The Tomahawk. [volume] (White Earth, Becker County, Minn.) 1903-192?, 1904-01-15
TIME Will TELL!

In recent issue of his paper,
MIR. Bernard, of the Cass Lake
| Voice, finds it necessary to come
to the defence of the Morris Act
again, and in doing this he pays
+ his respect to us in this wise:
without desiring to waste more
than passing thought on the tools
of certain lumbermen, who tried
by very questionable means to de-
feat the workings of the law, we
would candidly ask them if they
are now ashamed Of the part they
took in the disgraceful tactics per-
formed by them FOR months. Per-
haps they are like any cheap,
easily hired agent, satisfied with
getting their pay and not caring
for results. Gus Beaulieu. who
should have been one of the strong
est advocates of the measure, on
account Of it's eminent fairness,
turned out to be one of its suhtlest
enemies. Had he the best inter-
ests of the Indian at heart. had he
desired to see hi, ruce receive the
fullest vallge tor heir heritage, he
never would have been found
among those working to destroy a
law that was passed for their par
ticular protection. One does not
have to delve very deep to dis
cover the motives that actuated
Mr.. Beaulieu. This is not the
first time he has been found on the
wrong side of the question. On
this occasion, however, his efforts
for harm have proven futile and
now he will be again trying the
gymnastic act in defending in
some way the law he tried to de-
feat. For some time it has made
no difference what position Mr..
Beaulieu has assumed towards any
particular subject, his course was
looked upon with suspicion. hence
had no influence. After the failure
of Mr.. Beaulieu to subvert the
best law ever passed for the bcne-
fit of the Indians he may subside
and learn to mind his own bust
ness.
Upon two propositions we will
1-put the mind of the c,titorof tie
Voice at ease: First, that we have
never performed any gymnastic
act" whenever we have taken u
stand upon any subject, and we
have no intention or inclination to
commence doing it at this late
day, especially in relation to the
Morris Act. We will leave these
gymnastic performances for Mr..
Bernard and some of his support
crs to do, for they are noted eX-
perts in this line. We still think
the Morris Act is one of the worst
pieces of Indian legislation that
was ever enacted, and time will
tell whether we are right or not.
Secondly, we still have the inter-
ests of the Indians, and therefore
our interests, at heart, and in order
to protect these interests from the
grating of a lot of sharks we will
be ''minding our own business
very much, something Bernard is
not doing by dipping into tribal
matters which do not concern him.
The recent sales at Cass Lake
show that the lumbermen. whom
the Voice so ostentatiously abuses,
are not looking out for the inter-
ests of the Indians, but "re hand
in hand with the sharks and hang
ers on whose living depends on the
continuance of the present provi-
sions of the Morris Act. We did
not take much stock in the recent
fight of these lumbermen against
the act, and for this reason we
have worked from the start indie
pendentIy Of them in our efforts
to secure decent treatment for the
Chippewas. 1t is very evident that
the forestry people and the lum-
bermen (some of them at least)
have reached an understanding,
and that this understanding is not
in the interest of the Indians
either.
Regarding our position in In
dian matters in the past, we may,
as the editor of the Voice says,