The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1912-02-09
FURNISHES GOOD
COPY FOR PRESS
Evidence Given at White Earth
Probe in Minneapolis.
KEEPS POLITICIANS GUESSING
Many Republican Leaders Not Anxious
to Declare Themselves on Roose-
~. Welt Candidacy.
Especial Correspondence

Especial Correspondence
st. Paul, Feb. 6.-Your political Cos
sip is seldom in want of material and
3ust now he is INDUCING in juicy
morsel in the shape of the White
Earth Indian investigation, which has
been engaging the attention of num-
Der of members of congress and the
department of justice for several days
In Minneapolis. 1t has been furnish
ing some rather lively copy for the
Twin City papers and the end, 1t is
said, IL not yet. Handing Poor Lo"
the short end of the stick is an old
story, but the feature of the inquiry
which has been transferred from
Washington to Minnesota by congress
"a not SO much the recital of this fact
as the prominence of those involved
and 1t is more than likely that the
whole thing will figure in the coming
campaign. I know the Democrats are
fling the stuff away for the reason
that those involved are prominent in
state Republican circles. The work OF
the committee, which is evidently an.
tagonistic to all connected with the
care Of the redman in Minnesota,
seemed to be directed at bringing Con-
gresham Stevenson into prominence
in the testimony produced and nothing
was overlooked in the effort to put
him and his connection with the laws
permitting the full bloods of the White
Earth tribe to dispose of their allot-
ments in a bad light. Even United
States Senator Clapp was not over
looked.
The mention of Senator Clapp's
name brings to mind the talk that
long ago preceded the present investi-
cation. 1t was when the senator was
active in an insurgent way and the
taking Of his scalp was planned. When
Senator Clapp entered official life at
Washington one of his first acts was
to amend the law governing the White
Earth Indians and their allotments
and II took the form of a bill allowing
mixed bloods to sell their holdings, the
majority OF which were very valuable.
There was a general scramble to get
aboard and sharpers reaped harvest.
The amendment was popular as far as
the Indian country was concerned and
It attracted little attention elsewhere,
but the activity of the sharpers fur
nished basis Of operations for those
interested in getting the junior SEN
ator. A feature of the hearing last
week was the charges filed by Gus
Beaulieu, a witness, himself part In
dian The substance of these charges
is that the government, through the
department Of justice, is trying 400
law suits under the mask of suits in
equity. The result of the filing Of
these suits, he charged, has brought
business to a standstill in the Indian
country.
X K =
The Roosevelt boom has struck Min
nesota and a hundred or more subor-
dinates scattered over the state are
wondering where the leaders stand.
Lieutenant Governor Gordon climbed
aboard the early part of the week,
but so far there has not been a peep
from those behind Governor Eber-
hart. Months ago, and at a time
when President Taft and his policies
had little standing in the North Star
state, Governor Eberhart came out
Aatfootsd for the president and though
there has been nothing since showing
q change of heart on his part yet l
understand the mixed presidential sit
uation has him guessing. He will be
one of the principal speakers at the
annual meeting of the Lincoln club Of
st. Paul, which takes place on the
18th, which, according to report, will
be Taft love feast, yet the bets are
even that he will steer clear Of the
presidential subject In his remarks
One of the active ones in the Roose-
welt movement is Alex Mckenzie. the
we'll known North Dakota politician,
and while his activities are confined
to his own state he has not been idle
In his efforts to secure converts else
where. Down here the knockers say
the Roosevelt boom is simply a
scheme to wipe out the La Toilette
movement, the idea being to secure
an ostensible Roosevelt delegation
but which will declare for President
Taft at the proper time. There is
tricks in all trades and perhaps they
are right.
!. + =
Knute Nelson, the senior United
States senator from Minnesota, was
sixty-nine years old Friday. The oc-
casion did not cause any great stir at
the state capitol. where a marble bust
Of the Douglas county man ornaments
the private ofices of the governor.
Several congratulatory messages,
however, were sent to him at Wash
ilgton. The story given out year
ago was that the senator has stated
that when he reached seventy years
he was going to retire from office and
spend the remainder of his days in
quiet That important event should
come with the close Of his present
term. but II any one knows that such
Is due he has not taken those inter