The Tomahawk. [volume] (White Earth, Becker County, Minn.) 1903-192?, 1919-04-24
INDIANS, D.rore IT. would become plnd.

Indians, before It would become Dino
ing upon them. - -
(g) Excessive Allotments Made To
Indians On The White Earth Reserya-
ton AS The Result OF A Mistaken
Construction By The Commissioners
OF The Act OF January II, 1889 s.
The act of January IA, 1889. pro-
vided that allotments should be made
in conformity with the General Allot-
ment Act of February 8, 1887. The
General Allotment Act approved Feb
ruary s, 1887, provided for allotments
of land to Indians Hereunder as fol,
lows: ~ ''sg>:. =. &tsf
ITO each head of family, one
quarter of a section; to each single
person over IS years of age, one
eighth Of a section; to each orphan
child under 18 years one
sixteenth of a section"
The commissioners in explaining
the act of 1889 to the White Earth
Indians told them, as will appear from
Elk. Doc. 247, 51st Cong, LIST Ses:, p.
81, that: ..--'. .9s@ .s
'Under the present act, as soon as
the approval of the President, we are
authorized to give every man, woman,
and child 100 acres of land as an
allotment, and in case of the death of
any person who has received such an
allotment, the land passes to his or
her legal representatives"
Before the allotments were made on
the White Earth Reservation the act
of February 8, 1891 (26 Stat, 794),
amending the General Allotment Act,
was passed. The amendatory act pro-
vided for allotments to all Indians of
80 acres each. making no distinction
between heads of families, adults and
minors. The allotments to the Chip
pewas were made under the General
Allotment Act as amended by the act
Of February %. 1891, each receiving
Indians complained that they had not
received the quantity of land the COM
missioners had assured them they
would receive and in fulf1llment of
the promise made by the commission
ers the Department recommended to
Congress, and Congress enacted into
law the act of April %, 1904 (33 Stat,
$500, which provided as follows:
THAT the President Of the United
States be, and he is hereby, author
lied to allot to each Chippewa Indian
now legally residing upon the White
Earth Reservation under treaty or
laws of the United States, in accord
ance with the express promise made
to them by the commissioners ap-
pointed under the Act of Congress en-.
titled An Act for the relief and civil
ization of the Chippewa Indians in
the State of Minnesota approved Jan.
uary fourteen, eighteen hundred and
eighty.nine, and to those Indians who
may remove to said reservation who
are entitled to take an allotment un-
der article seven of the treaty of April
eighteenth, eighteen hundred and six.
ty-seven, between the United States
sissippi. one hundred and sixty acres
of land; and said allotments shall be.
and the patents issued therefor, in the
manner and having the same effect
as provided in the general allotment
Act, An Act to amend and further
extend the BENEFITS of the Act APP
proved February eighth, eighteen
hundred and eighty-seven, entitled
An Act to provide for the allotment
of land in severalty to Indians on the
various reservations and extend the
protection of the commissioners Of
the United States over the Indians.
and for other purposes approved
February twenty-eighth, eighteen hun
dred and ninety-one: Provided, That
where any allotment of less than one
hundred and sixty acres has hereto
fore been made, the allottee shall be
allowed to take an additional allot.
ment, which, together with the land
already allotted, shall not exceed one
hundred and sixty acres: And pro-
vided further, That II there is not
sufficient land in said White Earth
(diminished) Reservation subject to
allotment each Indian entitled to al.
lotments under the provisions of this
Act shall receive a pro rata allot-
ment."
Under this act about 5000 addi.
'tiOnal allOtments of 80 acres each
were made to Indians on the White
Earth Reservation. Tho Indians al
lotted of the White Earth Reserva-
ton did not receive similar additional
allotments and they insist that they
should receive either from the gov
eminent OF from the allottees who
received the additional allotments
their proportionate share Of the value
d the about 100000 acres allotted to
the White Earth Indians in excess Of
the shares they were entitled to re-
ceive under the agreement of 1889.
Practically all of this land has been
sold; many Of the allottees have died
and 1t is now impossible to reach the
land. The White Earth Indians who
received the alIotments insist that
they are in no wise responsible; that
the government officers are alone to
blame and that the United States
should settle with those Indians who