MARCH 1958
KLAMATH TRIBUNE
Page 3
ELECTION DISCUSSIONS (cont.)
(Continued from Page 1)
willing to pay.
Many questions were raised
from the floor following Wilcox's
discussion of the election itself.
He emphasized that the ballots
must he notarized, and that per
sons failing to complete and re
turn these ballots by the dead
line date will automatically have
their shares placed under the plan
of management. lie indicated,
however, that if the present law
is amended, the Specialists will
recommend that tribal members
be given an opportunity to change
their decisions in a second elec
tion. Bcatty Meeting Held
On March 18 these same ques
tions were 'discussed by Wilcox
before a gathering of about
seventy five tribal members at
the Beatty Community Hall. Tom
Watters, management specialist,
was also present and discussed
these matters informally after the
meeting with individual tribal
members. This meeting was con
tinued at the Methodist Church
in Beatty on March 25, with Wil
cox again being present to dis
cuss thjL election and related
matters with approximately fifty
tribal members. He repeated his
emphasis that under 'the terms of
the present law, with volume
sales being required in a rela
tively short period of time, the
price received for timber sold
will be somewhat less than the
full-appraised value. He pointed
out that how much less thcselling
price will be can only be estimated
at this time.
Lumber Market Discussed
Mr. Wilcox again used graphs
in a discussion of overall lumber
market trends since 1954 and
pointed out that based on what
the market has done in the past
it is possible to make predictions
as to the future trends. He stated
that this year the lumber market
is still declining and probably will
continue to do so until mid-year,
at which time it may start back
up. He observed, however, that
the general recession may push
the market down further but
found a bright spot in the picture
in a recent increase in housing
starts. In all events, he empha
sized, sales of tribal timber under
the termination law are likely to
start before there is any notice
able market recovery.
"While some may be dubious
about the election," he stated, "it
should be realized that few peo
ple have the opportunity to make
Mich an election. With either
choice you have good opportuni
ties if you use your funds wisely.
If you remain, you retain the
value of possession, continue an
interest in property which may
increase in value."
Following the discussion. Boyd
Jackson, Wade Crawford, and J.
L. Kirk, all members of the Ince
ntive Committee, made state
ments. Mr. Jackson raised cer
tain objections to the selling of
the tribal property at anything
less than the full-appraised value.
Mr. Crawford pointed out that
those remaining in the manage
ment plan will have very little
to say about the running thereof.
While it was brought out that re
maining members will have a pre
ferential right to meet the high
bid on any grazing land in the
management area which is put
up for sale, Mr. Crawford ob
served that remaining members
will ljave no voice in saying what
land will be sold. He questioned
the value of the right of remain
ing members to meet the high bid
on such lands, pointing out that
anyone, withdrawing members,
remaining members, or otherwise,
can acquire such property by
making the high bid on it
Mr. Crawford asserted that it
was unfair to set a realization
value on the tribal property of
75 per cent of the full-appraised
value and sell it off for that.
"If restrictions are placed on
the property," he stated, "no
lumber company will pay the full
value."
Mr. Crawford also raised ob
jections to the method planned
for sale of tribal assets to pay
off withdrawing members, argu
ing that the property should be
advertised as a whole and sold off
at one time rather than over a
period of time approximating two
years. He agreed that the pro
perty should be sold in relatively
small economic units rather than
in one or more large units but
contended that these smaller quits
should all be disposed of at one
advertised sale.
Following Mr. Crawford's
statement. J. L. Kirk read to the
group a letter from Senator Xeu
berger appearing in the Herald
and Xews of March 25. Mr. Kirk
mentioned briefly that the present
law would allow unrestricted sale
while the administration bill
would set up miiiic restrictions,
and closed by urging tribal mem
bers to weight heavily all tin
facts before making their election.
