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that you have given me in regular order and in concise form the different grievances and claims that you hare.  It will enable me to report and present them to the Department Officials in the exact words that you have given them to me, and anything that I can do towards helping you in the matter I will do it with pleasure.  Now there are some matters that I wish to speak to you of, things that I noted down as your statements were being made.

The first is that of the 13 townships which you speak of as having been opened in Polk County, near where Fosston is, that is something that I am not familiar with. But the stenographer's notes here will bring it to my attention, and when I reach Washington I shall ascertain how that land came to be opened, and have you advised.

How as to your treaty line that you speak of, I notice that it is given by the agreement of 1863, as commencing at the point you stated, and runs through to the Wild Rice River and ceded all the lands lying west of that line, through to the Red River, also the valley of the Red River over in North Dakota.

In regard to your timber that you claim was cut on this side of your boundary line within your reservation, I shall also ascertain what was done with the proceeds.  I have the reputation of telling the Indians the truth even if my words are sometimes unpleasant to hear as it is better that they know the truth; better than honeyed words more pleasing to the ear, but not true and misleading, which eventually brings disappointment.

In regard to the navigation of your streams and lakes.   The agreement that you made in 1889 clearly provides that all waterways within the reservation therein described are to be free for commercial purposes to all citizens of the United States, nothing is said about number of Boats, whether there is to be 1 Boat, 2 Boats, 50 Boats or 100 Boats.  The waters are free to navigation.  Free transportation on the Boats that are navigating these streams should have been