The Tomahawk. [volume] (White Earth, Becker County, Minn.) 1903-192?, 1919-04-24

BILE products and to employ such per-
sons as he shall find necessary to carry
out the purposes of the foregoing pro-
visions" -. =
The Secretary was further author
ICED to permit the use of the forest
reserve for camping purposes or lease
such portions thereof as he might deem
proper for farming. The entire net
proceeds derived from the operation OF
the forest reserve were to be placed
in the Treasury of the United States
TO tho credit Of the Red Lake in
dams and draw interest at the rate OF
four per centum per annum."' The
interest on the fund was to be used by
the Secretary of the Interior In such
manner as he considered most advan.
tageous and beneficial to the Red
Lake Indians. The timber on the
lands, not embraced within the boun-
daries of the. forest reserve, were to
be sold under regulations prescribed
by the Secretary Of the Interior and
the proceeds used for the benefit Of the
Red Lake Indians.
Every line of this provision con-
tanned in the act of May IS, 1916, was
in direct derogation of the terms and
conditions under which the Chippewa
Indians of Minnesota conveyed the
property in trust to the United States
by the agreements of 1889, entered
into pursuant to the act of January IA,
1889. This provision was designed and
intended to: (D create permanent
forest reserve, whereas the property
had been conveyed to the United
States under the agreement of 1889
upon the express condition that the
land and timber were to be sold and
the proceeds placed in the Treasury of
the United States; (2) confer the abb
solute ownership on the Red Lake
Band, whereas by the agreement of
1889 it was recognized as the property
of jail the Chippewas of Minnesota;
90 to place the proceeds derived from
the property exclusively to the credit
of the Red Lake Band, whereas by the
agreement of 1889 they were to be
placed in the Treasury of the United
States to the credit "of all the Chip
pewa Indians of Minnesota; az to
reduce the rate of interest on the fund,
thus improperly diverted, to 4 per
cent, whereas under the agreement
of 1889 it was to bear per cent inter-
est; and (5) to enable the Secretary
of the Interior to use all of the in
come for the exclusive benefit of the
Red Lake Band. Thus an attempt
was made to confer the absolute own
ership of property worth millions of
dollars and which was in fact and in
law the property of all the Chippewa
Indians of Minnesota, upon one band,
constituting about one-tenth of the
membership of the tribe. This was
beyond the power of Congress. U. S.
v. Mile Lac Chippewas, supra.
/ The act of January IA, 1889, as rati-
fed by all the Chippewa Indians of
Minnesota (sec. -, directed that "as
soon a. practicable" lands should be
allotted "jn severalty to the Red Lake
indians on the Red Lake Reservation
*<* in conformity with the act OF
February 8, 1887" commonly known
as the General Allotment Act. Section
2 of the General Allotment Act author
lied the Secretary of the Interior, in
any case where person entitled'to an
allotment failed to select the same
within four years to make an arbi-
trary allotment In the name of the
person so entitled. In disregard Of
the plain provisions of the law the De-
partment failed to make allOtments to
the Indians residing on the Red Lake
Reservation, and those Indians are to-
day, living in little Indian villages &C
cording to tribal custom. Every other
Chippewa Indian, except those on the
Red Lake Reservation, who refused
to take his or her allotment was arbi-
trarily allotted by the Department.
Why the Red Lake Indians have been
permitted to retain their old tribal Gus
toms, habits and mode Of life, in dis
regard of positive law, the members
of the General Council are unable to
understand. The Department having
remained inactive for ~ years, during
which time not an allotment had been
made on the Red Lake Reservation,
the Indian Bureau drafted and the
Department approved this provision
which appears in the act Of May Is,
1916, relative to allotments:
That lands within said Red Lake
Indian forest, which are not covered
with standing and growing merchanta-
BILE pine timber and which are suited
for the production of agricultural crops
and which are fronting upon lake
shore, may be allotted to individual
Red Lake Indians: Provided, That no
such allotment shall exceed eighty
acres nor have more than eighty rods
fronting upon lake shore; Provided
further, That in case an Indian has
improved and cultivated, more than
eighty acres, his allotment may en-
brace his improvements to the extent
Of one hundred and sixty acres"
The author of the above provision
was either wholly ignorant of physical
conditions existing on the Red Lake
Reservation or deliberately intended
to preclude the Red Lake Indians taxi
ing or securing allotments. It will be