| OCR Text |
Show - .. 7.-.- . ~7 . . ~. REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER ,OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. CVII authority to market dead and down timber from their reservation clur-ing the season of 1838 a,ud 1889. The authority osme too late to bqbf full benefit to them, and as the act above referred to requires that said' . authority to be valid must be rene\ved "from year to year," in the President's discretion, I wrote to their agent on August 6,1889, calling his attention to the followil~gp aragraph in the act above referred to: But whenever there is reasonable cause to believe that such timberhas been killed, burned, girdled, or otherwiae injured, for the purpose of securing its sale under this , act, then in thst case such authority shall not be granted. And informed him that, before I could recommend to theDepartment that the President be requested to renew the authority, it would be necessary for me to have an answer to each of the following questions: (1) Has there been any timber killed by dre, girdling, or otherwiae, by the Meno-moneoa during the p a t year for the purpose of having it sold nnder this act 1 (2) Can they be relied upon not to start my fire in the woods or to injure or out any itanding preen tree I (3) Are all members of the tribe willing that those who can may log and sell tim-ber for their own benefit, provided 10 per cent. of the gross proceeds is set aside for the stumpage or poor fund? (4) Whet means do yon propose to use toinsnre that the Indians will neither starb , . firee nor damage or cut green standing timber l In reply, the agent, under date of August 19,1889, said in substance as follows : (1) No timbcr has been intentiondly killed or otherwise injured on the Menomo- '. ' nee Reservation. (2) These Indians know that cbargea of atarting fires are hrooght sgainst them by interested white lombermen, which makes them doubly cautious. During the pant spring they have been oonstantly on the alert to prevent fifes from reaohing the line I : of their reservation, and in their efforts sere as well organieed ras white men could be , , '. so that all damage of consequence was prevented. (3) All members of the tribe are willing &at those who oan be allowed to lumber , , on the baais explained. (4) The rule for the past three yeara has been that any Indian guilty of killing or cutting green standing timber forfeits hi8 right to log, and all ;are nnder the super-vision of the police and the agenoy farmer, who keep a close watch on them. The 14th of the following September I submitted this report, and recommended that the President be requested to renew the authority he granted March 2 and 8, 1889, and that the regulations then pre: scribed be also renewed, except as to seetioh 6, which I suggestad should be changed to read as follows: (6) The l o p shall He out and banked nr otherwise mads ready for sale s t such plaoe or places and in nuch mmuuer as the agent shall direct, and shall be sold at puhllo sale to the highest bidder either by eontiin or by calling for aesled bids, atthe discretion of the Secretary of the Interior, in s n ~ hle ts as sha!l he mast expedient, and onder the personal direction of the agsnt, for oaah, after at leapt two weekd notice by publication in neaspspcrs st the places where the uaosl markets for logs exist, and where beat oalcnlated to give notice; also, hg snch other means aa shall give greatest publicity. |
