Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1892-09-09
THEIR GREAT FATHER a! b
The Mile Lac Indians Petition to
President Harrison.

Indians, on the Mile Lac reserva-
ton to ..The Great Father at Wash
lngton'' has been received by Mayor
Richardson. after being signed by
about $50 of the interested parties.
The Indians claim that the treaty OF
1889 with them has not been carried
out by the government and address
themselves personally to President
Harrison, hoping In this way to have
theircl claims attended to. They claim
that the settlement of the reservation
by the whites is crowding them great
~, and also that the appropriation
for two years still remains unpaid.
The government has got itself into
a box in the way which this matter
with the Indians has been carried on.
Promises have been made to the In
dams on one hand, and to the white
settlers on the other. While the un-
derstanding with the former has not
been carried out in full the, whites
have been allowed to settle on the
land. The petition is as follows:
To OUR GREAT FATHER IN WASHING
TON:
:, We, the Chippewas of Mile Lac,
Minnesota, have a few words that
we wish to say to you. We believe
you to be our friend, as we have al
ways been friendly to the white man.
On the End day of October, 1889, we
met your commissioner near our
home at Mile Lac, among whom
was our venerable old friend, Henry
M. Rice, man that we have known
for many years, and for whom we
entertain profound respect. Your
Commissioner Whiting on that oc-
casion told us that our Great, Father
had not forgotten our servicB in the
past when the white people were in
peril.
Your commissioner promised us
many things, among others they
told us that there will be nothing
done with the lands until we get oul
allotments. That they were ap
pointed to make the allotments, etc
We have been waiting patiently fol
them to come and divide the farm
lands among us according to thu
promise made to us, but as yet We
have looked in vain.
- man by the name Of Hall has
come to see us several times. H,
claims to be one of your commission
ers and to occupy the place OF ou7
old friend Rice, who has on account
of old age become too feeble to come
and see us.
This man Hall came and told III
that our Great Father had let whit,
men have all the land ON the Mill
Lac reservation. We could not be
lieve him, and do not believe tina
our Great Father will give the land
he promised us to white men.
! White. men have come and ar
crOwding us badly, we therefore re
spectfully ask our Great Father t.
remove all these trespassers from on
reservation, and divide the lands &C
cOrding to the last treaty stipulation
made with us, and do for us all tina
was promised by said treaty.
We recently asked our Great Fathe
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 GU
Great Father should respect us fo
our loyalty to him and the whit
people, and allow us to be maltrea1
ed and abused as though we we1
robbers and desperadoes. We as
you to personally see that all th
promises made to us in the treaty {
1889 are carried out strictly accord
ing as it reads, and was interprete
to us. And upon reading this, GU
petition, we want you to send us
direct answer as to what you wi
do.
We have confidence in you person
ally, but we are sure that some of you
advisers, that have had the charg
of the matters appertaining to GU
interests, have done and are dom
all that they can to defeat the plat
!, provisions of law and defraud us GU
of our homes on our Mile La
reservation.