The Tomahawk., 1903-10-30

where it will be manufactured
into lumber, or from which it will
be driven to the markets, and the
scaling of the same, besides the
incidental expenses which Will
necessarily attach t. = lumber
ing operations of such magnitude,
will very largely exceed the
minimum price placed upon the
timber BY the act, especially as
there is no limit placed upon these
expenses.
In additions to the costs Of CUT
ting, examining, listing, selling
and scaling Of the timber referred
to, the act arbitrarily takes from
our tribe two hundred and thirty
two thousand acres of land and
five per cent of the pine timber
thereon, withoutdue compensation
and contrary to the provisions Of
the act of|1sS9, under which we
ceded our several reservations.
We are too poor to have our
tribal property taken from us for
the forestry experiments of tho
United States, and if a forest
reserve must be established on
our ceded reservations, the
Government should assume the
burden instead of placing it upon
our tribe.
: For the purpose Of separating
the pine timber lands from the
agricultural lands of our ceded
reservations, in order that settlers
may go upon the lands classified
as agricultural lands without de-
lay, a force Of twenty five land
examiners or more, are employed
at eight dollars per day, two dol
lars per day more then the act
we assented to provides for. Or
about fifty thousand dollars per
year are expended for this pur-
pose. This expenditure is, from
our point Of view, for the benefit
of the settlers and not for the
Indians, since the amendments re-
ferred to provide that as soon as
the pine timber is removed from
the land classified as pine timber
land, this land shall be sold as
agricultural lands under the pro-
visions of the homestead laws.
except that reserved for forestry
purposes, at one dollar and twenty
five cents per acre.
You will readily recognize that,
inasmuch as the pine lands are to
be sold as agricultural lands after
the timber has been removed
therefrom, and that the timber
will be scaled on the landings
after it is cut, the employment Of
land examiners are unnecessary SO
far at least as the interests of our
tribe are concerned.
We have no criticisms to make
regarding the administration of
our tribal matters generally, and
we feel that the Honorable
Secretary of the Interior is doing
whatever lies in his power to
secure an honest administration
of our timber interests, but he is,
undoubtedly, often deceived by
the Misrepresentation emanating
from interested persons in the
vicinity of our ceded reservations
where there is any pine timber,
dIlS WIN IldNS HSA oohOsl NlSt oSiiioiA
motives which are in direct con-
fict with our interests, and also
by some of the officials who are
drawing large saleries in the adj
ministeration of the act.
In view of these representations
and the facts as they appear to us
in connection with the amend
ments referred to, we earnestly
ask that you direct the postpone
ment of the sale of the pine
timber on our ceded reservations
and thus prevent one OF the
greatest outrages that has ever
been attempted upon helpless
people, and that we may have an
opportunity of urging upon Con-
gress to change this iniquitous act
at the coming session.
We ask you to give this more