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other improvements. Each man will receive his own individual allowance. The payment for such improvements will not come out of the price I offer for the ceded tract: that will be made separate and apart from the land, and it will be so provided in the agreement. But those of you who remain out there must bear in mind that to hold your locations you must take allotments at once.

We will now adjourn until any time you send for me.
Council adjourned at 3.30 p. m.

Council reconvened Saturday, March 8, 9 o'clock p. m.

Mr. MCLAUGHLIN. My friends, I understand you wish to see me, and I am ready to hear what you have to say.

SHAH WEUM AH CUM IG ISH KUNG. My friend, now is the time that we must talk together.

The authority that you have from the Government, I have similar authority from the Indians here. These Indians have talked over your proposition and have done a good deal of thinking over the matter. They have never heretofore done as they do now in making up their minds to do one thing. The way it has been heretofore the Indians have accepted anything that the white man has proposed to them. You have the authority and you want to make a success of what you are sent here for, and we want to be successful also.

Now, my friend, I will tall you what I think is the value of what you come to ask me for. This is the piece of land that I was keeping for my children that you are here asking me for. I value my land, that you ask for, at $10 per acre. That will be the only price that I will be willing to sell that land for. As long as earth lasts that land will be there. There is a great deal of money derived from lands that have been ceded by those Indians, and that is why I have set this price on the land you have come to get from me. We are talking here together: God is listening to us: that is why I do not want anything but the truth. That is all that I want to say to

you.

KE ME WUM. I will now tell you the wish of these Indians that you come to visit, labout the property you ask for. My friend, you have asked from me a good deal of and. That land is very nice land. That land that you came to ask me for is the and that I thought the most of, and that is the only piece of land that we have on he reservation that is of that quality. And now we have made each other understand the values that we have set. Of course I know that you are white and that you have riches; that you know how to take care of your riches, and that is why these Indians have told you that they know why you want this land. After that land is plowed, that you come to ask me for, it will increase in value. There is something else on that land which, if we cut and secure, we can sell, and that is hay. Now, God is a witness to what we have said to each other.

Mr. MCLAUGHLIN. I want to first ask my friend here if he did not make a mistake in the price he set upon the land. It don't seem possible that he means $10 per acre, because that price is out of all reason. Now, my friends, I explained the matter very fully yesterday when I made you the offer of $3.75 per acre. It is $1.25 per acre more than I ever offered for Indian reservation land or ever had to pay for such a cession. When I made you the offer I did it with full knowledge of what I was doing. I drove over your land, through about the center of it, and over the best portion of it, along Red Lake River from Thief River Falls to this point. It would be a great pleasure for me to give you a higher price for your land if I thought it was worth more and thought that Congress would ratify it. I know there are men in Congress who will oppose it very much at the price I offer, but I believe a sufficient number will understand its value and accept my report upon it.

The Department officials, knowing me to be conservative, have confidence in me, expecting me to deal fairly both with the Indians and with the Government, and therefore don't hamper me much with instructions, leaving matters largely to my judgment, and the only fault found with me is that they think I sometimes allow too high a price for land. I can allow a higher price for your lands than a person who was not so familiar with the work, for the reason that from my many years' continuous service with the Indians my reports when they go before Congress receive due consideration. I believe in offering Indians a good price for their lands beginning, rather than start at lower figures and finally allow what should have been offered in the beginning. That is why I allowed you so high a price. I also offered to increase the acreage that you might take as allotments, doubling the quantity that you are entitled to under present laws. My friends, I am not insisting on your tak ing allotments at this time, but I want you to understand the advantages of having the privilege of taking double the amount of land that you are now entitled to when you do take allotments, and have a provision to that effect in any agreement that we

may make. This is a matter for you to determine, but I am advising you to accept such, as it will be for your best interests. Many of you old people may not care for allotments, but your children will need them, and to have the privilege of taking 160 acres instead of 80 acres will be of great advantage to all of you.

I am inclined to think that my friend who asked such an exorbitant price for the land a few minutes ago and with whom I have been talking Sioux must have been joking when he said he wanted $10 per acre. If I should entertain such a proposition I would be regarded as having lost my reasoning faculties and would be called back to be doctored..

Now, my friends, I want to state another reason why I have been sent here without being hampered and tied down by instructions, which is that the Department believes me capable to negotiate an agreement that Congress will ratify; also that I know it would be useless for me to conclude an agreement with you people that would not be accepted by Congress, at least without reasonable belief that it would meet with approval. The price that I have offered you represents a large sum of money; if that money should all be in silver dollars, it would take a great many teams and wagons to haul it. Now, I will repeat the sum again. At $3.75 per acre, that land amounts to $960,670. The first payment would be made to you within ninety days after the agreement is ratified by Congress; that is about as soon as the money could be gotten around. It would be $260,670 for the first payment, or about $195 apiece for 1,340 persons, which would be 8 persons more than you now have on your rolls.

