Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-09-28
CHIPPEWA PINE LANDS
REORGANIZATION Of Timber Territory Be-
longing to Indians
Grave Errors Are Said to Have Been
Discovered in the Original
Survey.

A complete REORGANIZATION of the pine
lands of the Chippewa reservation in Min
resota is now being conducted by the In
terror Department, and the returns received
show many discrepancies which occurred
in the first examination. More than five
years ago law was passed for the dis
position of the last great body of pine land
in Minnesota. All Of the other great tracts
in that state and in Michigan and Wis
Consin as well have passed into the hands
of private individuals or numbering corpora
tons. In northern Minnesota there was a
large tract of pine owned by the Chippewa
Indians. y bill was passed to sell the
lands and it provided for the examination
of the lands by appraisers, who We're to
estimate the amount of pine on each tract.
Considerable time has been consumed i'll
surveying the land. Since then an eXamina-
ton WIS ordered. Charges We're made that
the first examination was not accurate.
Secretary Smith discharged the old eX-
aminerS, and the new examination Is pro-
crossing, showing that the pine estimators
vary considerably in their judgment as to
the amount of pine on the various tracts.
After the second examination is completed
there will be still a large amount OF timber
to be estimated.
Indians Must Whit for Their Money.
The law provides that all this preliminary
work must be done before any Of the pine
can be sold. The money resulting from the
sale of the land is to draw interest for the
benefit of the Chippewas. But at the rate
Of progress now being made 1t will be five
years before the sale can be commenced.
An effort has been made to have the lands
already examined and appraised sold and
bills have been introduced in Congress for
that purpose. 1t Is probable that the EFFORT
will not be pressed now until the burned
pine in the northwest is disposed OF. as that
will have tendency to oyerstock the mar
ket and result in a small price for the land.
Yet the officials of the Interior Department
recognize that the final disposition of the
land may be long delayed and that II will
be necessary to sell some of tho land soon.
There Is commission operating among
the ChippewaS endeavo-ing to concentrate
them and allot lands to them.
AS the entire expense that is being in
Cured in examination, REORGANIZATION and
the commission. comes out of the proceeds
to be derived from the sale of the lands,
the more intelligent Indians are becoming
impatient and alarmed. and feel that their
money is going very fast. and that they are
receiving no benefit from the sale of lands
made five years ago.
Pleading for More Progress.
There have been protests of this kind
made to the Interior Department, and the
officials have been urged to make more
progress.
Already Secretary Smith has given orders
to the commission to close up its business
with the least possible delay, as the i'm
preston is that IL can accomplish nothing
more. No method has been devised for the
disposition of the examiners or hurrying the
work. The attempt to sell the land meets
with some opposition, because the grant to
Minnesota for school lands has not yet been
satisfied, and the state is entitled to in
demnity of two sections in each township
for all land included in the reservation.