The Tomahawk. [volume] (White Earth, Becker County, Minn.) 1903-192?, 1925-05-28
PuzzeI-.Flnd an Attorney
For the Indian.
CONCLUDED from LIST page)

the present personnel of our Blu.
reau of Indian Affairs even, for
charity. l am a member of a
respectable firm; we have a lucra-
tive and pleasant practice repre-
senting some of the largest con.
Germs in the country. 1t is running
too a great a risk to my partners
to have our clients here that / am
bribing Indians to get Indian
claims. No matter how innocent
it is bad business to continue"
The other case: an intelligent
Tribe of western Indians, aroused
at the Bureaus duplicity, elected
q real Council pledged to fight for
its honest dues in every legitimate
manner; they chose a fearless at
torney, a former Assistant Attorney
General of his state; they formally
called a council to elect their At
torney and he was duly elected
and his name formally transmitted
to the Bureau. This Indian Coun.
Gil is fortunately upheld by practi-
cally all the Indians on its Reser-
walton.
Bur AT THIS MEETING was the
Superintendent of the Reservation,
hacked up with three sheriffs and
their deputies from az many coun-
ties, and the u. S Marshall with
an array of deputies-ALL WEAR
ING VISIBLE FIRE ARMS. Under
such advantages" the Superin-
tendent introduced an attorney
from Washington, d. g., as the
attorney whom the Bureau ap-
proved" Under such conditions
this council starting in the early
afternoon lasted until three the
next morning. Hundreds of In
dams harangued and menaced,
never made q false move that might
warrant any claim of disturbance
and q forceful breaking up Of the
meeting-but with the stole cohr-
age of their ancestors continued
their meeting until they elected
their own attorney despite the
Bureaus obvious intent at disorder
and possible bloodshed. '
Suffice it to say that this sttor-
ney has made two separate trips to
Washington at an expense of over
$1,5OO, with the usual credentials
warranting payment from ample
funds of the Tribe in the Bureaus
hands-but never one cent paid
him, even all payments refused
after request made through the
United States Senators from such
stated ;, ..
In.any of these cases $4,000
fee if GUARANTEED and with a
liberal amount for expense money
lis a small fee. But how can any
conscientious attorney accept q
contingent $25, 900 fee in any such
cases and also expend thousands
of dollars out of his own funds for
expenses -
| OF course in all this it must be
understood that it is q crime for
any attorney to accept money as q
fee for representing any tribe
under Bureau control without the
especially authorized payment
from the Bureau. r,.: ~ 5-.,.
However, any attorney "oppos-
ingA the Bureau in any of its acts
is at once branded a 'disturber, Z"
and his every motive is attributed
to dark, sinister designs against q
most holy institution. 80
But with those attorneys meet
ing the approval" of the Bureau
alb, what a difference. It is well
known that certain Washington,
D. C. attorneys afford" all travel.
ing expenses to the far Western
country and openly solicit these
Indian contracts; that they openly
claim influence" with the Bureau
and it seems are so justified, when
the various Superintendents on the
different reservations openly eS