St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-10-17
THEY REFUSE TO GO.
Mile Laos Indians Insist on
the Government Doing as
1t Agreed,
Otherwise They Propose in
Turn to Go Back on the
Treaty.
The Grand Jury Gets a Sur
felt and Adjourns for a
Month.
Wine Rooms Are Roasted and
Places Of Detention
Visited.

EX-COngressman ID. S. Hall, who is a
member of the Chippewa Indian com
mission, arrived in the city last evening
after week spent in arguing with the
Mile Laos Indians and trying to per-
snade them to pack up and move over
to the White Earth agency. The Mile
Laos band, especially the older mem
bers of it, are decidedly averse to NOV
ing, and, indeed, have great reason to
be If the facts III the case are as Mr..
Hall states them to be. When the COM
missi0nerS who negotiated the treaties
with the Chippewa bands under virtue
of an appointment from President
Cleveland, they supposed the Mile Laos
lived on a reservation, and so they told
the Indians when they signed that they
could take their allotmentS where they
were. These commissioners were:
Bishop Marty, of South Dakota; Hon.
Henry M. Rice. of this city, and Mr..
Whiting, OF Wisconsin. Ex-senator
Rice has always been highly respected
and relied upon by the Chippewas, and,
had it not been for HIM it is altogether
unlikely that the negotiations would
have ended successfully. After the sig
natures had been secured the interior
department made number of.decisions
which amounted to declaration that
there was no Indian reservation at Mile
Laos. and what Commissioners Rice.
Marty and Whiting and the Indians and
everybody else had considered as In
dian land was declared government
land. and open to entry and settlement.
Settlers flocked Ill after this decision
in droVeS, and men who had been squat
re
The Indians found themSelved with no
land to cultivate. Their gardens were
part of some white mans homestead.
In speaking of this last evening. Mr..
Hall said that the Indians had cult
waited little land this year, because they
seemed to be discouraged.
II cannot say they are moved yet"
he said, in answer to question, "al-
though about $50 have gone over to
White Earth. There are still $50 at
Mile Laos. 1 am inclined to think that
they will have to 90 in the end, although
l shall not try to force them. Now that
there is no reservation at Mile Laos, |
think that they will have to go to White
Earth for their annuities. We have
been trying to persuade them to move.
They say they are willing to do what
Mr.. Rice said they could do-take their
allotments at Mile Laos; but this they
cannot do, because there is no land
there"
"Will the government force the IN
dams to move if they cannot be per-
suaded to go?'
Il do not know what the Indian office
will decide to do, but l know we shall
not try to force the Indians to go. We
shall reason with them and try to per-
suade them to go, although l confess it
is pretty tough work camping out there
these cold nights for week at time.
The head chief of the Mile Laos bands
is young man, Wa-we-com-ig by name.
He is very intelligent, and, like many
others of the young men, would like to
go. The Older men, however, are not
easily won over"
Commissioner Hall said that ex-Sen-
ator Rice and his colleagues are in no.
wise to blame for the trouble, as it was
considered at that time that the land in
the Mile Laos country was reserya-
ton. The Indians still have the great
est confidence in Mr.. Rice, and know
that ne is not to blame for their troubles.
Mr., Hall and his colleagues are now
working under the directions of the in
terror department and have no power to
do anything. That great injustice is
being done the Mile Laos Indians seems
evident and the government can hardly
do less than carry out its part of the