Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-09-05
A CASE IN POINT.

Congress authorized the construction of
a number ofdams in the upper Mississippi.
The same authority, it follows, has the
power to forbid distractions being placed
in a navigable stream, and mining sands
unlawiully deposited in the rivers are
distractions. The Government may order
them abated and forbid their renewal. But
that is only incidental thought The dams in
the Mississippi cause the overflow of fifty
miles square of land in the Leech River
Reservation, occupied by the Chippewa
Indians: The flooding destroys their rice
fields, and causes loss of 1000 bushels
annually. 1t also damages many sugar
orchards, and deprives the Indians of their
usual supply of fish. Now comes Bishop
Nhipple, of Minnesota, and appeals to the
Federal Government for the Chippewas,
that they shall be protected from these
ills. " For four years" says the Bishop.
these Indians have sent appeal after APP
peal for redress. The Department of the
Interior asked their agent to report the
facts, and his statements were received
with incredulity. Captain Blakely and
The Rev. i. A. Gilifillan were appointed
commission to assess the damages and their
report shared the same fate The Govern
ment has offered the Indians less compen-
sation than the value of the millions of
feet of their pine used in the construction
Of the dams" Now this is a sad case ;
the Government should afford the
Indians relief; either remove the
dams or give the red men other
lands, and save them from all loss
and harm by reason of the change. We
trust Bishop Whipple will succeed in his
missionary effort to secure relief for the
Chippewas. If he does, We shall need him,
and a good many like him, out here. Cali
fornians are something better than Chip
pewas their cry for relief is quite as loud ;
their cause thousand-fold more pressing,
and of its justice no one can doubt Many
thousands of them are exposed to like
menace with the Chippewas-only they do
not ask the Government to salve their
wounds by measured damages They sim
ply ask the Washington authorities to in
terfere to the extent of preventing the de-
struction of nsvigable river; to en-
join peremptorily the further building
of sand and slickens dams in the Sacra-
mento river; to stop the work of diverting
the stream; and when that is done, to do
something to restore the river to some sem
blance of its original self We have not
rice fields to be flooded nor sugar orchards
to be damaged. But we have $4,000, 900
of assessed values to be deprecated agri-
cultural lands that are being covered up ;
cities and towns that are menaced a
broad commerce that is threatened; two
OF the finest harbors in the world endan-
gered; magnificent section of the State
exposed to the danger of inundation and
consequent great injury; once magnlfi-
cent river nearly destroyed; navigation
actually suspended, and other ills, needless
TO detail, all due TO the dams in the Gov
ernmenfs river. Surely, our case is better
and stronger than that of the Chippewas,
and surely we need good many Bishop
Whipples to awaken the Government to
sense of the urgency of our plea, the pite-
business of our plant, and the justice of our
demand.