The Saint Paul globe., 1899-03-29
LOS HEALTH RESORT
FIVE-MILlI4ION-DOL BAIT ON
WHICH THE LEGISLATURE
BIT
IN PASSING THAT MEMORIAL
Mime apOlis Timber Firms Have Al
ready PrOfited at the Expense of
the Indians-Latter Stand a
Timber Is Sold as Soon as Esti-
mated by w. E. Seelye.

Chance to Suffer More Unless the
Timber Is Sold as Soon as Esti-
mated by w. E. Seelye.
The I.eech lake. Winnebegoshish, Cass
cover an area about forty-five miles
square. Two Minneapolis firms began
cutting timber from some of these reser
varions twelve or fifteen years ago (he
principal stockholders in one of the
firms being under cover) under the dead
and down" plan at so cents per thou
sand stumpage. 1t is believed the seal
ing was so manipulated that the actual
cost was not more than % cents
per thousand. Other lumbermen who
were paying regular rates became tired
of their competitors having this ad
vantage and, after six or seven years of
this cutting. an investigation was made
and some litigation followed. resulting in
nothing but attorneys fees; since that
time, many other Minneapolis concerns
have participated and this jealousy has
been q2ieted.
Those reservations contained, original
ly, about 3.OOO0OO.OO0 feet Of pine: some
portions were heavily timbered, bearing
as high as 900. 900 to 1,5O0 900 to the
forty-acre tract The fires, started to
provide the dead and down timber, got
into these heavy groves and entirely con-
sumed large portion of the timber; this.
with what has been cut off by the dead
and down" loggers, has exhausted about
one-half the timber on the reservations,
so that there is now left on these reser-
vations about l,500, 0O0, ,O0O
William f. Seelye, who has charge Of
the estimating, is considered capable
and reliable man In that business; he
has had charge of the estimating of
many large tracts of timber in this state.
Mr.. Seelye has been at work nearly a
year and now has about thirty-flve es-
timators at work on these reservations.
preparing for the sale that was to be
made May 10. He has employed good,
experienced estimators and there is no
doubt, If the reservations are opened up
and this timber sold as provided for in
the Nelson law of January IA, '9S, and
Commissioner Hermanns order. the IN
dians would realize from the timber sale
from $3.500,000 to $780, 900 and later, 81 .25
per acre for the available agricultural
land, outside of their own allotments, as
it would be homesteaded. If the timber
is haggled off under the dead and down"
or the "Menominee plan, the Indians
will get but little cut Of it and the reser-
vattons will soon be cleared of timber.
Under the Menon1inee plan, the timber
is scaled on the bank, and the amount
that the logger pays the Indians is set
tied by a scaler who lives in the log
gers camp. If the timber Is sold at pub
lie auction, part OF 1t May 10, and the
balance, say, six months later-as
planned by Commissioner Hermann
there would be sharp competition and the
Indians would get the best possible re-
suits and the agricultural part of the
reservation will be settled up. If the
timber is sold under the dead and down"
or "Menominee'' plan the Indians will
get but little and the reservation will
not be settled.
About one-half the reservations have
now been estimated by Estimator Seelye's
men. and the entire work would be COM
pleted in the next six months. The tim
Der would be sold and agricultural land
opened up on about one-third of the area
Of these reservations on May 10 had it not
been for the unanimous memorials passed
By the legislature. asking that such sale
be put off until 1902, anticipating making
a health resort Of these reservations.
Not one out or a hundred members knew
what he was voting for when these me-
MORALS were passed.
The fact that it would cost, say SIS, ,000,-
900 to buy the timber, including hard
wood, from the Indians, makes the
Health resort idea ridiculous. These
memorials were pushed through the SEN
ate by Gen. Wilson. of Minneapolis, and
through the house by Attorney Roberts,
of Minneapolis.
Commissioner Hermann would like to
open upb the reservations. Secretary
Hitchcock will probably decide inside of
a week whether or not to allow it. These
Unanimous memorials" seem formidable
to these officials who assume that the
legislature generally knew of their pur-
port.
The. Nelson law of January, 1898, under
which these reservations were to he
opened up was passed after a commits
sion appointed by the government held a
council with the chiefs of the different
bands on these reservations, and the In
dians almost unanimously approved the
plan for. SALE, provided In the Nelson
law. The opposition among the Indians
is inciteds,by interested parties and a
general suspicion. result of the dead