Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-04-15
SANTEE SIOUX WANT MONEY
Seek to Recover Annuities Due for Sale Of
Reservation.
ECHO OF THE NEW Uln MASSACRE
story Of the Uprising of FOrty-Five
Years Ago Recited In COnnec-
ton with the Renewed
Claim.

A bill has been introduced in the United
State senate, at the instance OF Ralph w.
Breckenridge Of Omaha as attorney for the
remnant Of the band of santee Sioux In
dams. looking to the restoration of the an
nuities to these Indians declared forfeited
as a result Of the Minnesota Indian mas
sacres of 1852. The bill has been recon-
mended for passage. The Santees of Ne
braska now comprise about 100 members.
and the amount OF annuities due them in
this state alone will exceed 100000
A very interesting story lies back of this
| BILL which I'm itself Is a plea for Justice
and the restoration of the abrogated
treaties Of the United States with the
Medawakanton and Wahpakoota bands of
Sioux Indians, otherwise known as the
Santee Sioux. These original treaties
covered a period of several years, begin
ming as early as 1915 and was continued In
various forms down to 1885, when the
Naturalization Sioux coded to the United
States all their land east of the Mississippi
river and all their islands in that river,
fer which the United States agreed to pay
interest at the rate Of per cent per an
mum on 100000 forever, besides certain
| other payments largely in the nature of
brides and presents to the relatives or
those who had signed the treaties.
Valuable Land Thus Acquired.
BY this treaty of 1897 the United States
acquired territory from the Indian proprie-
tors to a tract of land fronting the east
shore of the Mississippi river for about 100
miles and an average width of fifty miles,
5000 square miles or $4,000 acres, for
which it was agreed to pay the interest on
10 cents per acre, besides brides and pres
ents. The government has never paid the
100000 and stopped paying the interest
over forty years ago. The particular In
dams to which the government Is thus in
debted were the 'Tssanti" (Santee) Sioux.
The next treaty made with The Issantis
was in August, 1851 whereby they relin-
pushed all their lands and all right and
title thereto whatever in the territory of
| Minnesota or state of Iowa The same
year treaty was also made with the Sioux
of the Sisseton and Wahpeton bands, and
| through these two treaties a domain OF
5O,S75 square miles, or 90, 900 acres was
acquired by the United States, of which
Il, go 900 acres was the country Of the Issan-
| it's and for which they were to receive
! 10 cents per acre, or rather the interest on
that sum for fifty years These lands were
| subsequently sold TO settlers at $1& per
acre. and the government made a clean
| $40 10000 out of the deal with its wards,
who could neither read nor write.
Another article of this treaty reserved to
| the Issantis for their future home and oc-
cupancy a tract of $4,000 acres near the
| present city of Mankato, Mimi, but the
| senate struck out that article, and in lieu
| of those lands inserted stipulation to pay
| for them at the rate of 10. cents per acre
! and an appropriation was made to make
this requisite payment, amounting to S69,-
CO., which was added TO the original prin-
cIpal of $116O,OO0r provided by the treaty
thus producing an increased income OF
SO. 40 making the total annual income to
these Indians Of SCI, $50,
New Reservation for Santees.
| The Santees were not removed from their
| ancestral domain as was contemplated by
| the treaty Of 1861 and by act of congress OF
July 81. 1854, the president was authorized
| to confirm to the Sioux of Minnesota for
| occupied by them, and in 1858 so much OF
the land held and possessed by the Indians
south of the Minnesota river was 20 con-
| stitute their reservation. The Santees
| agreed TO let the senate decide whether
| they had a legal title to this reservation
and II so, how much and under what condi-
! lions they should be paid for that part of
| the reservation lying on the north side of
| the Minnesota river.
| A resolution was adopted by the senate
| on June a. 1860, stating that the Indians