The Warner weekly sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1885, 1885-04-10

governor of the new Canadian province,
arrived Sept 3. After this commissions were
appointed on benalf of the British govern
ment and the inhabitants OF Manitoba to
arrange the difficulties existing and TO arrive
at an equitable adjustment of affairs in the
province. In this conference Bishop Tache
participated, representing the people of the
province. It the time he was attending the
ecumenical council sitting in Rome, and
came home to attend to his duties in this
connection in response to q telegram from
the British government He always had
great influence with the people. From the
fact that he declines TO act as a mediator In
the present crisis, it is surmised that he
did not consider himself well treated in
connection with the previous negotiations
What was known as the Manitoba act was
passed by parliament this same year. By this
act many of the privileges asked by the
rebels were granted to the inhabitants OF the
country, and they have since liyed d a
representative form of government The
population of all Manitoba at that time was
about $4,000, the proportion OF whites TO
half-breeds being about one to seven or
eight An agTarian feature OF the Manitoba
act is what has led to the present difficulty.
Az intimated above, the titles of half-breeds
TO their lands were not very distinct, ana
many of the people were doubtless squatters.
By the Manitoba act there were 1,40O,0OO
acres of land set apartfor half-breed infants;
subsequent grants were made or ianu
and scrip to the half-breed heads OF
families Afterwards came an order divid-
ing up the 100000 of land, so as TO grant
to each half-breed child born prior to July /,
1870, a parcel of $40 acres free.
ApPoRT1oNING THE AND
There were many difficulties met with In
apportioning out land. The tracts possessed
by the French half-breeds along the crooked
rivers of Canada were in most cases long
49, uflo1Norava with a narrow river ff0nEaQG
| and extending back inland. These the do
minion surveyors were obliged to cut up
| md wide up in q manner that seemed ut
tarly reckless to the poor half-breeds, and
there were many protests anu threats.
Then there had been delays and more or less
dissatisfaction from the beginning. On the
other hand the law of apportionment was
appreciated to such an extent that half
breed infants came to be at a premium, and
| IL is even said that children were transferred
from one family to another In order
to obtain land Next, lands were
| placed in chancery until the chill
dren should have come of age. with the spee-
cial stipulation that they should be consld-
| 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 should be given TO tne
care of parish priests or the heads OF families
Lands were also taken out or ~chanoery ano
| sold out rapidly. and lane 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 ~suuandered. 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 IL 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 q matter of fact, the Inhabitants OF these
places did not demand an a-pportionment o.
land at the time. The st. Laurent district,
the seat of the present uprising, was among
these sections.
THE AGITATION 1T ST.
About ten years ago, however. the settlers
of this district began to wake up to the iac'
that they should receive some consideration
and asked TO be placed on the same footing
with regard to homesteads and lands as the
balf-breeds OF Manitoba Later dominion
surveyors were sent into the country TO LAY
ont the lands. Here the same difficulty wai
met as in the Red and Assinaboint
river dIstricts The half-breeds, accord'