The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-10-23
ROB8ING THE RED MEN.
Root OF the Trouble Up in the Chip
pewa Country.

Root OF the Trouble Up in the Chip
pewa Country.
To The St. Paul Globe:
The Indian question is being much dis
cussed from various standpoints, but no one
seems to have the knowledge. or the courage
to touch upon the real root Of the evil.
Some one might get hurt, and that would
never do; for they are all, all honorable
men,"
1t is easy to say the Indians should be
brought to time with gatling gun,~and it
is easy to do 1t, poor creatures. But 1t ia
not so easy, morally speaking to point your
finger at the fraud, the bad faith, the double
dealing, and the unconscionable scheming that
has wrought them to desperation When the
famous six hundred was swept off the face
of the earth it was sorrowfully poetic to say:
'some one had blundered;" but when genera
ton after generation of the owners of our
soil are swept Westward and deathward it
would be reasonable to whisper that some
one had plundered.
When Senator Nelson engineered the sale
of the Chippewa lands through congress. 1t
was supposed that the money would be de-
voted to the tribal fund How has it been
used2 AppTaisement after appraisement has
been undertaken only to be set aside as
worthless, while the Indian funds have been
used to pay for the work which redounded
to the advantage of ignorant or unscrupulous
men.
Think of twenty-seven appraisers at five
dollars q day, with three commissioners at
thirteen dollars a day working 90 for months
only to have their reports set aside as false
and useless. Think of such errors as 10000
feet reported instead of 200, coo; 10000 instead
of 4.0o0OO0
there Is no. coIIuSiOD the officials
with interested parties it Is strange case
of unconscious thievery and innocent appro-
priattcn of revenue The thoughtful Indians
saw their money disappearing like snow be-
fore the sun, and feeling 1t was only ques-
ton of time when they would stand beggared
upon their naked lands, spirit of true man
Illness arose in their patient hearts ana ike
the heroes of all times they chose to die on
the field rather than drag out d1shonored
and miserable existence. If oppression
driveth wise man mad" the late stand
taken by the Indians Is only proof OF their
wisdom.
The government makes most generous pro
vision for its wards, but 1t will not see that
politics must be divorced from the Indian
question before justice can reach the simple
dependant children whose mixture OF wisdom
and ignorance, confidence and suspicion rem
ders them the most pathetic objects IN the
world today. The government also proVioe9
for the soldiers, but they starved and died
of neglect Just the same. And this Will al
ways be the case while Partlsans are re
warded by appointments which should only
be given to men of tried and acknowledged
ability.
Commissioner Jones deserves the thanks OF
the people Of Minnesota for his KIND 1usT
and conscientious treatment OF the ms
guided PiIlagers and we hope ne VII! con-
finue his course unmindful Of the crltlclsms
of the vindictive, the selfish, and the un,
thinking till better methods are estaDllsnso
among these poor Pn Adsm ashland Avenue
st. Paul, Oct ~. 1898.