The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-10-05
DIVIDED As 70 THE PARK
WOMEN AT FEDERATED CLUBS
CO.. ENTION FAIL TO TAKE
POSITIVE ACTION
PAPERS TREATED IT LIGHTLY
This Some of the Delegates COnsid-
cred a Serious Matter-Minneap-
oils Lumbermen Supposed to
BE in the background.

DULUTH, Oct 4.-(Specia1) 1.-The club
women who could gather themselves to-
gether in time went, according to pro-
gramme, on visit to the Duluth high
school this morning. Everybody was on
the qui-vive for the discussion which had
been set for the morning session, but the
| interest of the visit was sufficient to hold
them ten minutes over time, so that the
park question was not taken Up until 9:45.
Then there was the liveliest sizzling in
the best of spirit imaginable. An edi-
torial and news article in the morning
paper, ridiculing the park scheme and de-
claring that Minneapolis and ST. Paul
lumhermen We're using the women for po-
litical purposes chow was not made
clear, had strung the adherents and pro-
meters up for lively tine. The news
article referred to closed with the re-
mark that when the park scheme is
laid away in it's little grave
number of st. Paul and Minneapolis bust
ness men will drink large beakers to the
truth of the saying that there's sucker
born every minute An exordium which
was as delicateIy complimentary to the
women faVoring the project as it was
lucidly explanatory of the way in which
their action was serving the political
purposes of the st. Paul and Minneapolis
business men.
Mrs. j. Fl. Crowley, of Duluth opened
the discussion and explained her position
as one wholly favorable to national
park, but hostile to the selection of that
particular place She regretted that the
Federation had taken the stand it had
| with reference to the matter, believing
that so important a matter, a matter in
volVing such large interests, should have
had fuller and freer discussion and that
/ In this case the evidence of political color
ing should have kept the Federation
aloof therefrom.
1t was agreed by the house that each
speaker should be allowed three minutes
until the hour was up. When Mrs. M.
r. Baldwin, wife of the former Indian
commissioner, took the floor it was evil
dent that she was the opposition trump
card as dozens of them were on their
feet asking permission to YIELD to her
their three minutes, which they didn't
have, as they couldn't all have spoken.
Mrs. baldwin came armed with facts
and figures and letters and maps Her
slogan was the injustice which the sue
cess of the park scheme would work to
the Indians. She read letter from w
A. Hall, of Washington, D. c. setting
forth that by the treaty of 1884 the In
elians owned the land coveted for a park;
that the treaty was signed by o-thirds
of the adult made Indians, and the In
dian commissioners for the United States
government and could not be aorogated
without the consent of the In
dams, who are averse to this
pan; that the Indians, according to the
law, cannot sell, for their land allotments
are entailed for the term of at least fifty
years. On this site of the proposed park
the Chippewa Indians have Sc. SO acres al
lotted to them; the Cass lake Indians
1863 acres, and the Winnibigoshisk H.
22S acres. The park adhereIts Want the
balance Of the land not allotted to the
Indians, Mrs Baldwin went on to ex-
plain, in answer to an opponent who
pointed out that the Indians We're ncr
to be disturbed by the establishment of
the park, but she contended shat the In
dams could not live under the condi-
tons which the park would make inevi-
table; that they had expressed them
selves as hostile to it, and had gone SO
far as to make ominous threats III case
the park plan was approved. Mrs. Bald
win cited authorities to prove that one
half of the land not allotted to the In
dams was good agricultural land, and
the rest swamp land. These lands can
be sold at $1.50 an acre to white settlers,
whom she claims the Indians want in
there, for the sake of the added means
Of support their presence would bring to
the red men. Here, after a shower of
questions and rising to points of ORDER
and the presenta ton of a half dozen or
SO more, three minutes" from various
quarters of the room, the speaker left
the question as it bore upon the Indian
and right from the shoulder put this
question to the convention:
Your authorities on forestry have adj
mitted that good agricultural land should
not be devoted to tree growing. Why are
st. Paul and Minneapolis men so anxlons
that so much rich and highly marketable
land, lying between Duluth and the Red
river valley, should be devoted 20 fer
estry park, thus shutting off our city
from one of the most fertile valleys in
the slater"
The question brought not an answer,
but another question which shifted the
subject back to the Indian question. Mrs
James, of St Paul, after some difficulty
in getting past this ubiquitous and
thorny point of order, gained the floor
and asked:
when this agricultural land is opened
| to white settlers, then what will happen
to the Indian?"
HE will be protected in his rights by
| the government" was the reply
HAS government protection heretofore
! been proof against white mans infringe
ment? Isn't the Indian safer surround
| ed by national park than by a group
! Of settlers?'
'"The government has been taught a les
son In the result of trif1ing with the In
dams, which will be effective
Then the only guarantee which we
offer the red man is that, though we
| have been bad in the past we will be
good in the future. concluded the quer-
/ ist
/ Mrs. Rankin, of Minneapolis, was in
terrupted In her remarks favoring the
park, on the ground that she was becom-
| ing personal when she referred to Min
neapolis lumbermen.' Mrs. Rankin re-
piled that she was only endeavoring to
probe the insinuations contained in the
morning paper, but begged the pardon
of the convention If her remarks had
been offensive.
Mrs. w. S. Woodbridge, of Duluth,
dropped a miniature bomb into the con-
vention when she rose and in her gentle,
soothing tones, said that she had letter
from Bishop Whipple, whose love for the
Indian could not be called in question,
and he, IN this letter, favored the estab-
lishment of the park Furthermore she
continued, permit me to say that the pa
pers and the opposition speakers on the
floor Of this house do not represent the
and think it is only fair to the reputa-
Of f6A 0if 70 I,