The L'Anse sentinel., 1923-04-13

MISUNDERSTANDING consid-
the poor Indian, Is right in the midst
of the pauper class; but when his
material assets are considered he be-
comes the richest of Americans, poten-
TALLY and percapltally speaking; in
deed, the richest of all humans. If
the individual Indian could cash In
on an equal distribution basis his
share of the lands, live stock, minerals
and forests at their present valuation
he would be immeasurably better off
than the average white American,
says the forest and lumber lnforma-
ton service of the National Lumber
Manufacturers association, which has
been making a study Of the Indian
forests, and incidentally reports that
as against the average white mans
$1,800, the red man would possess
about $2,400; for the total Indian
estate is S727,000,000 and there are
but about 100000 Indians.
One of the richest of the Indian as
sets Is not often brought to public
attention, viz, the Indian forests. AS
q lumberman, the Indian Is collective
ly an exceptional magnate. The 300.-
0oO-odd Indians own 35,000,000,00O
feet Of merchantable tlmber-an i'm
portant factor In the American supply
Of forest products-worth today at
least $100,000,O00; and the young
growth I'm these forests and the land
they stand on represent S30,000,000
more. If this forest wealth were d.
vided equally, every Indian in the
country would have about $430 Of
forest wealth.
Awake to Value Of Timber.
The Indians began to realize about
25 years ago that trees represented
real wealth, and the last clash Of any
consequence between the military and
Indians was In northern Minnesota In
1898 when the Leech Lake Chippewas
literally took to the tall timber in full
fighting strength when they concluded
that loggers who had been allowed the
privilege of removing dead and down
timber from the reservation were not
finding anything In the woods that
wasn't dead and down, at least when
they got through with It. It cost the
lives of eight soldiers of the Third
regular regiment and the woundlng of
about % others for the Indians to i'm
press on the government that they
were right on the job of looking after
their timber. This was not an Indian
uprising In proper sense but was
Just a resort to arms, as the Indians
Baw II, to protect their established
property rights. Whether this demon
etration Of force had anything to do
with II or not, II Is fac. that the
systematic forestry and business man.
egement Of the Indian timber lands
began at about that time.
The Indian bureau of the Depart.
ment of Interior asserts that during
the last quarter of the Nineteenth
century many millions Of feet of tim
Der were removed from Indian reserva-
tions In the states of Wisconsin and
Minnesota without proper supervision
Of the cutting and without adequate
protection or the interests or the In
dams. Congress provided no funds for
protection or for the development of
q system Of merchandising timber.
The first general act of congress
dealing with the timber on Indian
reservations was in 1880 and author
lied the sale Of dead and down tim
ber by the Indians of any reservation,
and one Of 1897 specially authorized
the sale OF such timber on the lands
Of the Chippewa Indians in Minnesota.
The Indian service considers now that
bofA we're unsound In principle as
they encouraged deliberate injury OF
the timber by fire. to make II dead
and down." and srrreptitious cutting.
II was not until 1909 that congress
gave authority for the development
within the Indian service Of regular