The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-10-04
Moorhead Department
ALLEGES UNFAIR
METHOD USED
zoLLMAN OF ST. PAUL
CLAIMS THAT, MooRHEAD AND
GAINESVILLE CANNOT LEGAL
" BE CLOSED BY UNCLE SAM
EXPECTS cALLTo WASHINGTON

! EXPECTS CALL TO WASHINGTON
The St. Paul Dispatch Of last even
ing has the following concerning the
federal lid proposition:
f. w. Zollman, attorney for the Min
nesota Brewers association, is ex-.
pecting almost any day to be asked by
| the Indian bureau at Washington to
appear and argue certain legal phases
OF the liquor situation of northern Min
nesota, before the latest order of the
| department, extending the prohibition
| territory in that part of the state, goes
into effect. This order is scheduled to
take effect Oct. is.
Il was given this assurance" said
Mr.. zollman today when | had the
| former hearing, July &C. have not yet
received any such notice. however,
though / read today in the newspapers
that the mayor of Cass Lake and the
city attorney of Moorhead have been
called to confer with Secretary OF the
Interior Ballinger."
Believes Beer Should BE Excepted.
While denying that the latest order,
extending the prohibition territory to
take in Cass Lake, Moorhead, Detroit,
Walker, GAINESVILLE and other towns,
was at all necessary, Mr.. Zollman
wishes to bring to the departments no
tice the question of the legality of this
order as applied to Moorhead and
Barnesvile, both of which are in the
territory coded to the United States
under the treaty signed with the
Sioux Indians in 1851. This treaty
provides for the exclusion of spirituous
liquors from that territory Mr. Zoll-
man questions whether this includes
beer. The treaty of 1855 with the
Chippewas, whereby most of the ter
ritory ordered "dry" was ceded, forbids
all liquor traffic. Another strip of ter
rftory from which liquor is to be ex-
Guided by the lates. order, including
Fertile and vicinity, was coded in the
treaty with the Chippewas in 1868.
This treaty, like that of 1851 excludes
only spirituous liquors, and the brew
ers would like to know whether that
can be construed so as to include beer.
Recalls Arrangement Made Last Year.
Commenting on the matter today,
Mr.. Zollman said: 81 thought the
whole thing was settled when had
conference with Indien Commissioner
Valentine at Washington in June. 1909.
1t seemed at that time that perfectly
amicable understanding had been
reached. It was determined by the
commissioner to exclude liquor from
all the red territory. / was given to
understand that there were to be no
liquor sales on the White Earth Indian
reservation or within certain limits
around it. The brewers were ready to-
cooperate with the government in
every possible way to present the sale
of liquor to Indians. They notified the
retail dealers that the sales must not
be made to Indians nor upon the ter
ritory ordered dry by the Indian de-
partment.
Some dealers persisted in selling on
that territory in spite Of the order. The
raid at Mahnomen and nearby was the.
result. That was no surprise to me.
Later, there came order after order
extending the dry territory.
Charges Unfair Reports.
"These orders seem to have resulted
from reports that the Indian Office at
Washington was receiving regarding
sales to Indians. Many of these re-
ports were misleading. Unfair reports
have been sent to that office by the
sub-agents of the Indian department
and by other anti saloon agencies. The
agents employed men who did not have
the appearance of having Indian. blood,
to go into the saloons and purchase IL
quor. Then the sales were reported to
the Washington office as sales of IL
quor to Indians. Once the agents took
man named Paul, Turtle Mountain
Indian, from the Devils Lake reserva-
ton, of North Dakota, who had light
hair, light eyes and light eye brows,
and had no appearance OF having In
dian blood. They sent him into sa-
loon to purchase drinks. Re got chem
and then the agents REPORTED this to
Washington as an instances of selling
liquor to Indians.
I'VE have absolute information re-
liable in every respect, that Indians
cannot get any liquor at any saloon
throughout the whole territory that
the latest order covers. The methods
employed by agents of the Indian de-
partment are absolutely disreputable.
In my judgment, the department at
Washington does not know the facts"