After the large first payment, it leaves $70,000 a year for ten years. That is the amount for 1,340 persons as now on the rolls of your agency, and divided among that number would be $52.20 for each man, woman, and child each year for ten years. You see my friends that this is a very large amount of money. In silver it would be over 31 wagonloads; it would be over 31 tons. The amount of money is very easily spoken, but if you think it over you will see what it represents. The great advantage of this payment is that it is a plain business transaction; it is not contingent or dependent upon any outside matter. The first payment would depend entirely upon when the agreement would be ratified by Congress. If I get this agreement before Congress any time within the next ten days, I hope to see it acted upon this session. Congress has two sessions. The first session is a long one, and the second session is a short one. This is the long session, and therefore no knowing when it adjourns. However, as soon as the agreement would be ratified you would receive your first payment within ninety days thereafter.

Now, My friends, I do not see how I can add anything more to my explanations. Everything that I have said to you up to the present time has been taken down here by the stenographer. Every word that I have said and what you have said is recorded here and a copy is left with you. It is unnecessary for me to say anything more, and I hope you will see the wisdom of accepting this liberal offer that I have made you. This is Saturday night, and I would like very much to come to some agreement with you this evening, that I might prepare the agreement. I never hold any councils on Sunday, but I could make out the agreements so as to have it ready to read to you Monday morning. It would take me some time to prepare it; it is several hours' work. The agreement would be written in duplicate, one copy forwarded to the Secretary of the Interior and the other left here at the agency. After it is signed by me, and by you people, and the witnesses, not a single word, letter, or punctuation mark of it can be changed without coming back for your concurrence. It has to be accepted entire, else rejected in toto.

One thing must be determined before I can write out the agreement, and that is to ascertain the number of you people, if any, who intend to remain on the ceded portion. If they all come in here, it is very simple. What I men by being "simple" is that in case they all decide to come in the amount of money that I have stated to you will remain just as stated, but if any decide to remain on the ceded tract I have to allow 80 acres of land for each person so remaining. It will reduce the total amount proportionately, and we would not have to make any allowance for payment. of improvements of the persons remaining there. Now, my friends, you have the question before you; it is for you to decide.

AID DUS O KE ZHIG. Well, my friend, I do not want to stay over there. I want. to come within the reservation.

Mr. MCLAUGHLIN. Every person that moves in from there upon the diminished reservation will receive a certain amount in proportion to the value of his improvements. Some of the improvements are better and worth more than others.

BAY BAUM E GISH E WAY SKUNG (GEORGE HYLANDING). Well, my friend, I will say to you what I think. I make my expressions just as these Indians here have talked matters over. We want the treaty of 1889 amended. We want to make

a treaty with you. We want to accept a treaty from you, if you can pay us a little more than what your offer is. I have my house over at Highlanding; I don't want to remain there. I want to come in upon the reservation.

Mr. MCLAUGHLIN. I wish to say something now that will only interest those people who are living on that land that will be ceded. Coming through that section I noticed a number of well-kept graves along the way. The relatives will probably want to bring these into the reservation when they come. I will add to the price offered sufficient to pay for removing the dead to the diminished reservation, if they wish to bring them in here.

SHAH WEUM AH CUM IG ISH KUNG. One thing that has been making me feel very bad is that I have a grave out at my place. I did not want the white man to disregard the grave. I came up here from there some time ago, and a Norwegian set my house on fire and burned it up. The only thing that I have there now is the little garden that I had when I had my house. I don't want to stay over there. I want to come here. It is the wish of all the Indians to have us Indians out there to come in upon the reservation, and it is also the wish of all of us out there to come in. GIE ME WEUM. We are not quite through with our talk with you. We have already told you about our former treaties and all that is lying around us. will attend to to-morrow. We have only said a little to you of what we want to say. One and all of us want this reservation that will be left here for us to remain intact for at least forty years, so that nobody can disturb us in that time. The coming generation will probably do different when they grow up. They will probably hear the old people talk about pine in their days. That is what we are going to leave to our children. We want to hold this land for forty years before it can be sold. If disposed of we have to give our consent to the Government.

That is what we

Mr. MCLAUGHLIN. My friends, you all look pleasant, and I feel pleasant also. I think we are just in the right humor for some of you to rise up and say that you accept my offer, and then designate about six men, two or three of your young men who speak, read, and write the English language and two or three of you old men, to come with me to the office and prepare the agreement, so as to have it ready for Monday morning. Remember, my friends, it requires the signatures of all of you people. You have been very patient in remaining here all week, but I want you to remain until I have your names to the agreement. After that you are at liberty to go to your homes. I don't want to tax your patience too far; but if you will remain here to-morrow and Monday, I would like it very much. I have arranged with the overseer, Mr. Sullivan, to get some beef and have it here Monday morning for you people, and I hope that those of you people here to-night will send for your friends who have gone home, or who have not been at any of our councils, so that they may be here Monday to sign the agreement.

