The Tomahawk. [volume] (White Earth, Becker County, Minn.) 1903-192?, 1917-09-06

Nation, persons under disability
aud incompetents incapable of
managing and controlling their
own affairs.
The Indians feel that they have
been, and are now being denied
the very essence of citizenship.
namely; a reasonable control over
their property rights, and they
cannot understand how they can
be CITIZENS for military Graft
purposes only, and decitizenized
for practically every other pur-
pose; how they can be competent
for military duty, requiring COM
potency of high order, and in-
competent in practically every
other respect in the eyes of the
law. They cannot understand a
National Honor that will admit of
the enactment of laws so essential
ly Inconsistent and contradictory
in terms.
The officers of the government
charged with the duty of enforc'
ing the laws for their protection
exercise plenary power over their
property. Even their right to
share in their ancestral estates
presents political question, and
in many tribes the decision of the
governments political agents up
on this question is fnality and is
Unbelievable by the courts. On
practically every reservation in
this country, Indians admittedly
members of the tribe. have been
ignored in the division of the COM
mon property, or denied on some
fanciful technical legal ground
their right to share therein. An
illustration; Among the Chippewa
Indians of Minnesota are many In
dams shown bv the records of the
Indian Bureau to be entitled :. to
allotment who have never received
an allotment or it's equivalent, and
yet the Indian Bureau officials and
agents, the guardians of these In
dams, have made no effort to pro-
tect them by securing for them
their lawful property rights.
Many tribes whose lands we're
arbitrarily taken from them by
government are now, and have
been for half a century, denied
access to the courts and thereby
denied compensation while their
members, rich in claims against
the government, for property
taken, are living as gratuity wards
of the Nation, and no effort is made
by the political agents of the gov
ernmept to afford them relief. In
cases where they have funds held
in trust under an agreement the
Indians looked upon as sacred,
their trust funds are being used by
the political agents of the govern
1nent to pay the additional expens-
es of enlarged governmental agents
and bureaus contrary to the terms
under which the trust was created,
and in violation of law.
In substantion of this charge see
the case of Morrison, ct al, v, Lane
ct al, Al, Wash. Law Rep. 81,
decided by the D. G. Court of
APPEALS, April 10, 1916, and
also the case of Morrison, ct al,
q. Lane, ct al, As Wash. Law Rep,
483. Individual shares of tribal
aggregated property are held alb
solutely under the control of the
political agents of the government
and in many instances sold, sick
and infirm Indians live and die ir
poverty with thousands Of dollars
held by the government agents If
trust for them.
| Az illustration: In April, 1917.
Mrs. Minnie Stabler, an Omaha
4 Indian about IS years of age came
to Washington accompanied by hel
daughters, Laura and Cora Slablcr.
and her granddaughter Rosalie
daughter of Laura. The grand
child Rosalie, about IA years Of
lace was suffering with tuberculos