Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1892-08-05
The Mile Lacs Middle.

F. The Hon. N. Richardson, attorney
for the Mile Laos Indians, has writ
ten a letter to Congressman Castle Of
the Fifth district, asking him to
compare the bill that Washburn has
put through thesenate, with the late
treaty with the Mile Laos Indians
and oppose it's passage in the House
If it in any wise lessons the rights of
the Indians under the treaty.
The following petition has
been drawn up and will soon be
taken out to the Indians who will
probably largely sign it. 1t will
then be yarded to President Har-
rtson at Washington:
To Our Great Father in Washington.
We, the Chippewas of Mile Lac,
Minnesota, have few words, that
we wish to say to you. We
believe you to be our friend, as we
have always been friendly to the
white man. On the End day of Octo.
Der, 1889, we met your commissioners
near our home at Mile Lac, among
whom was our venerable old friend
Henery M. Rice, a man that we have
known for many years, and fol-
whom we entertain profound res
pect. Your Commissioner Whiting
on that occasion told us that ou1
Great Father had not forgotten ou1
services in the past when the white
people were in peril.
Your commissioners promised III
| many things, among Others they
told us there will he nothing dOn'
with the lands until we get our al
iotments. That they were appoint
ed to make the allOtments, etc. W.
have been waiting patiently TO
them to come and divide the farm
lands among us according to tn
promise made to us, but as yet W.
have looked in vain.
A man by the name of Hall ha!
come to see us several times. HI
claims to he one of your commission
ers and to occupy the place of GU,
old friend Rice, who has on accoun
of old age become too feeble to CONF
and see us.
This man Hall came and told u!
that our Great Father had let white
men have all the land on the Mile
Lac reservation. We could not be
lieve him, and do not believe thai
our Great Father will give the lands
he promised us to white men.
White men have come and arr
crow.ling us badly, we therefore re
specially ask our Great Father tt
remove all OF these trespassers from
our reservation, and divide the lands
according to the last treaty stipula
ton made with us. We are now
ready and for a long time have beer
waiting for our Great Father to di
vide these lands among us, and dc
for us all that was promised by sale
treaty.
We recently asked our Great Faith
er to send us our annual payments
two of which are now long past due
We are in great need of our money
We cannot understand why Oul
Great Father should respect us fo7
our loyalty to him and the white
people, and allow us to be maltreat
ed and abused as though we were
robbers and desperadoes. We ash
you to personally see that all thu
promises made to us in the treaty O
1889 are carried out s,lictly accord
ing as it reads, and was interpreted
to us. And upon reading this ou7
petition we want you to send us /:
direct answer as to what you will
do.
We have confidence in you person
ally. but we are sure that some o
your advisers, that have the charge
of the matters appertaining to Ou1
interests have done and are doing al
that they can to defeat the plail
provisions of la W and defraud us Ou1
of our homes on our Mile Lac reser
walton.