Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1905-11-24
WHITE EARTH SALE
Interesting Description by
an Indian Pa

an Indian Pa
per
White Earth Tomahawk Is: At 10
M. sharp Wednesday q number of ex.
cited lumbermen gathered at the
Agency Office to see the bids .or a.
lotted timber opened and which sale
was to have taken place early in Sep
tember. but which, throuah Senator
Clapp's efforts. was postponed until
the 18th of this month.
Before the sale TOOK place, a COM
mittee Of seven Inemters of the reser.
varion, appointed bv the council of
last Monday, sled vigorous protest
against the sale, and insisted that 1t
was the unanimous wish of the H.
dams that they be permitted to sell
the timber az individual owners of
the allotments.
Joseph Chsrette, one of the chiefs.
said: when the government gave
me my allotment last spring, 1t did
not come as surprise to me. I had
been made aware for nearly a year
before then that I would receive this
allotment. In the meantime I made
. selection of land which IL now my
additional allotment. When this was
given to me I believed the land be-
came my personal property. This be-
Ing fact, want to dispose OF it as
IN individual. II anyone wishes to
buy 1t, he should come to me. I do
not want anyone to assume exclusive
control Of what belongs to me-
The speeches were earnestly and
foroibly given and it was evident the
Indians meant what they said. al
though one of the prominent lumber
men present was inclined to be sarcaa-
tic in his remarks afterwards regard.
Ing them.
The highest bid for the timber as
advertised by the government was
made BY the Lymsn-Erwin Lumber
Company. and Immediately following
the opening of all the bids, its sttor-
ey, R. J. Powell, of Minneapolis
made a written demand on Agent
Michelet to award his clients the con-
tract.
The company's bid is one hundred
thousand dollars more on the timber
as advertised than the bid made by
Fred Herrlck on behalf of the Wis
oonein syndicate. Notwithstanding
this, Joe Farr, general superintendent
OF logging, has stated he will recon-
mend the acceptance of the Herrick
bid. It is understood that Agent
Michelet will not commit himself t.
any recommendations but will submit
the bids as made by the lumbermen
1t is openly charged by the men,
bers Of this reservation that Mr.. Farr
Is the rings faithful servant, and
they do not want him to have any
connection with any of their timber
matters hereafter.
Much was expected of Mr.. Weyer-
haueer. and he was pointed out to the
Indians as the "Great Timber Chief"
but like the mountain he drought
forth only q mousse for he fled the
lowest bid made. He was shrewd
enough to keep under cover however,
but telephone message received by
member Of this reservation yesterday
said: Look out for Chas. Weyer-
hauser and Herrick, they are one.'
Mr.. Weyerhauser made what was
termed q special bid for certain Sec
tions of timber in four towns hips, and
he guaranteed that the allottees would
receive $850,COO, for it, although bis
bid averaged four dollars less for both
white and Norway pine than the
Herrick bid. He informed q represent
tative of the Tomshawk that he
knew his bid was only about half the
value of the timber, but this infor-
marion was given only after it was
apparent he would not secure the tim
Der.
The ring has evidently FALLEN
down. In it's efforts to drive awav
competition by furnishing to the
government representatives., who had
hand in formulating the regulations
under which the sale was made, false
estimates of the hardwood and the
several classes of timber other than
pine, and the Indians are all amused
over the mann or in which it has been
caught by it's own game.
Early in the game it was apparent
to those who where taking any inter-
est in the sale, that 1t wss the field
against the Snevlin interests with
the Indians inclined to be in favor of
the latter since 1t had at least e.
pressed sympathy with the contentsion