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COMMITTEE ON INDIAN AFFAIRS.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

SIXTY-SEVENTH CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION.

HOMER P. SNYDER, New York, Chairman.

PHILIP B. CAMPBELL, Kansas.
ROYAL C. JOHNSON, South Dakota.
FREDERICK W. DALLINGER, Massachusetts.
ALBERT W. JEFFERIS, Nebraska.

R. CLINT COLE, Ohio.

JOHN REBER, Pennsylvania.

ALICE M. ROBERTSON, Oklahoma.

E. O. LEATHERWOOD, Utah.
NESTOR MONTOYA, New Mexico.

L. M. GENSMAN, Oklahoma.

SIDNEY C. ROACH, Missouri.

WASHINGTON J. MCCORMICK, Montana.
OLGER B. BURTNESS, North Dakota.

DAN A. SUTHERLAND, Alaska.

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CARL HAYDEN, Arizona.
WILLIAM J. SEARS, Florida.
ZEBULON WEAVER, North Carolina.
F. B. SWANK, Oklahoma.

ROSS A. COLLINS, Mississippi.

HAMPTON P. FULMER, South Carolina.
MORGAN G. SANDERS, Texas.

H. E. DEVENDORF, Clerk.

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
RECEIVED

6 1924

DOCUMENTS DIVISION

CLAIMS AGAINST CERTAIN CHIPPEWA BANDS.

COMMITTEE ON INDIAN AFFAIRS,
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
Thursday, January 12, 1922.

The CHAIRMAN. The committee this day met, Hon. Homer P. Snyder (chairman) presiding.

The CHAIRMAN. The committee will come to order. The matter before us is H. R. 6872, a bill by Mr. Davis of Minnesota.

On this bill I have a report from the Interior Department dated January 7, 1922. I will ask Mr. Meritt to read that and it can be put into the record later.

Mr. MERITT. Yes, sir.

[Reading:]

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR,
Washington, January 7, 1922.

Hon. HOMER P. SNYDER,

Chairman Committee on Indian Affairs, House of Representatives.

MY DEAR MR. SNYDER: I have your letter of November 17 requesting a report on H. R. 6872, a bill to defray expenses of litigation and proceedings instituted by direction of the General Council of the Chippewa Indians of Minnesota.

The purpose of the bill is to pay the attorney for services and expenses alleged to have been rendered at the instance of the general council of the said Chippewa Indians of Minnesota. The only attorney that has filed any claini in this department against the Chippewa Indians is Mr. Webster Ballinger, of Washington, D. C.

Mr. Ballinger has asserted that he has represented the Chippewa Indians for a number of years in matters before the department and committees of Congress and that there is a balance due him, for services and expenses, of the amount stated in the pending bill. Not having any approved contract, this account has not been paid. He has, however, during a period of years assumed to represent these Indians, and has been quite active in matters in which they are concerned with the Indian Bureau and the department.

At present there is a division in the tribe of the Chippewa Indians; they are divided into two distinct factions. One protests and objects to any moneys being expended on account of the other. The department refuses to recognize any expenses incurred by either faction. Mr. Ballinger represents that the services rendered and expenses incurred for which he is seeking payment were mostly before the present factional differences existed.

For the reasons stated, I am unable to recommend the enactment of H. R. 6872, though, if the Congress finds that the services of Mr. Ballinger have been legally rendered and that he has not been fully compensated and should see fit to authorize an expenditure of the funds of the Chippewa Indians for the purposes of paying him, I shall offer no objection thereto.

Sincerely,

E. C. FINNEY, Acting Secretary.

STATEMENT OF MR. WEBSTER BALLINGER, ATTORNEY, WASHINGTON, D. C.

The CHAIRMAN. Mr. Ballinger is here and I think we should give him a few moments, say 10 minutes, to tell us what there is on this claim, and what the claim is, and how much there is involved in the proposition. If agreeable to the committee he may proceed now.

Mr. BALLINGER. Yes.

The CHAIRMAN. It is a matter you are deeply interested in and if you have not time enough now we will give you more time later.

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