Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1925-04-23

in this country The biggest item in the bill is
for $1560000O0 in payment for the Black Hills and
surrounding territory taken from them by armed
force they assert in 1874 and 1875.
They are demanding payment at the rate of only
500 an acre for the gold-bearing lands of the
region, although included in is the famous Home
stake mine which has produced hundreds of mil
lions of dollars in gold. They also set price of
$50 an acre on the timbered areas, included
in the federal forest reserve. They say, and his
torians bear them out, that the government shame
lessly violated the treaties of 1856 and 1868 and
when their power was broken in the War of 1876
II, they deprived of their horses and other
property for which they have never been repaid.
The Iroquois are preparing to come into court
with older claim and one which may become
even greater than that of the Sioux and Poncas
combined The first suit which they will file will
be for small amount But If this test case is
successful they will follow it up with others In
volving lands comprising almost half of the state
of New York and valued at $1,000 100000! They
assert that 3000,000,O0O acres of land in the EN-
pre state rightfully belongs to them and although
they have not yet decided who the defendant in
the suits is to be- it probably will be the common
wealth of New York, rather than the United States
since 1t was that state, according to their claims
that tricked them out of their lands
The case of the Iroquois goes back nearly $50
years to the time when Sir William Johnson an
lrishman who settled in the Mohawk valley was
superintendent of Indian affairs in North America
Tor his majesty, the king of England. Johnson is
the greatest figure in early colonial history,
not even excepting George Washington and Ben
JaInln FRANKLIN. He was the whom all
the Indians respected and trusted for he never
broke his word to them. This was especially true
of the great New York Iroquois confederacy or the
League of the Six Observation-Disclosures, Onondaga
Cayuga Oneida Seneca and Tuscarora. Part of
his influence was due to the fact that he married
Molly Brant, the sister of Joseph Brant the great
war chief of the Mohawks, who was Johnson's as
sistant in the conduct of Indian affairs.
From the beginning of white occupation on this
continent, the Iroquois Confederacy recognized
an Independent nation and treated terms Of
equality by every European power that had any
dealings with it. 1t was so regarded in 1853 when
Sir William Johnson and four other representa-
tiveS of Great Britain and six representatives of
the Iroquos made treaty at Fort Stanwix (on the
present site of Rome, N. W and signed a deed
establishing the eastern boundary of the IrOquois
territory. This boundary, known as "Sir William
JOhnSOns Line" or the Lime of Property" con-
irmed the Iroquois in their possession of the west
ern half of New York and restricted the colonists
to the eastern half.
Sir William, who had foreseen the inevitable
try and who had labored to hold the Six Nations
neutral when war came, died in 1774 When the
war broke out the Oneidas and about half of the
Tuscaroras took the part of the Americans. The
other nations went to the British. The IrOquOis
confederacy was broken up
In 1884 the federal government signed a peace
treaty with the Six Nations at Fort StanW1x estab-
fishing a western boundary to their lands. They
gave up their claims to territory in Ohio but re-
tanned the country from Lake Ontario south to
Pennsylvania and their rights within these boun-