The Tomahawk., 1918-03-28

4OIc Auuual'y oppIOpIlSs0N u0S
been spent in paying salaries 70
the United States employees ID
Minnesota, in furnishing them
comfortable homes to live in, and
in providing them the necessary
comforts of life, and that the main
services rendered, claimed to be
rendered by these employees Of
the Upited States, is the withhold
ing from the Indians money Con-
gress intended shou Id be paid to
them. OF the II, 900 members Of
the Chippewa tribe in Minnesota
about $500 are admittedly compe.
tents; there are only about $500,
the majority of whom are minors,
who can by any fair designation
be classedaas incompetents. Yet
the Indian Bureau has obtained
annually from Congress appropri-
ations of $1S5, 900 of the principal
trust fund upon the assumption
that all the Chippewa Indians Of
Minnesota were incompetent and
needed the fostering care and pro-
lection of the Indian Bureau.
This fraud is being exposed. Sen
ator Kellogg and Congressmen
Knutson, Miller, Ellsworth, and
Steenerson will no longer tolerate
this deception but stand ready to
lay bare the facts before the House
or the Senate whea the time comes.
The Minnesota delegation is TAX
ing i deep interest in the affairs
of the Chippewas, and as the facts
are becoming known the power
and influence of the Indian Bureau
is receeding. 10, ~ ~
Congress has for years made an
appropriation for the support of =
school 1t White Earth, pursuant
% the treaty of 1867 with the
Chippewa Indians of the Mississipf
pi, appropristing therefor $4,000
per annum. Not dollar Of. this
money has for years been spent
upon any school,. Every dollar of
it has been spent in paying the
salaries of Agent Hinton and three
other employees. Thus money ap-
propriated for educational pur-
poses for the benefit of the Indians
has been spent by the Indian
Bureau in paying the expenses of
its employees.
The Indian Bureau recently ad-
vised Congress in an official re-
port that a part of the $185, 900
appropriated in 1915 had bee2
spent in the installation of an elec-
trio lighting plant for the agency,
the boarding school and the village
Of White Earth and for it's main
tenance. No such lighting plant
exists, or was ever constructed,
and the probabilities are that this
money was spent III the payment
of the salaries of employees.
The Indian Appropriation Bill
contains a provision that would
enable the Secretary of the Inter-
ior to divide all of the trust fund
among the Chippewa Indians of
Minnosota. Tie provision ap-
plies generally to al Indian tribes,
and some of them are objecting to
it. 1t is general legislation and is
subject to a point of order if any
member of the Senate sees fit to
| make such an objection. The
Chippewa Legislative Committee
are doing all they can to secure
the division of the trust fund but
they 90 not want the money placed
| ia the hands of the departmental
em mployees in Minnesota to be with
held from the indians at their
pleasure. If the item remains in
the bill, aud the Chippewa delega-
ton is doing all it can to retain It,
| it will endeavor to secure an
amendment in conference requiring
the departmental officers to make
the payments in cash to the In
dians as the agreement of 1889