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Show REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. 51 best timber; and eaoh seems to have gone systematically to work to hoodwink or debauch the Indian allottees in order to secure their good will and timber. In many instances an dlottee would make a contract to sell his timber to t.wo or more, even as high as five, different firms, when there would be a long and bitter fight between the lumber men to determine who should have it. Indeed, on the Bad River Rcserw-tion at one time the logging camps are said to have resembled the encampment of an army. Armed forces were maintained by the firm . \ : in possession of a certain body of timber to prevent encroachments by the forces of other lumber men who claimed a better right thereto. The Indian mas mostly paid for his timber in merchandise (each lum-ber firm had a store on the reservation), on which the lnmberman made a good profit. Some were paid large sums of money, which would be squandered in one night in gambling and drink. The system now in operation .under this agency is different. The office has decided upon the policy of allowing only one logger on each reservation. The lumberman is required to pay for the timber in cash to the agent, and the Indian is permitted to have money to be used only for proper purposes, such as building a house on his allotment or I otherwise improving his land to adaptit for agricultural use, and when his cl~eckis honored the farmer on the reservation is required to see that be spends the money for the purpose designated. Under this sys-tem many of the Indians on the Lac du Flambeau Reservation, mhere logging has been going on the longest, have built very comfortable honses on their allotments, and all have warm clothing to protect them in the bitter winters of that region and plenty to eat all the year round. Xe~omonee Reservation, Green Bay Agenoy, Wig.-September 26,1894, \ the Department, on recommendation of this office, granted authority for the agent at the Green Bay Agency to arrange with and employ the Menomonee Indians to cut and bank as much as practicable of the 6,009,000 feet (estimated) of timber remaining on ground already cut over, arid to cut and bank 11,000,000 feet from virgin pine landslander the rules a,nd regulations that governed similar operations in the year 1893. This office was also authorized to instruct the agent to commence logging operations on or before November 1,1894, compensation to the Indiana to be at such reasonable rates as might he obtainable, not exceeding $6 per 1,000 for pine and 992.50 per 1,000 for other kinds of timber. Instructions of November 4,1893, in relation to the cutting of tops an& butts into shingle bolts were also approved for the year 1894. September 29,1894, this office, in compliance with the above author-ity, issued t l ~ efo llowing instructions to Agent Savage at the Green Bay Agency: In reply to your letter of 12th instant, you are informed that under date of 26th instant, the Department llas approved the rules far Menolnonee logging in force laat season, and they axe to govern this season's work, of which rules yon no donbt have a copy. |