Now, I put the question, Do you accept my proposition and will you appoint the committee to meet me to-morrow at 1 o'clock at the office to commence preparing the agreement upon the lines that we have been talking of?

(No answer.)

I wish to say that after the agreement is prepared it will be brought here in council and read to you. Every word will be explained to you, section by section and paragraph by paragraph, so that you will understand it before any of you are asked to sign it.

GAY BAY GOB BOW. We will excuse you for to-night, for we wish to stay here and talk over the matter.

Mr. MCLAUGHLIN. I will retire from the council, and if you accept my proposal let me know, so that I may prepare the agreement, and I will say before bidding you good night that I hope you will see the wisdom of accepting my offer and come to that conclusion to-night, so that I can prepare the papers to-morrow.

Council adjourned Saturday 11.30 p. m.

Council reconvened Monday, March 10, 9.30 a. m.

Mr. MCLAUGHLIN. My friends, we adjourned Saturday night, and I was expecting a reply sometime during the night, but am very well pleased that you have taken this time to consider the matter and that you have had two nights and all day yesterday to deliberate. You are probably ready now to give me a definite answer, and I am ready to hear your decision.

GAY BAY GOB BOW. When we were here together night before last we said at that time that $10 per acre would be the prices we would ask for that land. There was a mistake made; we didn't mean to ask $10; it was $5. It was $5 an acre that we meant, and therefore we want to put this price of $5 an acre before you for your consideration; but if you will not give us $5 per acre we will insist upon $4 per acre, and will not accept anything less. We wish to hear if you will allow us $4 per acre.

My friend, we have been meeting here for quite a long time now, and of course the Indians have wished to talk over matters, and find out which would be the best for them, and for that reason we have taken so much time. This year has been very uncomfortable and I think now that we ought to come to an understanding and conclude our agreement to-day if possible. We put this matter before you for your consideration, and we want you to think it over and see if you can agree with our wishes after you have given it due consideration.

It is

Mr. MCLAUGHLIN. My friends, we are now very close together as to price. certainly very gratifying to me to hear your proposition of this morning. It would afford me great pleasure to meet your wishes as to the price, and while there is some discretionary power vested in me in this matter, you must bear in mind that any agreement we may conclude must be such as will meet with Department approval and ratification by Congress. It would be absurd to enter into an agreement with you that I know would be rejected, and must therefore be such as I have reason to expect will meet with approval.

If you people will promise me to pay for the improvements of those who are now located on the tract ceded and have elected to come within the diminished reservation, also for the removal of the dead buried within the cession, I will make you another proposition. The amount that I am going to recommend for the payment for the improvements of those people is $4,200 and for the removal of the dead $800, making a total of $5,000. If you will promise that out of the first payment made to you of this purchase money that every man, woman, and child (beneficiaries of the payment) will turn over to the disbursing officer who makes the payment the sun of $4 each, so that he may pay to each of the persons to be compensated for his or her improvements thus abandoned, which will be paid to such persons in proportion to the value of their respective improvements and for the removal of their dead to the diminished reservation, I will make the lump sum consideration $1,000,000. The first payment of which to be $250,000 within ninety days after the agreement is ratified and the remainder, $750,000, to be divided into fifteen annual payments of $50,000 each. I make this offer as we are now so near together on price, and this is more than splitting the difference with you. The period of annual payments is extended in this offer to fifteen years instead of ten years, as in my former offer, but I think this longer period better for you, especially with the increased offer.

I have a list of the people who have improvements on the tract of land that will be ceded. There are 42 families, a total of 129 persons, on the tract. I intended to have an item of $4,200 for the improvements that those people have done on that land and $800 for the removal of the dead, making a total of $5,000 to be paid to those people who come in here on the reservation. If you will meet that expense I will meet you part way on your proposition, and, in case you accept my proposition, the manner of payments will be somewhat changed from the suggestion that I made you in the first offer. My friends, you have been so good since we have assembled in our councils and been so patient and willing to discuss this matter so thoroughly among yourselves, and so very gentlemanly with me, that my heart has warmed for you very much, and I want to do the very best for you that can be gotten through Congress.

