The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-12-03
INDIANS FAVOR
MINERAL LEASE
Member of Ute Tribe Defends
Agent MytOn.
NO GOLD ON RESERVATION
PLENTY OF COPPER ON THE
LEASED TRACT.

John Reed, full-blooded Uintah Ute.
came in from the White Rocks agency
last evening on federal court business.
Reed. as spokesman for his people, was
loud in his denuneiation of the white set
tiers about the reservation, who. he
AYERS, are conspir;ng to bring about the
removal of Major Myton as agent, that
they may plumber the Indians. This is
his defense of Major MytOn. in cOnnec-
ton with the criticism that is being
heaped upon the agent for the part he
has had in the mysterious mineral land
lease under negotiation.
Reed, who is an interpreter and has
fluent command of English, declares that
he acted as secretary at the meeting,
which resulted IN the agreement that
started Mytoa, Judge J. 7. Mcconnell,
George +. Timms and a New York man
of the name of Henderson TO the ma
tiOnai capital in an effort to induce the
secretary Of the interior to pass upon
the lease favOTably- With them went
VERNE Mack as Interpreter, and Big Joe,
Van, Tim Johnson and another Indian 10
relate to the representative of the great
white father the desire of the red men
to have their white brothers exploit their
mineral lands.
Not a Secret Meeting.
Many lies have been placed in cireu-
latiOn concerning the meeting at which
we decided TO make a lease" said Reed
There was no secret about it. 1t was
held at White Rocks and was large,
representative gathering, All that is
asked of us is $40 acres-the size Of good
farm. All the Indians are favorable TO
making the lease except few OF the
White River tribe, who never want any
dealing with white men. We are really
a a loss to explain what is wanted with
the land. l knew the legal description
Of the location, but cannot recall it now,
but l have been over every foot OF 1t
prospecting. There is plenty of copper
there and some gold, but all this talk OF
tremendous riches is rot.
My brother. Jim, who is an expert
enCed prOSpectOr. has been over the land.
He took rock out there and sent 1t to
John McVicker in this city. but never
got anything out of it. not even a word
of encOura cement. The land is all in
our part OF the reservation. Mcconnell,
Timms and Henderson are the only ones
I know in the deal Major MytOn has
nothing to do with it.
Myton Opposes Opening.
What is causing all the trouble is the
desire of the white settlers TO see the
reservation opened up. They want TO
rob us, and MytOn has always prevented
it. We want TO see the reservation
Onened up, too, but first we want to see
0 people provided for. If given farms
most of them would not know how
20 v, k them successfully. We are learn
ing fast In five or six years we will be
successful farmers If the government
viii Is e steps in that direction.
If the old men were put in the back
ground and the young men given a
chance we would solve these questions.
We want the government to teach US
how 20 succeed as Independent owners
of our farms. We want a railroad. for
We have a fine agricultural country. We
want good, respectable white neighbOrs.
But these things cannot come in a mo-
ment, and the white man won't wait.
That is why he seeks to create storm
about MytOn and attack his honesty.
This talk in the newspapers about the
Rhodes mine helped to stir up this row.
I know that there are no vast deposits
of gold in the reservation.
We have chance to make some
money. and someone else wants to get
that without paying us at all / don {
want TO say much for fear of injuring
my own people. but ] have expressed our
sentiments fully"