| OCR Text |
Show was directed also to add to the list the names of the descendants of those on the roll born since the date of the former census. The census taken by the McCumber Commission in 1892 contained 1,879 names. The new census, taken under the instructions just men-tioned, contained 2,094 names. The question of the rights of certain persons to enrollment was submitted to the Department, and on January 24, 1905, the Assistant Attorney-General rendered his opinion that the reservation was established for the Turtle Mountain band of Chippewa Indians, and that every right given them by the agreementwas given to every member of the tribe without discrimination and irrespective of the source or amount of Indian blood; indeed, that a member may have no Indian blood in his veins; and that, as membership in the tribe is the sole qualification and test, if one is amember of the tribe he is entitled to the benefits of the agreement, and if he is not he is entitled to nothing und6r the agreement. On August 26, 1905, there mere submitted to the Department 72 dpplications for enrollment, including 286 names. On October 25 . the Department approved of the enrollment of 35 of this number, rejected 250, and suspended 1 for further consideration, and o&lered 11 names stricken from the McCumber roll. Later there were submitted to this Office about 200 applications, including some 500 names, which had not been considered by the . superintendent. They were therefore mailed to him with instruc- tions to make a thoro investigation and present his views as to the rights of these applicants to enrollment. He reported that the applications had been prepared by unscrupulous Indians who ken charging the applicants a considerable fee for their work, and that, as the applicants lived from 75 to 150 miles from his headquarters and far away from any officer or employee of the Indian Service, the investigation proposed would take an unreasonable time and pm-tracted correspondence. Believing that a large number of the appli-cations .were not worthy of so much trouble, he submitted the follow-ing rules to govern their consideration: Applicants coming from Canada since the date of the McCumber treaty are absolutely prohibited from membership in the tribe, except they can show they were horn and raised on or near the Turtle Mountain Reservation and had gone to Canada temporarily. Persons having received land scrip or other benefits as Canadian Indians ormixt bloods since the McCumber treaty are absoluteiy debarred from application for enrollment. Applicants not living on the 9,000,00Baere tract at the time of the Mecumber treaty are debarred from applying unless they can show they were born and raised on or near the Turtle Mountain Reservation and were absent temporarily ' only. Applicants who may have been living on that tract at time of the Mo Cumber treaty and who. have since permanently removed therefrom are also debarred. |
