The Tomahawk., 1922-03-23
Appeal to President Hard
ing for the Fu|f||ment
Of Agreement Of 1889.
(Continued from lst page.)

CONTINUED from 1st page.)
missit,ners representing the United
States. The Commissioners told
the Indians that the proviso au.
thorized the use of the fund Yin
case of the failure Of crops or any
unforeseen misfortune. j" The use of
the funds for administrative pur,
poses is plain violation of the
agreement.
(9) The Timber Frauds
Under the agreement of 1889
the Government timber estimators,
in collision with the lumber COM
panies grossly under estimated the
timber. Because of this under
estimating the timber on the Red
Lake reservation, comprising the
greater portion Of the timber of
the Indians, netted the Indians
about 8 cents per thousand feet.
The fraudulent under estimation is
set out in the departmental report
Of January 26, 1897, Sen. Doc.
No. IS, 55th Cong, 1st Ses. 1t
was further established by the
Select Committee of the Senate
that investigated tho matter 10
1898. The beneficiaries of these
fraudulent estimates were the lum-
Der companies. Not suit has ever
been instituted by the Government
officers to recover from the lumber
companies the value of the timber
frandulently obtained by them.
(1O) The Allotments Have
Not Been Completed.
| Of the Red Lake reservation the
allotments have not yet been COM
pleted. Some of the Indians have
only been allotted 40 acres of land,
whereas they are entitled to 50
acres. This is particularly true in
the Fond du Lac country.
By disregarding the agreement
of 1889 and treating itas a scrap
of paper the United States has
Impoverished the Chippewa people.
1t has deprived them of the oppor
tunities of life, Of public schools,
of roads, of all forms of progress
and civilization and has kept them
and is keeping them surrounded
by wilderness. .-.:-
-~C0mmissioner~RuEke's, Position
We are advised that the present
Commissioner of Indian Affairs
takes the position that he is help
less to afford US relief BECAUSE
Senator Nelson will neither consent
to the enactment Of corrective leg.
islation, nor permit the Chippewa
Indians to 60 to the United. States
Court of Claims and have their
rights determined. Senator Nelson
has been one of the foremost ad-
vocates of treaties. He is the au-
thor of the act. of January IA,
1889, under which the agreement
lof thst year was negotiated. 1t is
lizard for us to believe that be is
protesting one thing with refer
iencs 70 treaties with foreign TIA
ttions and pursuing an opposite
[cOtal1e ia regard to our agreement
I've believe the fault lies with the
Indian Bureau. That Bureau has
never regarded the agreement OF
l.i889 as an agreement. 1t has in
the past, and does today, treat that
agreement as = mere law of Con-
gress, subject to change, alteration
or amendment at the will of Con-
gress. The present Commissioner
has shown by his acts that he en-
teTtains the same opinion. The
|ceurts have held otherwise, but he
ignores their rulings. The Indian
Bureau is q law unto itself.
We frankly admit that we are
disappointed in the present Com
missioner of Indian Affairs. When
he took Office we expected, and we
had every right to expect, that we
would get q square deal and that
the provisions policy Of Reputation
Of that Bureau would be changed.
We are disappointed in Commits.
sioner Burke. He has not measured
up to our expectations. He has
done some good thing, but on the
whole he has fallen into the same
policy of Reputation adopted by
his predecessors. We see but little
difference between the policy of