The Tomahawk. [volume] (White Earth, Becker County, Minn.) 1903-192?, 1918-12-05

mixed OlOOQ.l But ne was helpless.
He was not permitted to prove
that he had 1 right to the land.
He was ruined. The matter drag
ged for years. Finally a few
weeks ago be was called before the
commission. DO you want that
land2" he was asked, II certainly
do" You can have the first chance
at it. You may buy of the Indians
to whom it reverted at the ap:
praised price?'' about what will
that be!" '..About $18 or 500 an
acre." Twill be credited with
the amount 1 originally paid him?"
mot a dollar" He has not the
money with which to buy again at
present prices4 the land of which
long ago he was roboed. If he
had he could buy equally good
land at the same price elsewhere.
So that is why this immense
territory in neighboring county
is stilr an unproducing waste, .:
wilderness in the midst of smiling
plenty. =
But the tribal fund of the In
dams has paid during all these
years a horde of special agents
and Investigators and commits.
sioners and inspectors and the
Lord knows what.
Many years ago, your grand
father will tell you, a western
tribe was given by the government
an immense fund to be paid, in
annuities on consideration of the
tribe leaving the war path and
behaving themselves. But they
broke loose in revolt-justly en-
ough perhaps for their money was
stolen by crooked agents and
grafters of every sort-and laid
waste and massacred., And the
payment of .,annuities was With
drawn. Years afterwards there
was elected in one of those states a
senator whose heart bled for those
simple red men. He introduced
and was instrumental IN having
passed q law restoring those an
nuities-with back pay for all that
had been withdeld. 1t amounted
to many millions. The bill bore a
provision for an attorney fee to be
paid out of the fund. 1t was for
Is per cent. To whom was it to
be paid9 The man was named.
Was he an sttorneyg He had
never seen the inside of 2 law
book. He was a druggist. He
was the husband of the sister of
the philanthropic senator who was
the friend of the Indians. The
law would not permit the senator
to vote. on bill by which a benefit
was to accrue to 4 relative. But a
brotber-in law is not relative.
The fact is that the administra-
ton of Indian affairs has held back
both the Indian and the white
man, has kept fertile territories
lying waste, kept the Indian a
child in the law and corrupted the
white man who had dealings with
HIM. It has established and main
| tanned horde of petty parasites,
who preyed not less upon the In
than upon the whites. Immense
amounts we're appropriated from
the white mans money ostensibly
for the Indians benefit, only to be
stolen or squandered by horde of
harpies.
Turn the Indian loose. Give
him all be has creditrd him on the
books, make him a citizen with
the duties and powers and respon-
sibilities Of citizen, and you will
benefit both the red man and his
white peighbor. Turn the Indian
loose,-Detroit Herald.
! A better and more prosperous
era is dawning for the people Of
White Earth and the Chiprewas
of Minnesota generally. For the
past sixteen years The ToMAHAwk
has been waging an unequal fight,
single handed, against the enemies