The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-10-09

CHIC ACO, Oct. S.-Wlliam E. Cur
It's. telegraphing from Washington to
the Record. says:
Secretary Bliss does not credit the
reports of the Indian troubles, which
he thinks are sensational, and he sees
no cause for alarm in the Northwest.
He has reports from all the Indian
agencies in Minnesota and from cool
headed and trustworthy authority, and
thus far there has been no sign Of
general uprising or of the other bands
of ChippeWas joining the Pillagers
He says il is purely local outbreak
caused by the determination of the In
dams to prevent the arrest and pun
ishment OF their head chief, who is
accused Of violating the laws that pro-
hibit the sale Of whisky on Indian res
erVationS Such an outbreak might Oc-
cur in any community of white, black
or red men in the United States. They
have occurred frequently in settlements
of foreigners in our manufacturing
towns. You can read of them every
week or two in the newspapers. A
similar case Is pending in the coal
mines today, where the ringleaders of
a strike are resisting arrest and are
supported by their friends
There seems to be no doubt of the
guilt Of Bush Ear, the head chief Of
the PillagerS. There has been a great
deal of trouble in this particular tribe
about the whisky traffic. 1t has been
difficult to make the Indians cOmpre-
bend why they should be punished for
selling whisky to each other, when
white men in the villages around are
allowed to do so freely and without in
cannot catch on to the logic of such
discrimination, and the license system
adds to their perpleXity. Eighteen or
twenty Indians have been punished for
selling whisky to their neighbOrs, and
the neighbOrs who bought it were
taken to Duluth and held as witnesses
until the trials were over, when they
were released and told to go home.
They received their witness fees and
their mileage, and most of them pro-
ceeded to get roaring drunk on the
money Nobody prevented them from
buying whisky in Duluth, and the men
who sold it to them were not inter-
ferred with which they consider a rank
injustice on the part of the officers of
the law.
BUSH EAR BAD.
Bush Ear, the chief, who was the
principal offender against the whisky
laws and regulations, managed to
escape arrest when the original raid
was made, and he lay low until he
thought the trouble had blown over,
but the deputy marshal, who was bid
Ing his time caught him when he came
down to the agencies to draw the an
nuities for his people, and endeaYOred
to run him off to Duluth. But the
Indians were too quick for him and
rescued the prisoner. They were not
only impelled by loyalty to their chief,
but by a sense of injustice arising
from the circumstances 1 have describ-
ed.
The secretaryrof the interior sent In
~ IriYal-
as he heard of the trouble, but he ar
rived too late. Although the Indians
were willing to hold a council and dis
cuss the matter, Tinker was not elo-
Quent enough to convince them that
Bush Ear ought to be punished for sell
ing whisky while the white men down
In Duluth went free.
1t would be absurd to expect any
community Of illiterate and suspicious
people to do otherwise. The Pillagers
have always had bad reputation for
thleVery. 1t is said that the name they
bear was derived from that character
istic. They have never been famous
for fighting, but for plundering they
could hold their own against all COM
petition. They have not made the same
progress in civilization as the other
bands of ChippeWas, and by their ex-
clGslVeness and conservatism have
earned a bad name in their tribe.
1ueI unpOpuIaTlIy among Othef
branches of their nation will, it is
thought, prevent any sympathy or as
sistance from reaching them The mis-
siOnaries have made little progress
among them, and Bishop WhippIe. of
Minnesota, who is attending the Epis-
copal convention here, said today that
they had refused schools and religious
privileges that had been offered. and
Archdeacon GiliIlan has been compelI
ed to abandon missionary work among
them. They have ugly dispositions and
prefer to live in their own way and
resent all interference.
CAUSE OF IT ALL.
John R. Bottineau. a Chippewa In
dian, who is at present in Washington.
says: THE ugly spirit and disposition
Of the Pillagers to hold themselves aloof
from both white men and other bands
of their tribe have caused them to be
charged with many violations of law
Which perhaps should have been laid
a. some other door