The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1886-07-31
EfFEsf Or THE RESERVOIRS.
Especial TO the World. /

u. s4-if 2AAuA.f y uit DteHup
Whipplf to-day addressed the
Chambef Of Commerce in behalf
of the .eech Lake and Winnie
bagoshish Indians. In 1850 it was
thought necessary to build reser-
voirs al the head waters of the
Mississippi. After Congress had
passed tse lsw the Attorney Gen.
sral declared that the Government
had no snthority to sverhcw the
lands beonging to the Indians Or
to take paterial from them. Not
withsta1iing this opirion the dams
have b4n erected, the annuities
Of the Iidians have expired, their
crops otwild rice and sugar and
their spply of fish have been
completely destroyed, and they
have ndmeans of subsistence left
them.
Afterietting forth the facts in
the cas the venerable Bishop
read . ltter from his missionary,
located bt White Earth, dated July
10, in which the latter says the
water i higher than ever before
known, and In consequence the
Indians could catch hardly any
fish and were hungry, something
that wss unknown before the
building Of The dams. Always
prevloualy at that season of the
year thsy coud kill boat.loads of
fish, andno ole was ever hungry
in summer. ! is serious matter
to deprive 100 human beings Of
their means o subsistence. These
Indians are aWre that these dams
have been bur contrary to law,
and the wondf is that they wait
so long for thlr damages.
The Leech Ike dam is in charge
Of two men inly. The Indians
may do nothiI this summer. but
II winter sets without some adj
justnfent of Il matter 1t is hard
to tell what vi happen. At Win.
nebagoshish found the matter
much worse. The water, extend.
ing far out, ad killed the hay.
Meadows wel all submerged, the
roads oil ovelowed, aud obliter.
ate4 and all 'ual means of CON-
lnunlcation spped. The people
were very ex3 x3peratcd and bitter
at the wantol destruction of their
property by he white people.
They had diiussed what would
be the conscience Of abating the
nuisance Of le dam. The lake
has a coait lid of $50 miles, and
If that OCEAN I water was sudden.
" lot looe itwould sweep away
oil Of annapolis, but would
leave thltops of tho hilis iAxSt.
Paul.
Az th!particular place tbere
the dam whiskey is always as
plenty al water, and the few In.
dams I ire are always drunk.
You KIND how that increases the
danger. Ehe settled conviction
OF the I1aDs at Winnebagoshish |
was thsths white people deIiber |
ately wifd to injure and destroy |
them. Bse were the facts when
l attend their council last
month, I'D the situation has
chapgedif the worse since then. |
The Iliaps have deliberately |
started fsln the forests which
stretch Gntinuously from Cass
Lake tdsed Lake. They were
started lh judgment at the ends
OF the LAY where the wind would
have Il flswsep over the lakes.
1t was s1edingly dry, with strong
wind, aifhe roaring and crack.
ling of flames were terrible.
| inquirbf the Indians what 1t
was for ID was told it was retail.
iation, dg to the white people
what thfhite people had done
to them, ,btroying their property.
Much Of , stretch of fifty miles
OF foresttween Cass Lake and
Red La1 was Q blackened ash
heap and vegetables were killed
complete How far the train