The Odanah star. [volume] (Odanah, Ashland Co., Wis.) 1912-1916, 1914-05-08

Of INTEREST TO LAKE SUPERIOR INDIAN
Case of Great Interest to Minneso-
Ia Indians Heard.

A case of great interest to the
White Earth Chippewas of Minnesota
indeed, to all Chippewas of Lake Sup
erior and the Mississippi was heard
in the court of Claims at Washington
last week.
This is the case which originated
during the time that Judge M. c..
Burch had charge Of the work of the
Department Of Justice in bringing
suits to correct land titles on the
White Earth Reservation.
The original proceeding was begun
with notice by the Commissioner
Of Indian Affairs to eighty-six White
Earth allottees, Of the Beaulieu and
Fairbanks families. Persons ranging
in age from seventy years down to
comparatively young children were
included there being thirty or more
minors among the eighty-six. All thse
persons are enrolled and live on the,
White Earth Reservation having been
recognized from their birth as Mis-
sissippi Chippewas.
They have drawn aanuities under
Chiprewas treaties from 1855 down
TO 1889, and are al enrolled under the
Act of January Il, 1889.
After notice to show cause why
their names should not be dropped
from the rolls was served, the Depart
ment Of Justice procured the signing
of a petition by sixteen members of
the tribe residing on the White Earth
Reservation, asking that the eighty
six persons whose rights had been
attacked should be dropped from the
rolls.
When the case came on for hearing
before the Secretary of the Interior
the point was made by the contestees
that the secretary of the Interior was
the guardian for al the members of
the White Earth Bands, and therefore
that he should not be asked to sit in
/ judgement as between the seventeen
petitioners and the eighty-six contes-
tees or respondents.
This led to the case being referred
by the Secretary to the court OF
Claims, and is was on this reference
that the case came ito hearing last
week.
The main contention relied upon by
the osernment involved the half
breed scrip transactions under the La
Pointe Treaty of September 80, 1854.
The Government saying that since the
ancestors of these respondents re-
ceived half-breed scrip under that
Treaty, their descendants had thereby
been deprived Of all further rights as
Chippewa Indians, or, at least had
been deprived of the right of sharing
in the lands and funds of the Mis-
sissippi Chippewa, in other words
that after having received half-breed
scrip under the Treaty of. 1854, it was
fraud upon the Mississippi Chip
pewas for the ancestors of such scrip
pees to seek enrolment and allotment
among the Mississippi Chippewas.
The contention of the respondents,
on the other hand, was that they
were Mississippi Chippewas by birth,
their parents having moved to the
Mississippi Chippewas Country
prior to the Treaty Of 1854; also that
even If some Of their ancestors had
formerly resided with tn Lake Su-
perior Chippewas, they themselves
were recognized by and had become
members of, the Mississippi Chippewa
Bands, and had drawn annuities with
such bands under the Treaties of 1855,
1864 and 1867, and later under the
Nelson Agreement of 1889.
Finally. they contend that tiicif