The Tomahawk. [volume] (White Earth, Becker County, Minn.) 1903-192?, 1917-06-21
WOULD CONTROL the
GENERAL COUNCIL.

cord;ng to Information received by
THE ToMAHAwK, took an unusually
active part in the election of dele
gates to the annual meeting of the
Chippewa General Council to be
held at Bemidji next month.
The warehouses;, and others up.
on this reservation who have a
personal interest and not the in
terests Of the Chippewas of Mime.
sofa in general, joined the forces
controlled by the Agency office
and were thus able to control the
council by four votes. The Agency
etal. factions we're out in full
force, but, unfortunately for tribal
interests, those who want to secure
fair adjustment of Chippewa
tribal matters and have no other
object III view and who are over
whelmingly in the majority upon
this reservation where majority
of all the Chippewas of Minnesota
reside, did not, with four or five
exceptions, take the trouble to
come to the village from their
homes in the surrounding country
and attend the council which elect
ed delegates to the Bemidji coun
Gil, so that only the villagers, out
side OF the warehouses;, were
present at the council, and even
some of these were misied by those
who have personal interests to join
toe Agency forces.
The anti-agency forces have been
contentlhg themselves with simply
abusingAthe system of the Indian
office at Washington and the sup
erintendents here, but they either
have not the courage of their con-
victlons, or are Indifferent to the
issues, otherwise they would have
taken the trouble to walk across
the street from their various
places of business, and from their
work for at least part of one Jay,
to express their wishes to the
tribal council regarding important
tribal affairs; they would not have
placed the burden upon the should
ers of only two or three men with
out giving them moral support.
Their hearts may be in the right
place, but their actions did not
show this.
Every self-respecting member of
the Chippewa bands of Minnesota
desplses the faction composed o:
warehouses;, for it consists of near
full-bloods who perjured them
selves to regain the lands they
sold under the provisions of the
Clapp Act, through the aid of the
United States Government, and
not through their own efforts if
they we're actually defrauded. Il
was apparently no effort for them
to perjure themselves, and thus 1T
cost them nothing to try and re-
cover the allotments after they had
received and expended the money
they received for them. Those
who, for personal motives, Joined
this disreputable crowd placed
themselves in an unenviable posi-
ton by doing so.
Appropos to the activity of sup
erintenderts in connection with
the selection of delegates at the
several Chippewa reservations, il
is learned that they received in
structions from the Indian Office
at Washington to do this.
What IS the motive back of The
} Indian Offices activities in inter
fering with Chippewa councils
This is something which the Chip
pewas in general should take into
consideration. They should alst
try and learn who has been furn
ishing money for the expenses O.
prominent warehouses; to trave
20 different reservations from here
and circulate stories which arr
favorable to Agency forces.