New-York tribune., 1910-05-09
from The Tribune Bureau-l
u-nci,irOfnr ~

From The Tribune Bureaus
Washington, May 8
Lo THE POOR INDIAN.-To work indie
fatigably at the gentle avocation or iulnper-
ing for eighteen years, to make IN that
time profit of $500, GOO. and thus to accu-
rllulate tribal fund of s3oeo.oo9, is not a
bad showing for a tribe of Indians, but tiIat
is precisely what the Indians or the Me
nominee reservation, in Wisconsin oic, anu
they faced the future on New Years Day,
1908, with that tidy little balance to their
credit in the Golfers of the great white
father and a comfortable acreage OF stand
ing timber the value of which was increas-
ing slowly but daily. To have accomplished
this and then TO have almost sl.oo0,O0o OF
the accumulated fund squandered and an
untold portion of the standing timber
wasted by beardless youth. acting under
the direction of the theorists in the Bureau
of Forestry. Clifford Pinchot, Chief For
ester. between January Is, 1905, and Novem-
Der l, 1909, is it must be admitted, haro
luck even for an Indian. But that is pre-
cisely what has happened to the Menominee
Indians, as is duly attested by numerous
competent witnesses, lumber experts, etc
1t is doubtful if ever such a record Tor
grossly unhusinesslike conduct" was made
by an agency of the federal government
The quotation is from r. G.. valentine,
Commissioner of Indian Affairs, who was
appointed Assistant Commissioner by
President Roosevelt and promoted to his
present position on the recommendation of
the commissioner when Francis E. Leupp,
commissioner and intimate friend of Colonel
Roosevelt, resigned. Mr.. Valentine uses the
expression in explaining his reasons for ac-
cepting the resignation of E. =. Braniff,
the graduate of the Yale School Of For
estry designated by Clifford Pincbot to
manage the timber operations on the Me-
nominee reservation, pursuant to the Co
operative agreement entered into by Sec
retary Garfield and Secretary Wilson, but
cancelled some time after the beginning of
this administration.
ONE REASON.-There appear TO be two
fundamental reasons for the fearful show
ing made by the Forest Service. For the
first the service is not wholly to blame, un-
less ii shall be shown in extenuation Of the
course of Senator La Toilette that he was
acting at the instance of Forester Pinchot
Senator La Toilette secured the enactment
OF z law of which S. J. Coulter, an expert
sent to investigate the situation, says: The
act of March Is 1905, commonly known as
the La Toilette act. was a vicious piece of
legislation, and has resulted in loss to
the Indians up TO and including October 81,
1909. of more than s7G0,000, and if the oper-
atfons are 10 be continued under said act
without the same being amended, the bal
ance of the tribal funds of the Menominee
tribe, as we'll as the stumpage on their
reservation, is in grave danger of being a
total loss. This act should be repealed if
the rich heritage of the Menominee Indians
is TO be held for their benefit. and this act
has resulted in convincing the Indians of
the Menominee reservation as well as the
citizens of the State OF Wisconsin who are
competent from business training to pass
judgment, that the Bureau of Forestry has
shown itself to be incompetent to cut and
manufacture this timber at profit to the
Indians or with credit to themselves, and
it is vet TO be proven and determined that
the government, through any of its depart
rnents can manufacture and. sell timber or
any other merchandise at profit. and Ii
it is the desire of the government to dem
onstrate that it can do SO. they should do
it at the expense of all the people, and 1ot
Of these ignorant. helpless Indians, who
are the wards of the government, and
Should be protected
THE OTHER REASON.-One of the first
acts of the Forest Service after securing
control of this reservation was to appoint
Edward A. BTaniff superintendent. MIR.
Braniff while a recent graduate Of the
Yale School of Forestry, appears to have
enjoyed no practical experience, as seems
also to be amply demonstrated by his con-
duct of affairs. Commissioner Valentine
says he accepted Branif's resignation be-
cause he believed him guilty Of grossly
unbusinessfke conduct" On Mr. BranifI s
behalf however, it should be remarked