Sun River sun. [volume] (Sun River, Mont.) 1884-1885, 1885-04-02
THE REL REBELLION.
In the Northwest Assuming Alarm.
ing Proportions---Troops Sent to
Put Down the Rebels.


Perhaps no man in the Northwest 10
attracting the attention TINT Louie Riel Is
ut the present time. Together with his
following-said to number 1000 or more
lie is stirring up u rebellion in the Do.
minion, which to say the least, while not
being formidable, is not palatable, .nd Is
likely to cost plenty Of money and not
few lives to quell.
All the interest attached to this rebel.
lion, with our readers, is the fact that the
leader, liel, is we'll known In this scctio,.,
having resided ut the Mission since his
inglorious rebellion Of 80, a sketch Of
which, together With what ,~"s ha,,va of
his early life, was published in these col.
umns few weeks ago, and which has
been widely copied In the eastern press,
owing to the interest which he Is attract.
ing in connection with She present re.
bcllion.
As II man Of his people he Is endowed
with more than ordinary intelligence aud
cunning. and us subsequent facts goes to
show that he was made Weather by scv.
cral thousand dollars by the last half.
breed revolt, II is fair to presume that lie
is playing the same game with the same
end in view, but 1t Is evident that the end
will not justify the means this time, and
instead of gaining this time, he is moro
likely to lose his head. Gain is evidently
his g,me and to carry out his plan has
used his countrymcn Us cats paws. Sir
John Macdonald says:
We are quite unaware of the proximate
cause Of the half.brecd movement under
liiel. Ricl came into the country, invited
by them, some time ago. 1t Is the belief
of the government that he came for the
purpose of cxtOrting money from the pub.
lie purse. In fact, the government heard,
during last summer, intimations that II
we gave him money ($5,OOO was mention.
cd) he would depart in peace. or course
the government could not entertain such
II proposition for u moment, and he has
been there exciting the half.brceds and
attempting to arouse the Indians, telling
them the country all belongs to them and
that the white man had no right t0it
Whatever.
In the House Of Commons Blake re.
viewed the conduct Of the government
since Ricls return to Canada, and In
stern terms condemned their failure II
deal with the grievances Of the half.
breeds and other settlers in the North
west. Tho go, ernmcnt had been wanting
in its duty in Withholding information
from parliament. lie reminded the house
of Sir John A. Macdonald's conduct In
1871, when he paid $1,000 to get out Of
the country, while protesting that he
wished to God that he could catch him.
Ricl had made good thing out Of the re.
bellion IN 1871, and now wanted to repeat
THO operation.
WHAT THE HALF BREEDS WANT.
Toronto Mail: The halfbrceds In tho
st. Laurent district complain that the do.
minion has treated them badly, and We
think II has. Under the Manitoba net Of
1870 each half.brccd born In that province
before July 1 of that year was granted
24O acres OF land free, In satisfaction Of
what Inlay lie termed the half.breed title.
But beyond the confines Of Manitoba lay
II few halfbree settlements, for the In.
l,abitants of which no provision was then
made; nor, indeed, was any demand ut
the time. st. Laurent, one OF these, was
established as long ago as 1902, and is n
fairly prosperous place. The first de-.
mand for consideration was preferred by
the colonists ten years ago, when they
asked 70 bc placed on the same footing
rs regards free hOmestcads us the Metis
Of Manitoba. Later on, when the domin.
ion surveyors appeared in the country, u
fresh grievance sprung up. The half.
breeds, as was the French custom, Ind
settled along the rivers, each farm having
II narrow water frontage, and extending
far back in the form of long paralIclo.
gram. The surveyors were, OF course,
compelled to destroy this arrangement OF
the holdings, and the people earnestly
protested against it. They nlso renewed
their claim for grants of 24O acres per
capita, and from that day to this tho agi.
tation has been maintained, Ricl's arrival
from Montana last spring giving it tho
semblance of II general united movement.