The Tomahawk. [volume] (White Earth, Becker County, Minn.) 1903-192?, 1921-02-24

been thrashed out long ago before
the, Court of Claims and also by
this department. that,I am repre-
senting and has been finally
and definitely settled, in fact
your statements regarding the
rights of the mixed ,bloods as
Minnesota ,Chippewas are Like
water chat has gone over the falls,
it can never come back again. Our
laws and our form of government
is that the majority rules. You
state that when you and your
followers withdrew from this
council you have mentioned, you
were two hundred and fifty strong
and that there were only q few
members left in said council, now
Ihave here before me the report
of Superintendent: Dickens and
others who were present at that
council and which shows that
there were more than seven. hun
dred in attendance, therefore, after
you and you following withdrew
from the coulcil there must have
been q large majority left for the
other, side. Ny advice to you is
to join the majority and cooper
ate with them, in that way some
satisfactory settlement will event.
nally be reached, but if the Chip:
pewa people continue to quarrel
among themselves it is very doubt
ful whether they will ever come to
any terms that will be of any
great benefit to.all concerned"
&Coffey's efforts to discredit the
General Council fell fiat so far as
the Secretary of the Interior and
his department. were concerned,
and it is earnestly hoped chat
the future Secretary of the Inter-
Tor will be as >considerate as Score
tary Payne has been regarding
Minnesota Chippewa matters and
will give the representatives OF
the Chippswa people an opportun
ity to. be heard. - 5.:@. 7 ,zs:
. This is the first instance where
such a high official Of the govern
.ment as the Secretary of the In
terror has devoted his: official time
to listening to the complaints OF
the Chippewa people,, and all Min
nesota Chippewass would do we'll
to follow his advice quoted above,
and stop quarrelling among tnem-
selves and all join together and
anc assist the General Council in
les efforts to bring about q salts
factory settlement Of the Chippe:
wa estate. It might be we'll to
mention here that Secretary Payne
no doubt included the Red Lake
bands in his advice to all get
together aud unite IN their efforts
effect settlement of their. affairs,
for Mr.. Peter Graves, who repre-
sents the Red Lake Indians. was
present at the meeting referred. to.
Mr.. Malcomb Mcdowell, chairman
sof the Board of indian Commits
sioners, who paid visit to the
Minnesota Chippewa reservations
and ceded reservations last sum,
mer, stated in a report filed with
the Secretary Of the Interior this
winter, that as he construed the
treaty Of 1889 the Red Lake L.
dams had no more right to the
Red Lake reservation that any
other Chippewas in Minnesota
except as to that portion Of the
Red Lake reservation as was
needed to make and fill aliotments
to the Red Lake bands as provided
for in the treaty.
James !. Coffey is busy at al
times writing letters and circula
ting themsamong the more ignor
ant members Of the Milnnesets
ChippeWas, urgiDgthem 70 pretes
against the status at the mixed
bleods, setting forth thai il they
lido 50 they tthe mixed bloods) vii
be stricken from the rolls. etc. II