The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1898-12-24
DEAD AND DOWN TIMBER.
Report Of Special Indian Agent Jen-
kins to Commissioner of In
dian Affairs Jones.
SOURCE OF THE CHIPPEWA TROUBLES.
Tho Loggers Cut Not Only h Dead and
Down Timber, but the Green and Stand
ing rs We'll, and Then swindie Their
Indian Laborers Out of Their Due at
Every Turn.

Washington, Dec. 2O.-Special In
dian Agent jenkins, in a report just
submitted to Commissioner of Indian
Affairs Jones, on the investigation of
the timber operations on the Chippe-
wa reservation in Minnesota, makes
some statements radically differing
with those in other reports. He says
that during the last fiscal year 4S,919,-
946 feet of reservation pine timber
cut and banked there was sold at an
average of $4.7S per thousand. There
were 30 camps in operation, and there
was IS 1-3 per centage of the wages
due the laborers in the camps after
settlement. On the diminished res
ervation, the special agent says, there
were 22,262,9 07 feet cut and banked,
sold at S4.96 per thousand, and the
laborers were paid 95H per cent. of
3he AMOUNT due them on settlement.
He states that the trouble was in the
management of the camps, and in the
system itself.
BEATEN OUT OF THEIR PAY.
Owing to the inability of many OF
the camps to pay out, and as, under
the rules, the laborers' claims were
the last to be paid, scores of Indians
working there did not receive the
wages they expected, hence serious
complaint arose. Of SO camps in oper-
alton the past fiscal year, many en-
ployed less than 10 per cent. Indian
labor, and very few had over so per
cent, the Indian labor average being
from Is to 20 per cent. The system
of stores maintained by the camps,
with their ~eXorbitant prices and cred
it to reckless Indian buyers, is stated
to have caused great dissatisfaction.
The bills presented to the agent for
settlement by the various supply COM
mittees, who furnished the camps
with the necessary groceries, ETC., dur
ing logging operations, were not, as a
rule, properly itemized, and while they
can not be said to be eXorbitant, the
special agent says they are loosely
made out, with no apparent check on
purchases, and give abundant oppor-
tunity for fraud and collision"
CHIEF SOURCE OF COMPLAINT.
The chief source of all the Indians
complaints was that the green timber
of the reservation was being ruthless
ly cut down and destroyed under pre-
tense of being dead and down timber.
AT five councils held with the Indians
from various portions of the reserva-
tons, Mr.. jenkins says they, to a man,
vehemently protested against further
cutting of the so-called dead down.
They are convinced, he says, that more
than one-half of the timber cut at the
camps has been of the best green and
growing pine, and that they are realiz-
ing little or nothing from it. On many
of the tracts of the diminished reser-
walton the agent says he found these
complaints well founded, and that evil
dences of the clean cutting of every
thing merchantable were abundant
everywhere. Of 5000 or 1000 logs he
found cut and skidded on several
tracts, he says fully 60 per cent. were
green trees.
THE INDIANS WISHES.
"The Indians, however," he conclud.
ed, fare DESTROYS of having the timber
operations resumed on the basis of
common sense and common honesty,
They favor the selling outright of all
this pine timber at not less than two
dollars per thousand for Norway and
three dollars for white, as it stands, or
the putting in of mills by the govern
ment under the Menominee plan.
Either, I think would result salts
factorily."
FOUND FOR THE DEFENDANTS.