The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1922-02-22
THE MANNING TIMES, Manning, s. 6.

NlGO, NAdllItlltE, =. ~.
knew she was ordered out of her
home. She has no place to go, and
now she is living with a niece.
1.-THE Indian Bureau had the Incl
dent investigated, but the man we
hold responsible for the wrong did the
INVESTIGATING
"a daughter Of another woman was
of that family, totaling 1920 acres,
with improvements, for $132
Mrs. Alice Martin was declared a
competent person, and was presumed
to be able to conduct her own affairs.
But officials led her to believe that
she had to have her property leased
A woman lease clerk who induced her
to lease made it out to her brother
| who was then acquiring very large
area of lands on the reservation.
THAT shows how the system has
worked. Though sworn to protect
OF the Indians, agents have worked
hand-ln-glove with the mon who want
our lands for as little as possible. 1t
is only fair to say that this happen
ed before the present superintendent
took charge Of the agency. Mr.
Campbell has tried to help the In
dians, tied though his hands have
been with red tape at Washington.
"GraZlng lands of the individual
Indians have been taken for the tribal
herd without compensation. One
man was putting up hay, when the
herd began destroying his stacks. He
appealed to the government man in
charge of the herd to drive the cattle
away, and was told he would have to
see the superintendent, 80 miles away
The Indian drove the cattle away, and
the government confiscated his hay,
say that his lease had been taken for
the tribal herd, although the owner
knew nothing of lease.
Persons outside the reservation
have offered to lease our lands for
more than the regulation rates. One
man wanted to start big beet-rais-
ing enterprise. Others have offered
to pay substantial royalties for coal
or oil leases. But these efforts at de-
velopment have not been approved by
the Indian Bureau. The opening up
of mines and the development of beet
raising would give employment to
large numbers who are now unable to
find work. The Indians are restrain
ed to the reservation, but still they
have not been allowed to. benefit from
the resources there. Though without
work or means of support, the Indian
IS expected to stay OH the reservation
and starve or exc out miserable ex-
lstence as pauper."
Besides obtaining emergency relief
for the members of the TRIBE, Mr..
Hamilton hopes to obtain provision
for restocking the Indians with horses
and cattle. He hopes also to work
out more helpful plan of agrcultu-
raj assistance to the Indians on the
part of the government. And then
there is the big thing for which he has
been fighting these many years-rep-
arations for the lands which the
Blackfeet say were taken from them
unjustly. Several times bills have
been before Congress referring these
claims to the Court Of Claims for ad-
ludlcation, but never has one passed
both Houses.
"The Blackfect nation once was the
most numerous, most powerful, most
warlike people in the Northwest" Mr..
Hamilton said. "It owned and oc-
cupied vast territory, now COM
prising part of Montana, Idaho, the
Dakota and part Of Canada Out of
this, diminished territory was set
aside by the treaty of 1866. But in
a874, the government, by act of Con-
grcss, took away approximately &c.
100000 acres of this territory. More
and more the white men cncroached
as settlement of the country proceed
ed. In 1887, the government talked
the Indians into another treaty, cut
ting tho reservation down to small
er territory.
Tracts of land were taken away
by executive order, and given back
by executive order. Tracts were
taken away and replaced with others.
Some of the land was taken away un-
der an unratificd treaty. The result
was that the Blckfeet Indians were
left with small reservation up on
the very slopes of the Rocky Noun
tains, whereas much of the territory
taken away from them contains low
prairies and fertile valleys.
"Altogether about 30,000,000 acres
of land, or approximately a third Of
the state of Montana, was taken un-
Justly or through false representa-
tions at various times"
Getting Congress to see the Justice
of this claim may be hard job. Cur
ley Bear, stalwart old chief who ap-
peared at an earlier session, said:
"rhis is tbe third time l have been
down here on this case, and each
time I go home with broken-down
heart"
But the Blackfoct are going to keep
up the fight, according to Mr. Ham
ilton.-Thc Dearborn Independent.