New-York tribune., 1898-10-23
INDIAN TIMBER CLAIMS.
HOW THE HALFBREEDS AND 'SQUAW
MEN" GET THE BEST OF THE
NOBLE RED MAN.

Walker CMinn.) correspondence Of The Chicago
Record.
1t would seem that the timber question az It
affects the present trouble with the Pillager Ind
ians Is very badly tangled affair Nobody ap-
pears to understand it exactly as does anybody
else. Even the men Immediately connected with
logging in this district for many years quarrel
as TO the facts in the and to the merits
of the one side or the other. The Indians, how
ever, are very clear on the proposition that they
are being robbed Of the pine timber the lands
they wrested from the Sioux and they terri
bly, in earnest in their demands for a reform.
The following figures, tai IN from the official
port of the superintendent OF logging for the
Leech Lake district, X. c. Mcclure, for the log
ging season OF lS91-'9S leave no doubt as to who
is getting the timber and who is not:
Number of feet sold by the quarter
blOodS 1924 so
Number of feet sold by the hafbreeds. 2,2Gl, 30
Number OF feet sold by the "squaw
men OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. lbl ,J3o
Number Of feet sold by the full
blooded Indians. Observation-Disclosures. Si5,330
These results ere not due to any discrmna-
ton against the Indian in the law, but 10 his in
ability to compete with the mixed bloods IN the
business Of filing upon timber and getting 1t to
market. The mixed boods intelligent and
their most acute representatives do not I've IN
the woods but n the centres Of life. They un-
derstand fully all the means Of locating, claim
ing and marketing pine logs. In these transac-
tlOllS some legal processes are mNOINeu lHdt VIZ
Indian does not thoroughly understand. During
the summer and fall those entitled to file CLAIMS
upon dead and down timber search the reserya-
tion and locate logs that are marketable under
the law.
At the beginning OF the logging season the
Government issues a permit 10 the Indians and
mixed bloods TO file claims. The mixed hloods,
through their connection with men Of inteIll-
Ecntc reSuond 10 this permission TO file with
such haste and in such wholesome manner that
the slow m, Wing Irdian. with only knowledge
of the hunt and the chase. is practically smut
out He gets around with his claim too late
ard goes back to his wigwam swearing ven
geanCe against the men that have robbed nm.
Nor is the mixed hoods advantage alone that
of his ability 10 get IN his claims more quickly
and to secure such claims the Government
will recognize He has money and can himself
do everything necessary to the placing Of the
logs upon the market. The Indian cannot do
this After he has succef dpd in getting valid
claim to some dead and down timber he must
employ white men to move his logs from " mere
thev lie in the woods 10 the lake shore, where
the buyer wants them delivered. The mocca-
sin shod inha bitant Of the woods has no horses
and no sleds and no ability 10 cope with busi-
ness affairs The penalty Of his ignorance Of all
things necessary to his success is the loss Of
his logs with very little to remind him that
they once were his and to repay him for valua-
tle time lost from catching fish and killing deer.
| am told by NJ H. Craig. a dealer IN pine logs
tereabOutS that he frequently has tired 10 make
contracts with full-blooded Indians 10 buy Their
logs but has found them 50 stupid that he could
rot close a deal with them. He added: The
Indian knows no more about business than
does a two-year-old child. He Is familiar with
the woods, knows every trail and bypath' every