The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-03-24
HIS SCALP IS LOOSE
Maj. Scott Says He Wouldn't Be
Surprised if Twas
Lifted.
Says His Main Offense Has Consis-
ted in Winding His
Business.

Major. G.. L. Scott Indian agent at
Walker who was at the Hotel Hyser to-
day on his way back to the Ieecn Lake
reservation, after, twenty days sojourn
n a that a determined effort was being
made at the capital to unseat him.
Certain lumber interests which are OPP
posed to my administration of Indian at
fairs at Leech Lake. said Major. Scott
are out after my scalp, and from the atti-
tude OF our Washington representatives,
I would not be greatly surprised If they
landed me. suppose. l have made the
mistake since 1 have been at Walker OF
keeping my own counsel too closely and
Of refusing to be dictated to by private
interests, whose representatives imas inc
they know more about government bust
ness in that end Of the woods than do.
want to say this, that, whether I am
to remain at Walker or not I shall con-
tinue to discharge my duties in relation
to the Chippewa Indians to the best Of
my ability and along the same lines which
l have SO far pursued. t:.5-:. II
In speaking of the fight being made on
him at Washington, Major Scott had in
mind the action Of Senator Nelson in fill
ing Friday, at the White House, in behalf
of Senator Moses E. Clapp, specific
charges against the agent Of interfering
with the administration of an act of con-
gress.
Stood Up for Indians.
While he declined to discuss the mat
ter in detail Major Scott intimated that
Senator Clapp was incensed because the
former insisted on the Indians having fair
play. The major informed. Secretary
Hitchcock that the act, providing for a
cession Of a portion of the Red Lake lands
to the state was unfair to the Indians.
He declared that there was no justihca ton
whatever in giving the state school lands
when the supreme court had decided that
it was not entitled to any lands in the
Indian reservations under the school grant.
This representation prompted Senator
C1app to inform the president that the
province of an, Indian agent, military or
civilian, is to administer the laws of con-
gress as he finds them, and not to criti-
cize them or to impede their action in any
way. The major says he had no inten-
ton of advising the Indians to reject the
treaty because of the grant to the state.
He says he simply considered it his duty
to protect them as far as possible in his
official capacity. - ---
Major Scott says that the Morris bill is
working out satisfactorily. He heartily
favors the cutting of the timber desig-
mated by the act and the opening of the
Indian country involved for settlement:
">Yataa The PiIIaeers in Line Again.
more friendly relations. "rsaid the ma
jor, have never existed between the gov
eminent and the Indians under my juris-
diction than a t present. One of the great
mistakes in dealing with the Indian here
tofore has been to make him profuse prom
Uses Of future benefits and then fail to
live up to them. At the time of the Pill
lager outbreak in 1898. the trouble was
patched up by the >unders landing that
every wrong which the tribe had suffered
would be promptly righted. but scarcely
any of the agreements entered into at
that time have been lived up to-,
ut has been my policy to promise the
Indians no more than I could fulfil. but
to see that they got what was guarar-
teed them AS result, every Indian on
the reservation is my friend, and the best
ones among them now are the Bear Island
band who made so much trouble at sugar
Point For years they kept away from
Walker, but they make regular visits to
town now and the most conspicuous one
among them is old Bug who behaves
himself like gentleman and minds his
own business. He has rebuilt the log
house on Sugar Point which he burned
after the outbreak w
! Speaking of the trespass of lumber COM
panies under, the dead and, down timber
act Major Scott said that it was ridicu-
lous for former agents to explain that II
green timber had been cut on the reserva
| tons. it had been done without their
knowledge. 1t was possible. he said, to
SO systematic the affairs of the Indian
agent that he could keep close tab on all
/. of the timber opera tons on the reserva-
| tons and be informed whenever lunl-
Der company was going beyond bounds
The agent he contended, should be held
strictly responsible for any trespass and
made to account for the same.