The Wrangell sentinel., 1940-03-15
Rake Alaska. March 1940


 Dear Sir:
 The idea of suing the U. s. gov ernment was first formally cOnsid- cred at the Haines convention of the ANB when the late Judge Wicker sham came up there for the express purpose of coming to a definite un- derstanding with our people.
 It is now being vigorously push ed by the Executive Committee after being considered at the last con- Yention. and definite materials are being sent out to the Indian com munities for signatures and asking for contributions for lawyers fees and other expenses.
 have opposed the changes made in the bill which later became a law and which today governs what the Natives of Alaska and the govern ment may and not do.
 It was a most disheartening bit of news when I learned tthat my people had approved the scheme and seemingly gone for it in a big  way and seem most willing to pay money to carry it to as near a suc- eessful conclusion as is humanly possible.
 There have been letters coming to me which have tended strongly to try to convince me that I was en- tirely out Of step and out of sym pathy with our people, by people for whose power and opinions have the highest and healthiest res peet.
 It is, therefore, after a thorough and difficult struggle with the pros and cons that I finally decided to voice my opinions. 1 shall not blame anyone else for any mistakes in policy, or fact that I may make on this topic. I feel however, that the membership of the ANB and those. who are not members but are being asked by the Brotherhood officials to contribute money for the suit, are entitled to certain matters of the greatest importance with the case
 l wish to call your most careful study to a law passed and approved June l9, 1885 (Public No 152-- 74th CongressJ. If you have not read the Act or have not had it in- terpreted to you in full, it is to your interest and protection to have it done with the least possible de- lay.
 Sec. s, the most objectionable part of the Act and which finally caused me to write, reads as follows:
 Sec. s. The amount of any judg- ment in favor of the said Thlinget and Haida Indians of Alaska, after payment of attorney fees shall be apportioned to the different Thlin- get and Haida Communities listed in the roll provided for in Section 2 in direct proportion to the number of names on each roll, and shall be- come an asset thereof, and shall be deposited in the Treasury of the United States to the credit of each community and such funds shall
  centum per annum and shall be expended from time to time upon requisition by said communities by and with the advice and consent of the Secretary of the Interior and under regulations as he may pre- scribe for the future economic se- curity and stability of said Indian groups through the acquisition or creation of productive economic in- strumants and resoures of public benefit to such Indian communities; Provided however, that the interest on such finds may be used for bene- ficial purposes such as the relief of distress, emergency relief and health: Provided further that none of the above funds shall ever be used for per capita payments.
 The law is self-explanatory. While you are being asked to pay for ex- penses as individuals, you will never be able to get anything out of any money that may come from the yen- ture. The lawyers alone will be as- sured of getting their fees to the extent of ten per cent of the total the U. S. government pays you The government in practice will have absolute control over the mon- ey---appropriating, how, when, and by whom it may be spent. No one person may ever get it in cash ex. cept by becoming a pauper, perhaps not even then.
 It is your fault and mine for moi having been more wide awake tC things that affect us and mean oul health and all other things that mean a full life, a whole and active citizen.
 The Delegate has to deal with pol iticians, your own lawyer, MT. Pau perhaps, had to make those vita concessions and incidentally give yol