The Glacier reporter. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1953-current, 1953-11-13
Tribal Council Authorizes Sale
OF LIQUOR on Indian Reservation

At regular session of t h e
Blackfeet Tribal Council held No
vember S, the Council adopted an
ordinance repeating sections of
the Law and Order Code of the
Blackfeet Tribe prohibiting sale
or possession Of liquor on the
Blackfeet Indian Reservation and
thus legalized the sale, transpor-
tation, and possession of liquor
on the reservation. The ordinance
has been submitted to the Sec
rotary of the Interior who will
cause it to be published in the
Federal Register for a period of
20 days, as required by Public
Law PIT of the 83rd congress.
After its publication for the re-
quired period of time, the ordi-
nance will become law.
Before actual approval of the
ordinance, the Tribal Council
considered the question of whe-
Their the ordinance should be sub
mitted to a referendum vote of
the entire membership of the
Tribe for approval or whether the
Tribal Council should assume the
responsibility of acting upon the
ordinance on behalf of the Black
feet Tribe The council had been
previously advised that either
course of action would be in COM
plance with Public Law 277, the
law repeating prohibition of sale,
etc, of liquor on Indian rserva-
tions. Before voting upon this
question, the council heard state
ments from some 20 members of
the Tribe present at the meeting.
Those present at the meeting re-
presented fairly we'll a cross sec
ton of the membership of the
Tribe, both as to age and to de-
gree of blood. Joseph Ironpipe,
one of the older members of the
Tribe, spoke in favor of the coun-
Gil passing upon the ordinance.
He also urged the council to ap-
prove the ordinance as written.
Two of the other older members
of the Tribe, Fish Wolf Robe and
Dan Bull Plume, urged the coun-
Gil to reject the ordinance with
out submitting it to a vote of
the tribal members for their ap-
proval. E. Burke Handy, repre-
senting the American Legion, the
Browning chapter, stated that he
felt that the council should act
on the ordinance without submit
ting the matter to a vote of the
members of the Tribe. He stated.
as a member of the Tribe, that
this course of action would elm
mate the expense involved in con-
Quoting an election. He also stat
ed that he felt the council had a
definite responsibility to act on
this matter, being the duly elect
ed representatives of the Tribe.
Mr.. Handy also urged the coun-
Gil to approve the ordinance and
thus extend to members of the
Tribe the same responsibility and
privilege enjoyed and earned by
those members of the Tribe while
serving in the armed forces. Sev-
eral other members of the tribe
expressed themselves, with senti-
ment for and against holding an
election on the ordinance being
fairly we'll divided. After hearing
the statements, the council (of
which there were eleven men,
bers present voted by roll call
on the question of whether or not
to submit the ordinance to vote
of the members of the Tribe. The
vote was 6 to S against holding an
election on the ordinance and in
favor of the Tribal Councils con
sidering the ordinance. The coun-
Gil then voted 9 to l in favor of
adoption of the ordinance
AS result of this action by the
Tribal Council, the question has
been raised locally whether or
not the ordinance would allow
the town of Browning to permit
the sale of liquor. The Tribal
Council has previously consider
ed this question and on Septcm-
Der 8. they were advised by their
General Counsel, the late Felix
S. Cohen, that although the Act
of June 80, 1919 al Statute 10
included the Town of Browning
in Indian Country and thus ap-
plicable to the liquor laws Of the
US, repeal of these laws by Pub
lie Law 277 of the 83rd congress
also applied to the corporate linn
its Of the Town of Browning and
thus any ordinance regarding the
sale of liquor on the Blackfeet
Reservation adopted by the Tri-
bal Council would also apply to
the Town of Browning. An ex-
cerpt from Mr.. Cohen's letter of
September 8 to the Tribal Coun.
Gil follows:
Consequently, all the lands