The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-04-09

| Says the Clam is leChhiCdiy WI
rect; w. G. Calderwood of Mime
apolis, Secretary of Prohloition
State Committee in Active work
| Minneapolis Journal: Liquor selling
, licensed or unlicensed, is illegal IN MIN
neapols and in nearly all of Minnesota,
under the Indian treaties. Of 1851, 1899
| and 1868 This startling claim is MADE
F.. by the prohibitionist state committee
which declared yesterday that two
thirds of Minnesota will be forced TO
go "dry" unless congress comes TO
the rescue and does away with the Old
treaty provisions.
! The claim is technically good, accord
ing to c. C. Houpt, United States dis
trict attorney, and other federal offic-
ials. I'm fact, it is well established by
court decisions. The old treaties are
still in force, and they prohibit the
sale of liquor in any of the lands ced-
ed by the Indians. Minneapolis lies in
the tract of 100000 acres ceded in
1851 by the treaty of Traverse DIES
Sioux.
| The trouble with the prohibitionist
claim is that enforcement of the treat
les lies entirely with the Indian bureau
as matter of policy, and the depart
ment is not interested in Minneapolis,
but only in territory known as Indian
country"
Hits White Earth Hard.
The old treaties are being revived
with an important effect, however. The
Indian department has taken steps to
stop the sale of liquor entirely in the
present limits of Indian reservations.
Heretofore it has only tried to stop the
sale to Indians. Many saloons have
been licensed within the White Earth
Indian reservation, in the counties of
Becker Mahnomen and Clearwater. In
dams receiving their allOtments have
become citizens, and have acquired the
right to buy firewater Now the gov
eminent is going to close all saloons in
| this territory. and the drOnth will eX-
tend to white men as well as Indians
{
| An agent of the Indian department.
spent several days in the twin cities re-
Gently on this GRAND. He had con-
ference with +. W. Zollman of st. Paul,
attorney for the brewing companies,
and it is said that an understanding
was reached by which the brewers will
withdraw entirely from Indian reserva-
ton territory.
ProhibitiOnists' Plan.
This activity in the government SER
vice has stirred up the question of the
old treaties and their extent. and the
prohibitionists have learned of it. They
intend putting it up to the government
to enforce the treaties over all the
territory they covered. Such action
would cover the whole state of Mime
sofa except a small strip starting with
st. Paul and running south along the
Mississippi river 1t would ''dry up"
Duluth, st. Cloud, Mankato and humid
reds of other municipalities.
| The tack taken by the prohibition
lists is shown in 4 statement from w.
G.. Calderwood of Minneapolis, secretary
of the prohibitionist state committee.
Federal Prohibition"
as two-thirds of Minnesota already
under a federal prohibitory law" Mr..
Calderwood inquiries, and then opens up
as follows:
! ''The liquor interests of the state of
Minnesota are facing your Uncle Sam
uel,' which is somewhat different pro.
position than to meet and parry the
thrusts of the peripatetic reformer.
! at seems that, years ago, when the
red men held supreme sway over the
vast expanses that now comprise the
North Star state, the government made
certain bargains and treaties with the
big red skinned chiefs, by which the
land was to become the possession of
the pale faces.
"The provisions of a number Of these
treaties took into consideration the
damaging effects of 'frewater' upon the
, interior department OF the red skins,
and, therefore, the stipulation was
made that traffic in the said firewater
would not be permitted within fhe
meets and bounds of the tract ceded
to the government.
| "Thc pale face, however, has been
busy making his board, and has had no
time to look after the enforcement of
these provisions, and the consequence
is that Il fourishing trade in alcoholic
liquors has grown mp.
! "The next chapter of the romance
shows how, about two years ago, a new
enforcement division was added to the
Indian department, and now it seems
that the head of this law enforcement
division found a treaty with similar
provisions affecting the Nez Perces res
ervation, and put the liquor business on
that reservation wholly to the bad. A
little further investigation shows that
similar provisions covered the old
Yankton reservation, and the govern
ment promptly set the wheels in mo-
ton and another big slice of territory
went "dry.'
"Now, it seems that more than one
, half of the territorial eXpanse of this
/ state and number of its cities arr
L., lo1