St. Paul daily globe., 1888-02-10
WHITE CLOUD's VIEWS.
He Objects to the Agreement
Made With the Northwestern
Commission by His Tribe.

He Objects to the Agreement
Made With the Northwestern
Commission by His Tribe.
Special to the Globe.
WHITE EARTH AGENCY, Minn., Feb.
9.-A reporter for Beaulieu's paper, the
Progress, visited White Cloud. the head
chief of the Mississippi Ojibwas, last
week, and requested him to give his
views regarding the agreement which
the Northwestern commission endeav-
Ored to make with the White Earth In
dians two years ago. Without hesita-
tiOn he declared in the strongest terms
his opposition to the sO-called agree
ment, and he was bitter in his denun-
citation of the commission. The inter-
view, as published in the Progress, is as
follows:
81 am strongly opposed to the agree
ment for many reasons, and principally
against the common fund plan. l con-
slider that the commissioner took undue
advantage of the Indians. In the first
place a sufficient length of time was not
given them to consider a matter of so
much importance as the agreement was
to them. 1t was big thing. The COM
mission made certain propositions to
them, and they had no alternative but
to accept Or reject them, seemingly
having no voice in the matter other
than to do this. Bishop Whipple said
unless he made a treaty with us we
would loose our reservation within six
months, and after only five days of
counciling, he urged us to sign the
agreement, saying, unless you sign it,
the commissioners will depart tO-mor-
row, etc. And in this manner undue
persuasion was used to get many to
sign the SO-called agreement who bit
terly regret it to-day. Out of the Mis-
slSSippi bands, who number about 5000
persons, and who own this reservation
in common, less than
ONE HUNDRED PERSONS SIGNED IT!
Without the consent of majority of
the Mississippi bands we were made to
distinctly understand that the agree
ment was null and void, and also, that
it would not be binding if the Red
LakerS did not consent to consolidate
with US. There is nothing satisfactory
in the agreement. and if it is ratified
and enforced it will bring trouble
among us. What we desire is to secure
mutual agreement between the Great
Father and ourselves. The White Earth,
White Oak Point and Mile Lac reser-
vatiOnS are owned in common by US,
who are called the Mississippi Indians,
and it a majority of these indians con-
sent to an agreement there will be no
trouble among us. We do not wish to
have the White Oak Point reservation
disposed of without tine consent
of that portion of eur band
residing there, and who number
about 600 persons, neither do we
desire the removal of the Mile Laos In
dians to this reservation without their
full consent: already they have begun
to find fault with us, and last week they
wrote letter to the Great Father ask
ing him to sell this reservation. Now
they have as much right to ask this as
we have to ask the government to re-
move them here am anxious to have
the Minnesota Chippewas consolidated
on this reservation, but their consent
should be necessary, otherwise their
consolidation here would he followed by
much discord, which in the end would
probably lead to serious trouble. The
Great Father at Washington should send
for the chiefs and leading men of the
tribe and talk the matrer over wit h
them"