South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1913-10-09
SEEK HISTORY OF
MICHIGAN HERE
Gov. Ferris Heads a Commits
sion to Examine Early Rec
ordS at Notre Dame.

Gov. Woodbridge " Ferris and the
Michigan historical commission spent
Wednesday at Notre Dame seeking
material bearing on the early history
Of Michigan. Accompanying the gov
ernor were Clarence NJ. Burton. of De-
troit, chairman; VIM. l.. jerks. of Port
Huron; Geo. Newman Fuller, Rt. Rev.
Monsignor O'Brien of Kalamazoo; Ed
mund O. Wood, Of Flint, democratic
national committeeman; Lawton T.
Hemans, of Mason; and Prof. Claude
II. Van Tyne of the history depart
ment at Ann Arbor.
The commissioners examined many
documents and letters telling of the
work of the early missionaries with
the Indians. These papers are con-
tanned in the Catholic archives of
America, located at Notre Dame. and
the librarian, DR.. Paul ]. Folk, has
spent much time in collecting and ar
ranging the old documents. many of
which are written in French and in
the Indian dialects and are almost i'm
possible to decipher.
Most important to the commission
were a number of letters written by
Fathers Badin, Chardan and Baraga,
and treaties and documents signed by
Z S. officials and Indian chiefs. The
letters of Father Baraga to Bishop
Fenwick Of Cincinnati set forth clear
" the early history OF the mission at
ginning of the present city Of Grand
Rapids. Another letter by this same
missionary. dated oct 3, 1S43. is adj
dressed TO Mr.. Stuart, a government
agent. asking for $500 for the sup
port Of an Indian school at La Pointe.
Tfrh into n hot frOnp VHraC no
largest mission settlement in that part
of the country.
Letter to President
One letter was found. written by
the Indian chiefs at Arbre CrOche to
the president of the United Statess ask
ing that a missionary, preferably a
Frenchman and a Catholic, be sent to
them that their tribes might receive
the comforts OF religion and civiliza
ton. A letter of Gov. Geo. Porter OF
Michigan territory addressed to the
government at Washington, request
ing that a school be established at
Prairie du Chen for the benefit of the
WinnebagO Indians, was found among
the old papers. Another envelope
contained a treaty signed in 1928 by
which the Indians were granted their
petition.
Letters were also discovered ad-
dressed to Pres. Jackson in which the
RED Butterfly" complained that the
mission funds were being used by the
territorial officials for fraudulent
purposes.
Father Badin, the first priest or
dained in the United States, figures
prominently in these letters. In one
he writes that he has been grantd so
acrs of land in northern Indiana near
the St Joseph river. Upon that land
the University of Notre Dame now
stands. An Indian dictionary, giving
the French, Indian and German words
was among the manuscripts examined.
The dictionary is in beautiful hand
writing and was compiled by Bishop
Mark of Detroit. Among the Indian
chiefs referred to in the treaties were
Hollow Tree Standing, Climb Up,
BLACK Hawk" and Chief Man.
Gov Ferris addressed the students
during the afternoon.
The crux of the mining situation
in the upper peninsula" said Gov.
Ferris of Michigan, yesterday, lis,
shall the mine operators recognize the
Western Federation of Labor? This
is a wear out strike and never will be
entirely settled. The supposed objects
OF the strike, shorter hours and
higher minimum wage, are only mi
willing to come TO terms on these
questions but they never will give in
TO the arbitrary demands of the
Western Federation.
"In democracy men must organize
and Ii is absolutely necessary that en-
ployers treat with their men collect
lively. 1 have always been a friend of
the laboring man. but there are times
when the under dog is as much at
fault as the ma n on top. In the pres
ent case the Western Federation Of
Labor has Overstepped its authority
and the big mine owners declare they
will hold out forever. When the trOu-
bic first began / at once offered to
mediate. In fact If the matter had
been left to barrow and me immedi-
ate settlement would have resulted,
for barrow is the brightest and most
liberal man in the Western Fedora
ton"
The governor affirmed that from
40 TO so per cent of the mine opera
tives have been working all through
the trouble while the Calumet and
Hekla mines have been running full
blast. He thinks that the men will
ultimately return TO work without
having won their main point and In
the meantime they are causing the
state. the mine operators and them
selves losses that will run into tens of
millions.
Know What He Wants.
In an address to the students OF
Notre Dame Gov. Ferris declared that
every nan must work. that he will
never be anything without hard work.
and that there is in every person a
germ of genius which he must discov-
er and develop 10 the highest degree.
man then. must find out what he
really wants 10 do. what he is best
fitted for. and TO keep out Of the kind
OF work in which he knows he will
never make a success.
To better illustrate his point Gov.
Ferris took for examples the careers
Of men whom he had known in his