The Tomahawk., 1918-08-08
Remarks Of Joe Morrison
Delegate to the General
Council, j 4 Wednesday July
10, 1918, In the City Hall
Bemidji, Minnesota

V'~JJ
Mr.. Chairman and gentlemen of
the General Council of The Chippe-
wa Indians of Minnesota. l wish
to make a few remarks in regards
to our affairs. What are we here
for? We are here for a purpose;
We are here to devise ways and
means to pull off the shackles
which binds the Chippewa Indians
in bondage to a set of people, whom
we are supporting by paying sal
aries, furnishing homes to live in,
furnishing fuel, water, electric
lights, driving teams and in some
cases automobiles. How are we
going to unload this great burden
and unnecessary expense! How
are we going to get rid OF this set
of people, known as the Indian
bureau service. They are not here
for our benefit, they are not. here
to civilize US, they are not here be-
cause they love US, and to show US
bow to be good christians by ex-
ample; as q matter of fact, a very
small portion of these people ever
go to church. Now then, what are
they here fore They are here for
salaries and other good things l
have already mentioned, they are
here for jobs. In other words,
many Of their people are practically
incompetent and the Indian service
is the only ring in which an lncom-
petent person can holds a job. As
one ex. Congressman said to me one
day, that without exception the
people that are in the Indian service
are either financially broke or no
good y and in most cases both. Be-
cause the Indian has property and
money, these people report to
Washington that we would squan-
der our property and money aud
that we would starve to death if
they were not here *, protect us.
Gentlemen; 1: the Indians are set
free, these Indian bureau service
people will be out of 4 job. They
are the ones that will suffer and not
US: Never again will they get such
fat jobs and not work. The WHOLE
Indian service is q humbug. The
Indian service has been misleading
Congress add the majority of the
people by their false reports. But
by the good work done by our
Legislative Committee, Congress-
man and Senators are now waking
things up. and the Indian Office
has tough Shedding; snow is melt
ing from under their sled and it
does not slip along as easily as it
did before. Through this General
Council, Gentlemen, we have one
hand loose, and in a very short time
we will have both hands free. Gen
tlemen: Indian bureau service is
exactly like slow consumption and
it is as hard to eradicate. The Chip
pewas of Minnesota through the
medicine of the General Council
are giving good medicine and good
tonic to toe Indian bureau service
to cure this slow consumption. If
Congress will stop the appropri-
atoms, and which it is doing slowly,
then the great Indian problem will
be solved. INDIAN PROBLEM"
What is it? II is nothing else but a
problem how best to supply q horde
of political parasites with big, fat
salaries. 1t is a question OF how
long the Indian bureau can con-
.t,uue to pull the wool over the eyes
of Congress and thereby bold taeir
jobs. The Indian Office endeavOrs
10 keep Congress ignorant Of the
true c,,nditions on Indian reserva-
tions, but the truth is csmiog out,
and coming out strong, so strong