The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1898-12-20
NOT THE SAME
ppport Of Special Agent Jenkins
Differs From That Of
Others
yho We're Sent to Investigate
Affairs at the White Earth
Reserve.
Ouly a Small Percentage Of In.
dians Employed in Logging
Operations,
And These Were Cheated in Va.
rious Ways.-Anxious for Hon.
est Logging.

WASHINGTON, Dec. Especial Indian
Ac,n, Jenkins. in a report just submit
,,d "a Commissioner Of Indian Affairs
lone, on the investigation Of the timber
rerations ON the Chippewa reservation
m Minnesota. makes some statements
,aditallv differing from those i'll other
,sror,s. He says that during the last
i. al wear ls.0i9. .096 feet Of reservation
rrr timber cut and banked there We're
.old a, IN average of $i.,s per thousand.
There were 3a camps in operation. and
,harr was - Ia per centagc OF the
wA-e, due the labor.rs iii the camps
altar III. settlement On the diminished
!e,,ryation. the special agent says there
were - zoe .907 feet cut and banked.
sid at $i96 per thousand. and the
hbarcts were. paid 95i. per cent of the
amount due them on the settlement.
IL states the trouble was In the
Management of the camps and
in The system itself. Owing to the
inability OF many Of the camp, 10 pay
or. and as under the rules the laborers'
claims We're the last To bc paid, scores OF
Indians working there did not receive
/ ;he wages they expected and hence Sc
. liou> complaint arose. OF o3 camps In
| opera'ion the past fiscal year, many em-
ioy'd less than ~ per cent Indian
abor and very few had over 30 per
cent the Indian labor average being II
. - per cent. The system of stores
maintained 10y the camps. with their
txorhitant prices and credit To reckless
Indian buyers. is stated to have caused
great dissatisfaction. The bills pre-
snt,d to the agent for settlement by
'he various supply companies who fur
llshed the camps with the necessary
grceeries, etc. during logging opera
tons, We're not rs II rule properly Item
lzed and while they cannot be said to
b" eNorbitant. the special agent says
they are loosely made out with no APP
Parent check on purchases and give
abundant opportunity for fraud and
tollusion."
Chief source Of Complaint.
III. chief source Of all the Indians
COMPLAINTS was that the green timber
o' The reservation was being ruthlessly
en' down and destroyed under pretense
q being dead and down timber. AT
I'VE councils held with the Indians from
various portions Of the reservations.
Sr Jenkins says they. toa man, vehe-
Mently protested against further cut
uhg of the so-called dead and down.
iAey are convinced, he said. that more
'han one-half Of the timber cut at the
camps has been Of the best green ana
pfowing pine. and that they are reaiiz'
ing little or nothing from IT.. oil
many of the tracts of the dimin'
Sied reservation, the agent says, ne
'ound these complaints we'll founded
and that evidences Of clean cutting o'
",erything merchantable were abun
aaht everywhere. OF 5000 or 1000 log,
ae found cut and skidded on severa
,racts, fully 60 per cent werefrom greer
Trees.
The Indians are, however, he con
GUIDED. ''desirous Of having the timber
'Wrations resumed on the basis of com
.ioh sense and common honesty. Inc!
"a ,aVor the selling outright Of all this p'n'
lumber at not less than e per thousan'
.'r Norway and @ for white. as
sands, or the putting in Of mills ny th'
sso:s,ernment s:, under the Menominee plan
A"her would result satisfactorily