The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-01-15
SIOUX LAND LEASES
Indian Commissioners Reason for
Latest Move.
HE WOULD PROTECT THE RED MEN
to Lease Lands to cattle-
Grazers.


Building, Warrington.
Washington, Jan. 15.-The senate COM
mittee on Indian affairs will have an in
vestigation of recent move. of the In
dian office to lease the western half of
the Standing Rock reservation in North
and South Dakota to white cattle grazers.
Thursday is understood to be the day
fixed for beginning the inquiry.
Here is the story behind the action of
the committee. In his desire to urge the
Indians into self-support and thus into
eligibility for citizenship, Commissioner
Jones has been cutting down the rations
OF the Standing Rock Sioux, and sencour-
aging such measures as are practicable
for opening to them means of earning
livelihood. The country in which they
live is adapted fo- nothing but grazing
and is so poor at that as to require not
less than forty acres of pasture to a head
Of cattle. Those Indians who have es-
tablished themselves in more or less per-
manent homes have been obliged to
choose sites for them along the streams,
because water fit for human use is
scarce and oft en- to be found only at dis
tances of from ten to fifty miles. The
growing timber, too, is confined to the
little gullies through which the streams
run.
The commissioner has hoped to induce
those Indians who have begun to see the
necessity of improving themselves, to go
into cattle herding on as large scale as
their circumstances would warrant. But
as they have as rule been pretty slow
about it, and they are poor, he devised
some time ago the idea of leasing their
western sgrazing lands to outsiders-re-
sponsible parties who are willing to pay
a fair price for the privilege-the rental
money to be put into the tribal treasury,
he Tn
dians to go into business with, or be dis
trtbuted among the Indians. b
Proposals Opened.
To this end he issuedSan advertisement
for proposals which were opened on Fri
day last. for lease of the whole prac-
ticable tract, comprising some 2,10O, 900.
acres. The program presented to the
prospective bidders directed attention to
the presence of a. considerable number of
Indian families residing on this part of
the reservation = they have been esti-
mated at 600-and reserved to them the
privilege OF free grazing in the neighbor-
hood Of their homes, to the extent of 100
head of cattle or horses each. For pas
ture for any larger herds the Indian own
ers would be expected to make terms with
the lesses. The lessee. it was an
nounced. would be required to enclose the
cattle range with strong three strand
apart, but would be permitted to cut the
posts on the reservation. /"
Right here is the weak point in the
whole business; and it is hoped that, be-
fore any award is made, arrangements
will be entered into with the would be
lessee to change these provisions in i'm
portant particulars. When it is remem-
bered that there is no timber except that
along the water courses, and the fence
! line around the entire range is estimated
! as bound to be so miles long with posts
| two rods apart, it is plain to all who know
the character OF that country that the
forlorn little stock Of timber now growing
+ there will be stripped clean.
Ownership VIII BE Disputed.
Moreover, Just so surely as the fence
Is drawn around the area so as to include
the 600 Indian homes, and the Indians oc-
cupylng these homes try to do any cattle
raising, there Will be continual quarrel
| between the Indians and the white herd
ers as to the ownership of certain cattle,
| or the number pastured by an Indian In
| excess of the hundred head reserved to
him for free grazing privileges. Nay,
more, as the Indians who have set up
homes naturally put them where the pts.
| ture is best and the water most con
vement, the cattle of the white herders
Will be continually encroaching upon
these preserves, to the serious damage of
the indians, and at most unfortunate
Juncture-iust when everything should be
done to encourage them in the idea that
! civilized ways are profitable and pleas
ant.
| OF course, the natural argument in,
response is that the Indian settlers ought
to fence their lands against the agrees
| sion Of the white lessees' cattle. But It
must be remembered that the terms of the
contract give the lessee the use of the
wood on the reservation for posts, and
that this practically ends the Indians
chance to get any where, timber is so
scarce. Then, too, wire fence costs some
thing, and the Indians have no money to
/ spend on it. What ought to be done is to
require that the lessee shall fence in for
each Indian settlers private use, as much
land as that settler shall need for the
pasture of his cattle up to the number of
! 100 head, and that this preserve shall be
adjacent to the settlers home. AS to the
! outside line fence, as that is mostly for
the protection OF the lessee and not of the
! Indian, it might be safe enough to leave
| to the lessee the option Of building it or
not. ~
It is said that the agitation againstpthe
consumption of the leasing project was
started by some of the squaw men on the
reservation, who for years have been
using the pasture lands as if they were
| their own property, one Of them having
gone regularly into the business of pas
turing $4,000 cattle Of his own there
without paying the tribe penny Of rent,
and also slyly renting tn outside cattle-
men the grazing privileges on large
tracts and pocketing the proceeds.
The Tribes Authority.
AS it was doubtful whether there was
any legal way of reaching this vicious
practice and protecting the red members
of the tribe against fraud, Commissioner
Jones hit upon the plan Of leasing, as
already described. He has what pur-
ports to be written authority from suffi-
cient majority of the tribe, given him as
the result of a regular council, to enter