The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-02-28
UNCLE LOREN BUSY
Fletcher Working for Millers and
Lumbermen.
RED LAKE RESERVATION cEss1oN
Inspector Mclaughlin Will Not Be
Able to Negotiate a Treaty

Inspector Mclaughlin Will Not Be
Able to Negotiate a Treaty
In Hurry.
From The Journal bureau, Room ~. Post
Buttda'1gs Warrington.
Washington, Feb. 2S.-Representative
Fletcher is busy man these times His
committee on interstate and foreign com
MERGE meets twice a week. on Tuesdays
! and Fridays, and is now beginning to take
up the Nelson bill providing for the
amendment of the Harter act, in the in
| terest OF the exporting millers and lum Z
| bermen. He is giving this question his
entire attention at present, for he be-
| lieves that it Is of more pressing i'm
portance to Minneapolis and Minnesota
! than any other question now before con-
gress. He does not know what con-
gress will do with the bill. He only
| knew that he will do all that he can to
| get it safely out of the committee and, if
possible, through the house.
The Nelson bill relates to a technical.
trade question, but is of Importance to
| the entire export trade of the country.
AS remarked. the flour nillers and the
| lulnbermen are taking the lead in favor OF
| it's passage. The agitation for an amend
| ment of the Harter act began some
months ago. when the steamship lines ar
bitrarily raised the landing clause charges
| at the London decks. The American
/ exporters were unable to protect them
selves against this Eigh-handed procedure
| and as last resort made up their minds
to appeal to congress. Practically nothing
that was not already known to the millers
| and wheat growers OF the northwest came
| out in the hearings. Congress, however,
as a result Of the hearings has the full
| facts before it, just as tho northwest has,
and will to that extent be able to act in
diligently. The arguments of the steam
ship lines in favor Of retaining the land
ing charge We're shifty and disingenuous.
| 1t is very apparent that ii the charge
were abolished by congress, compelling
| the steamship lines to incorporate it in
| their freight tariff, 1t would entirely dis
appear SO sharp is the competition from
north Atlantic ports for the London trade.
Secret of Opposition.
This is the secret Of the opposition to
| the Nelson bill. The steamship lines
! have clear gain of one shilling ninepence
per ton on -four, two shillings sixpence per
| ton on lumber, and other charges on other
! goods, which is not competitive, and
which will stand to their credit no mat
| ter how low the freight charges, which are
| competitive may go. Naturally, they DO
not want this charge interfered with The
! injustice Of the charge, as Mr.. Crosby
pointed out in his brief, which was wide
| ly circulated in the northwest lies in the
fact that exporters in this country are
compelled to accept the London clause
whether they want to do SO or not, and
| that their acceptance contracts away their
rights of the London consignees, who by
| act of parliament are exempt from land
| ing charges. A test case has been brought
| in the English courts to establish ful-
| ing, and the courts have held that while
the one shilling nil eLencc landing Charge
is in contravention Of an act OF parlia-
ment, meant for the protection of the
English consignee, it must still be paid
by the consignee, because the consignor,
| in this country, signs a contract, as
part of his export bill of lading, which
provides for it's payment at the London
docks. 1t is to prevent the steamship
companies on this side from inserting the
landing charge clause in their export
bills of lading that the Nelson bill has
been Introduced.
/ Hard Task for Mclaughlin.
Interior department official say that it is
| improbable that Inspector Mclaughlin
will be able to negotiate treaty for the
cession of portion Of the Red Lake
reservation within month. The reason
for this is the temperament of the Chip
pewa Indians as a whole. They are sus-
picious and question everything that IS
said to them by any one not OF their
tribe. Officials who are familiar with the
governments treatment of these Indians
say that the tribe as whole has looked
askance at any proposition submitted to
them by government agents, and that
| their suspicious have only been increased
by the fraudulent timber operations I'M
| der the Nelson law. Major Mclaughlin
! is thoroughly familiar with this charac-
| teristic of the Chippewas on the Red Lake
reservation, and is prepared to be patient
hat fhn anf
in this instance intends to act sauarely
with them.
| In this respect the Chippewas are I'm
/ like the Sioux The latter will weigh
everything that is told them but when
proposition Is submitted by one with whom
| they are acquainted they accept 1t as a
fact and act accordingly. This is the
| reason that treaties are negotiated with
them in less time than with any other
| tribe in the country. Members OF the
/ delegation who have been pressing for the
negotiation OF the Red Lake treaty have
been hoping that it will reach
here in time to be acted upon
doubtful. After the treaty reaches the
department it must be scrutinized care
| fully and approved by the secretary before
! 1T is sent to congress. This takes time,
and, unless congress stays in session we'll
into the summer it is hardly probable
that this treaty will be acted upon until
| next winter.
| Cummins VS.. Hull.
The report that Governor Cumnins OF
Iowa has written letters to his friends
in Mr.. Hull's dist riot urging them to work
for Hull's defeat is regarded here as signi-
fcant of an intention Of the new governor
ITO have things his own way in Iowa
politics. He has recently displaced Har-
yey Ingham from the Office of the regent
of the state university for the ostensible
reason that he was not q Cummins man
Hull was not, and few Of the congress
men of the state for that mat ter. Gov
ernor Cummins has broken I'M on the
party, as Iowans say, and in doing so
encountered more or less opposition. His
1 aim, it is said, is to succeed Senator Alli-
son, when the time comes in the Unit ed
States senate, and to that end he has re-
tired from lucrative law practice and
he has evidently decided to make publis
life his career from this time forward
Mr.. Hull's indiscretions In becoming pres
ident Of the Philippine Lumber and Inn
provemnet company at the same time that
he was chairman of the military affairs
committee Of the house and his blunder-
ing defense of himself on the floor have
lost him much support In the east
Whether this figures in the contest in
Iowa over his denomination cannot be
learned.
Pure Business, Undoubtedly.
There was ripple Of excitement In
/ Washington when it was announced on
Monday that Representative Heatwoae
had, on that day, landed in Minnesota.
At first 1t was surmised that his trip
home had something to do with state poll
tics, more especially with the fight with
In the republican party for the defeat OF
Governor Van SAINT for denominations