POSITION TAKEN BY CRAWFORD AT
WASHINGTON HEARINGS SET FORTH
The February issue of the Tri
bune reported at length on the
testimony of four tribal delegates
to the recent Washington hear
ings. The information given in
that issue was taken largely from
a report to the Klamath Tribe
dated Feb. U. 15S, from Mr. (Hen
Wilkenson, tribal attorney. A re
port of the testimony made by
Wade and Ida Crawford, who
were also present at the hearings
as tribal delegates, was included
in Wilkenson's report but was
not incorporated into the Febru
ary issue of the Tribune since
Mr. and Mrs. Crawford had not
signed the report. Since it was
known that their views as expres
sed at the hearings were differ
erent from those of the other
tribal delegates and since no re
port had been received from them
it was felt necessary to withhold
the report of their testimony un
til they had had an opportunity
to make additional comments.
That portion of the Feb. 13 re
port from Mr. Wilkenson which
Acting Secretary
Clarifies Trusts
In reply to certain questions
concerning trust agreements for
minor members of the Tribe,
raised by Klamath delegates to
the recent Washington, D.C.,
hearings, acting Secretary of the
Interior. Hatfield Chilson stated
in a telegram to the Kxecutive
Committee dated Feb. 28. 158,
that it had been concluded that
"it is impracticable to provide for
each Klamath parent to negotiate
a trust arrangement for his or
her minor children . . . ". The
acting Secretary further stated
that "it is undesirable to have the
trust agreement terminate when
the minor reaches majority."
Mr. Chilson pointed out, how
ever, that assistant area director
Don Foster had been instructed
to give the parents the privilege
of selecting the trust banks for
their minor children if the parents
have been designated to make the
election for the minor. He further
statcdthat Mr. Foster had been
directed "to include in the trust
form a provision directing the
trust banks to consult with par
ents with respect to plans for the
disbursement of the minor's trust
property."
Any parent wishing to select a
particular trust bank is urged to
notify the Klamath Agency im
mediately since the Agency is al
ready in the process ! preparing
trust agreements.
relates to Mr. and Mrs. Craw
lord's testimony was gone over
carefully with them and is given
below with their additional com
ments appearing in brackets.
" The first part of the morning
of February 7 was devoted to
questioning, mostly on technical
points, of the tribal attorney. The
remainder of the hearing was de
voted to testimony by Mr, and
Mrs. Wade Crawford."
"Mr. Crawford opened by say
ing that he had been fighting for
individual rights of Indians f..r
thirty years, that he was impa
tient with the argument that vio
lation of the Treaty was involved,
insisting that the Treaty ran lor
only twenty vears and had been
arbitrarily extended by the Presi
dent since that time! He called
attention to the fact that the final
roll of the Tribe had been publish
ed in the Federal Register and
that, under Section l of P. L. 5S7,
rights had now become vested. He
quoted prior testimony of an as
sistant Solicitor to this effect,
but Senator Xeuberger interjec
ted to say that he had opinions
which were contrary to that. Mr.
or Mrs. Wade Crawford made
the following additional points:
"1. Introduced an exhibit re
lating to appointment of admini
strators and employment of at
torneys for estates involving
Klamaths.
"2. Indian claims against the
United States should no longer
be authorized. (Mr. Crawford
wished to emphasize that his
point was that the executive com
mittee cannot obligate $350,tX)
of tribal funds for retention of at
torneys to handle these claims at
this time since the Klamath In-,
diaus now have a Vested interest
in tribal property.)
A petition forwarded by
members of the Tribe showed
that the 210 signatories did not
want any amendments to P.L.
5N7. (According' to Mr. Crawford,
when he instrduced the petition
he stated that it showed that the
petitioners were opposed to bond
proposals and t any additional
delays.)
" I. Four njembers of the Kxec
utive Committee who had pre
ceded him in testifying did not
represent the tribal viewpoint.
"5 He had hern active in the
adoption of the Section 5 provi
sions of P. I,. 5K7.
"o. The Ceneral Council meet
ing of Jul v 2.S. lo I, had accepted
P. I,. 5H7.'
"7. The timber ale. now being
made are illegal and force the In
dians to subsidize sustained
vit Id."