24
in
relation to these claims. "Any agreement
that we may enter into for the western
portion of
your reservation will in no way effect the claims that you speak of,
other than
to aid in bringing them before the Department more forcibly." Each of those individual claims that you
speak
of will be settled and determined upon its own merits, and any
agreement that
we may enter into for a portion of your reservation will contain a
provision to
that effect, by incorporating in the agreement words something to this
effect: "That
nothing in this agreement shall be construed to deprive the Indians of
any
benefits to which they are entitled under existing treaties or
agreements."
The cession of the
western portion of your
reservation is an independent proposition and entirely different from
what your
last agreement was. This is something
in which you people of Red Lake Agency alone have any interest, that
is, provided
you take advantage of my presence here and my readiness to meet you on
common
grounds and a fair proposition, and you don't want to keep your ears
closed so
as not to hear what I am going to say. You
hare an opportunity now to protect yourselves in a way
that there
are no other Indians in the country that can be better protected. Your agreement of 1889 does not protect
you
as a tribe and as an Agency fully. There
has been a certain tract of land described, and
certain boundary
lines within which you may take allotments, and under that agreement
(which
this book contains, indicating), the Government could at any time order
allotments made to you and all the surplus lands would be declared open
for
settlement, under the same conditions that your other ceded lands are. That is the pine land portions that were
appraised and sold for less than their appraised value, and the
agricultural
land opened to settlement under the homestead acts at $1.25 per acre. I am in a position at this time, having
been sent here by the Secretary of the Interior to negotiate with you,
to make
a bargain that will protect you, and establish your undisputed right to
the
possession of
