of the
lands owned by the Hudson's Bay
Company. Soon after the Northwest
became a part of the Canadian Con.
federation, and the government under
took to survey the whole country
with the view of making allotments
of land to settlers. These rectangles,
it seems, are measured off apparently
without regard either to the natural
features of the country or to the
habitations or claims of the settlers,
mainly half breeds, who are already
in possession. Even when the half
breed has not established habitation
he has staked out "claim," and
he has "located'' it, rs matter of
course, with the greatest possible
frontage upon one of the rivers, which
are the only highways of the wilder
ness. No record existing anywhere
OF these claims, and the Government
at Ottawa has disposed of them to
persons who had acquired no rights
by settlement, but who had complied,
as the half breeds in possession had
failed to comply, with the require
ments of the law. One day, as survye-
or and his men were suryeyinga base
line through some property, Riel, who
was followed by a party of unarmed
half-breeds, put his foot on the chain
being used, and ordered the surveyor
and his men to leave work. They did
so. subsequently, in the fall of 1869
he took possession of Fort Garry, now
Winnipeg, and armed his followers
with 800 Enfield rifles found in the
stores of the Hudsons Bay Company.
He issued bill of rights from Fort
Garry and continued the insurrection
until the following spring. when he
was driving across the border into the
United States by the forces under
Colonel, now Lord Wolselcy An act
Of Parliament was passed banishing
the vanquished rebel for five years
He then returned to Manitoba and
was elected to the House of Commons.
After taking his seat in Parliament he
left it on account of the excitement
his appearance Occasioned and never
returned.
One result of the first Riel rebellion
was that the Government gave 24O
acres each to the half-b breed settlers
n Manitoba. AS this excluded from
he advantages of the concession more
han it included, the grievance as de-
'cribed in the last paragraph still
exists, and is the cause of the present
rouble. Tho rebels now serving
indcr Ricl demand that the claims
arising from possession shall take pre-
'edence of the claims arising from pat
'nts where there is a conflict; that
zach settler shall have his possession
o the extent of 24O acres confirmed
~ patent, that his "location" of his
and shall be respected, and that the
Government shall make provision for
he education of the children of the