Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-11-13
INDIANS RIGHTS SAFE.
Government insists on Square Deal
for White Earth Aborigines.

Washington Nov. 1.-THE President
has been called uron to decide a diff
ference of opinion between the Depart
ment Of the Interior and Senator Clapp,
of Minnesota, regarding the disposal
of timber belonging to the Indians on
the White Earth reservation. which,
| according to the Minnesota statesman.
is causing him untold worry, because
he fears the Indians will suffer as
| result of the plan of sale proposed by
| the department. After Secretary
| Hitchcock, Senator Clapp and Indian
| Commissioner Leupp had argued the
case before the President, the Senator
| told the newspaper men at the White
| House that. according to the plans OF
| the Indian Bureau, the timber belong
ing to the Indians was to be sold TO
| the highest bidder. who was TO nave
the exclusive privilege of erecting
| sawmill on the reservation and TO en-
| JOY such exclusive right for a perlod
of five years.
| Senator Clapp said he was opposed TO
this plan because it would not
sufficiently protect the rights OF the
| Indians. He maintained that the
business of saving the timber should
| be left open to competition so tha1 the
| Indians would be free to sell their luH-
Der to the greatest advantage. The
five-year clause also occasions the
senator exceeding anxiety, as he thinks
the market for lumber may improve
within that period and that. should 1t
do so, the Indians should be allowed to
reap the benefit of the increased price.
e
tor Clapp We're familiar with the work
ing OF the contract made Tor ana pS
the Indians of the La Pointe Agency,
in Wisconsin, with J. S. Stearns of
Ludington, Mich, which was sub
stantially identical with the terms OF
the contract il is proposed to make Tor
the White Earth Indians, he Woulo
doubtless appreciate that his fears were
groundlesS and that the policy pro-
posed by the Indian Bureau involves
no monopoly which is preJudlclal TO
the interests of the Indians, but on the
contrary safeguards their interests lar
more effectually than the open COM
petition which he advocates.
In the case of Contractor Stearns,
he gained his contract by bidding the
highest prices offered for the several
classes of timber on the agency. He
was required to give a bond of So0.o0O
to insure fair dealing with the Indians,
to erect n competent mill on the reSer-
walton at a cost of $500 coo, to employ
Indian labor, both i'll his mill and to
cut and bring the timber TO the mill
wherever that was feasible. and to
pay to every Indian who offered his
timber for sale $50 cash and five per
cent of the estimated value OF such
timber a year until the entire value
of the timber had been paid whether
the timber had been cut or not.
The Indian, on the other hand, merely
acquired the right to sell his timber
to the contractor at the contract
prices whenever, within five years, he
chose to sell. He did not, however,
obligate himself to sell to Stearns. or
at the contract prices. and could sell to
an outside bidder whenever q better
price or other consideration was
offered
In actual practice, this contract re-
suited in Stearns employing Indian
labor almost exclusively. to such an ex-
tent. in fact. that when he had paid to
the Indians 1870, 900 for timber he had
Tp''''V
used in getting out and milling the
logs. Absolutely square dealing with
the Indians was insured, not only by
the heavy bond required or the con-
tractor, but by the additional fact that
he had invested in his mill, on the
reservation. $500, 600. which was under
the control of the government, and
could even have been forfeited had the
necessity arisen. Whenever the Indian
had the sagacity to obtain a better
price from an outside lumbcrman he
did so, or else Stearns met the outside
bid and the Indian received as much or
more than tie minimum price stipu
lated in the contract as the market
warranted.
Moreover. the Indian with a holding
so small as to offer no inducement to
an outside bidder. or with small
amounts of hardwoodS not greatly il
demand could compel StcarnS to buy
at the contract prices, whereas, III the
absence Of such contract, he would
have boon compelled to accept nominal
prices or have been unable to sell at
all.
The contract which the Indian Blu
reau proposes. with the approval of the
President, to enter into in behalf of
the White Earth Indians. is the same
in all essentials as that made with
Stearns, ard it offers so many advan-
tages from the standpoint of the In
dams that, were il not for Senator
Clapps personal assurance that his
anxiety is occasioncd entirely by fear
that the Indians will not receive "a
square deal" it would he impossible to
| escape the conviction that his fears
were for the interests of the lumber
men.