The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1911-05-05
Declares Dissatisfaction Has Been
Famed and Kept Alive BY Three
Disaffected Persons.
ADMITS SOME IRREGULARITIES
Says, However, They Have Been In
Interest Of Work and Is Ready to
Stand for All Acts.


tending to tell of the alleged suffer-
ing of Indians of the Red Lake
agency as unworthy of consideration,
making the direct assertion that the
Indians are happy and prosperous
and that efforts to "get him" are in
the hands of three men, William H.
Bishop, superintendent of the Red
Lake agency in communication to
the Pioneer tells in detail how the
alarming reports of that agency were
started and offers an explanation as,
to the real condition of affairs now
existing there. -. ~ .
Mr.. Bishop says: -
Editor Pioneer: In view of the
various statements and misstat-
ments that have appeared in a GER
tain paper of your city, I desire to
submit the following, not as an an
swer to what has been published,
for / waste no time reading such
unreliable news but simply as
a statement OF conditions here, for
the information of the various
friends of this agency, in Bemidji,
whom have had the pleasure of
meeting in a business way.
After the sale of the western por-
tion OF this reservation, in 1904,
there was per capita payment OF
SS5-1S, and thereafter each spring
%
ments were made to the adults only,
the minors shares being covered
back into the treasury and held in
trust until the minor attained the
age of IS years, when it was paid
to him in lump sum. The Indians
have always complained because
they did not receive the minors
shares also, but were unable to get
the rude revoked.
After thoroughly studying the
case, and being convinced that it
was for the best interest of all con-
cerned, | took the matter up with
the Department, and on my present
alton of the case, in March, 1910,
the Department reversed their for
mer ruling, directing me in the
future, to pay out the shares of all
the Indians, and also to submit
claims for the minors trust funds
already in the treasury, which was
done, and last fall the treasury war;
rants, in payment of these funds,
began to come in.
In the mean time. through certain
inquiries by persons entirely outside
the reservation, the Indian Office
was led to believe that the merchants
and traders, in and around the res
ervation, were encouraging the In
.dians to run large accounts in
anticipation of this payment, and
Immediately instructed me to there
after require all the Indians to de-
post their warrants in designated
bank, in the name of the minors, and
to require that the funds when check
ed out should be used for the bene-
fit of such minor, and not to pay
debts incurred by the parents before
the receipt of the warrant; this
order was later construed to permit
the purchase Of any thing that would
permanently improve their home
surroundings, and, to a limited ex-
tent, the payment of living expenses.
The Indians, of course, protested
vigorously against this abridge-
ment of their right to use the money
DIS tHSy WlSu0u, DcI lie
was firm. l made an effort to get
the Office to modify it's instructions
but without avail; Congressman
Steenerson, to whom the Indians
appealed, met with no better success
The Indians at first refused to take
out their warrants, but later wiser
counsel prevailed, and they deposit
ed their moneys as required, ant
it is being paid out for such pur'
poses as are approved by the Indiar
Office.
This is the cause of all the trouble
at this agency the past winter. Thu
dissatisfaction has been famed an(
kept alive by three disaffected per
sons here, two of whom are former
employees, who lost their jobs because
-tho1r unora found To ho unfit for thu