There are 1,332 of you people on the rolls to-day, and if each of you persons turn in $4 out of the first payment it would make more than the necessary $5,000. Turn this amount over to your agent for him to pay to those of you who abandon your locations in the ceded tract, in proportion to the value of the respective improvements. On those conditions I will give you an even million dollars for the cession (that is a fraction over $3.90 per acre), of which amount I would have the agreement provide for the payment to you of $250,000 for the first payment within ninety days after the ratification of the agreement, and figuring upon 1,340 persons, as in the other proposition, would be $186.55 per capita for each man, woman, and child for the first payment, and the remaining $750,000 to be divided into fifteen annual installments of $50,000 each, which, figured upon a basis of 1,340 persons, would be $37.30 per capita for each man, woman, and child for fifteen years.

Now, my friends, you have heard two propositions from me, the one of $960,670 which I have offered you before, with $260.670 for the first payment and ten annual installments for the remainder, and I will add $5,000 to that first offer to pay Indians coming within the diminished reservation for their improvements on the ceded tract and for removal of their dead. You now have both my offers. In their first offer the Government pays for the improvements of those who abandon their improvements out there. My second offer is over $39,000 more, but you are to reimburse the Indians coming in from the ceded tract, the amount of which is not to exceed $5,000. My first offer provides for one large payment and ten annual

installments for the remainder. My last offer is $1,000,000, with one large payment and remainder in fifteen annual installments. My last offer is $34,330 more than my first offer, after providing $5,000 for removal of the Indians.

Now, my friends, had you not been so patient and reasonable in your demands I would not have made you this offer, and it may meet with disapproval, but I hope my report in the premises will make it properly understood by the Department and by Congress, and that it will be accepted. A million dollars in even money; you can all keep track of that; there is no fraction of dollars in it. One-fourth of the entire amount $250,000-is for the first payment, the other three-fourths, or $750,000, will be paid to you in fifteen annual installments of $50,000 each.

My friends, I am very reluctant to make you this offer, but you have done your part real well, and I feel that I want to do the best I can to meet your wishes. Now, you can determine upon which of these propositions you will accept, and I am ready to prepare the agreement on either offer, but above this last offer that I have made it is absolutely impossible for me to raise one cent.

Council adjourned at 11 a. m., Monday, March 10.

Council reconvened Monday, 2 p. m., March 10, 1902.

Mr. MCLAUGHLIN. My friends, I have responded to your call. I am now here to receive your answer.

WAM WAAH WE YAZ CUMIG. I want to say a few words to you just as I think. It is twice now that I have come to the councils that you have been holding with the Indians here, and the first time I was here you was called on to show your authority. When your authority was read, I felt that I understood it thoroughly. I listened attentively to the reading of your authority to see if I could catch anything that would cause me to be afraid of anything, but I could not see anything of that in the authority when it was read to me. The authority that was given you, as it was read to me and as I understood it, you have the authority to come here and make a treaty with the Indians, one that will be fair to each side. Everybody was glad when they understood your authority, that in making the treaty it should be for the benefit of both sides, and anything done should not be unjust to either side, and that anything done should be for the good of both sides.

So, my friend, you don't want to be surprised if it takes us long to come to a conclusion, as we must think what will be the best for us to take. We will think of what you have said, and then we will make up our minds as to which will be the best for us. We don't expect to labor very long until we come to a conclusion. We are getting close to an understanding, and it won't be long now until we make an agreement. We have told you that you must take our proposition if we cede the land that you are asking us for, and must make the treaty on our proposition. There are a few more wishes that we are going to place before you for your consideration and to hear what you will say regarding them.

I do not think, if your authority had been otherwise than it is, that I would have sat in one place longer than a second unless you would have given me a new mind or have made a different man out of me.

I will now bring up the discussion that these men have had since you left this room. There is nothing outside that we want to talk about, only what we are talking about inside shall be included in our treaty. In regard to the division that you said would be made of the money coming from this treaty, we expect that all of it will be included in the payment, also to pay certain Indians for their improvements abandoned and for the removal of their dead. We had a general discussion in regard to the first payment that will be made. We discussed about the first payment and decided that each Indian should receive $200, so we have placed it before you to hear if you will accept our proposition, and to figure up how much money we will receive for the balance of the fourteen years after the first payment. That is one matter that we want you to consider. We want $300,000 for the first payment, and the balance, $700,000 to be paid in fourteen years after that. This would also make the payments one year shorter than what your proposition is. As soon as we hear what you have to say to our last proposition we will have something more to say to you.

Mr. MCLAUGHLIN. I am very much pleased that we are so near agreeing, and I wish to reply to the question of my friend. His desire is for a larger first payment. I considered that matter well before making you that last offer, and I reached the conclusion that this amount of payment was best for you. My offer for the first ayment is just one-fourth of the entire purchase price, the remainder to be paid in fifteen annual installments. Now, if you will consider you will see the disproportion of what you are thus to receive with that you are to receive during the following fifteen years. It would not be to your interests to receive any more of the money

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