The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1885-04-10

apportioning out and. The tracts possessed
by the French half-breeds along the crooked
rivers of Canada were in most cases long
parallelograms, with a narrow river frontage
and extending back inland. These the do
minion surveyors were obliged to cut up
and divide up in a manner that seemed ut
terly reckless to the poor half-breeds, and
there We're many protests and threats.
Then there had been delays and more or less
dissatisfaction from the beginning. On the
other hand the law of a~pportionment was
appreciated to such an extent that half
breed infants came to be at a premium, and
it is even said that children We're transferred
from one family to another in order
placed in chancery until the chill
dren should have come of age. with the spe-
cial stipulation that they should be consid-
cred to have attained their majority at eight
cen. In many cases, however, the money
realize by the sale of lands was not placed
in the care of the court. but orders were even
given that the money hould he given to the
care of parish priests or the heads of families
Lands were also taken out of chancery and
sold out rapidly, and land sharks were about
making all they could by taking advantage
of the peculiar feature of the infant provis-
ion. The half breeds themselves were an
easy going people. and the lands and scrip
granted to heads OF families were in many
cases squande1ed Doubtless there were
numerous abuses of this kind, but the law
was generally acceptable to the half breeds
of Manitoba, and they took full advantage
of 1T Now, beyond the confines of Manitoba,
in the Northwest Territory, lay a few half
breed sections, for the inhabitants of which
no provision was made in the Manitoba act.
AS a matter of fact, the inhabitants of these
places did not demand an apportionment Of
land at the time. The st. Laurent district,
the seat of the present uprising, was among
these sections.
H AGITATION AT ST. LAURENT.
a Ahout ten years auo hOwevar tho settlers
of this district began to wake up to the fact
that they should receive some consideration,
and asked to be placed on the same footing
with regard to homesteads and lands as the
surveyors We're sent into the country to lay
out the lands. Here the same difficulty was
met as in the Red and Assinaboine
river districts. TIL half-breeds. accord
ing to their French custom, had laid
out their farms in parallelograms
wan and it's branches, and the surveyors
were of course compelled to destroy this ar
rangement. The people earnestly protested.
They also renewed their claims for grants of
24O acres per capita, and from that time to
this the agitation has been kept up. Various
complications have arisen in the meantime,
and complaints lave been made OF delays
and arbitrary acts on the part of the govern
ment Riel was again called upon for
counsel and advice. He was visited in Mon
tana, where he has been living, by a depu-
tation of the half-breeds. and in response to
their appeal Went into the st. Laurent
country. The half breeds, in the meantime,
had laid their grievances before the domin-
they held a meeting at st. Laurent, at which
they adopted a bill of rights, OF which the
following is the substance:
First, the subdivision into provinces of the
Northwest territories: second, the half breeds
to receive the same grants and other advantages
as the Manitoba half-breeds; third, patents to
be issued at once to the colonists in possession;
fourth, the sale of half n million acres OF domin-
ion lands, the proceeds to be applied to the es-
tablishment in the half breed settlements of
schools, hospitals and such-like institutions,
and to the equipment of the poorer half breeds
with seed grain and implements; fifth, the res
%ervation of 100 townships of swamp land for
distribution among the children of half breeds
during the next 100 years.; sixth, a grant of at
least 81, 600 for the maintenance of an institu-
ton to be conducted by the nuns in each half
breed settlement; and seventh, better provision
for the support Of the Indians.
The last item, it is said, was inserted by
Riel in order to please Poundmaker, an In
dian chief who has made common cause
with the half breeds. The bill of rights ap-
parently asks for a good deal more than
the rebels have any idea of obtaining, but it
is said that Monsignor Grandin, the Roman
Catholic bishop of that region, and most of
the English-speaking settlers are in favor of
it. Since Rie's presence in the Saskatche-
wan country he has been actively at the
head of the movement for rights, and under
his leadership the forces have organized and
the present rebellion has been engineered.
The events OF the conflict are still fresh in
the memory of all.
THE PRESENT REBELLION.
The rebellion war started in the early
part of last week. At first the do
minion government professed to con-
slider the instruction as Of no i'm
portance. but the cutting of the telegraph
lines and the threatening uprising of the
Indians all through the Saskatchewan terri
tory as well US the imminent danger in which
the Canadian Pacific railroad is placed has
thoroughly aroused them, and troops are
being rapidly hurried to the front by special
trains as fast as they can be prepared to take
the field. The exact strength of Riel's forces
is not known 1t Is said to he composed OF
0 to 1000 men, armed with Remington
and Winchester rifles, and Gen. Middleton
who is TO command the government troops
declines to advance to the front with less
than 1000 men. The first troops Left Win.
nipeg for the scene of the rebellion on Thurs.
day of last week. They comprised six com.
panies of the Nineteenth battalion, in all PIC
men: to these are to be added the regu.
lar mounted police already on the ground
and several military companies organized by
the settlers residing in the section where the
rebellion is in progress The troops, however