CHIEF FIRE WARDEN. 7 



lands. The law, however, as it now stands, can too 

 easily be evaded, and I repeat that guarantees against 

 causing forest fires should be exacted of railroad com- 

 panies before they are permitted to build roads. 



FIRES ON INDIAN RESERVATIONS. 



While the fire warden law applies to white people on 

 Indian reservations it does not apply to Indians on their 

 reservations; with the view, therefore, to having some 

 regulations adopted that would help to prevent forest 

 fires on Indian reservations I visited Washington in the 

 early part of December last and had satisfactory inter- 

 views with the Secretary of the Interior, the Commis- 

 sioner of the General Land Office and with the Commis- 

 sioner of Indian Affairs, with the result that the latter 

 issued the following regulations and instructions, in form 

 of a letter to the United States Chippewa Indian Agent 

 at White Earth, under date of December 23, 1899. 

 After setting forth provisions of the laws of the United 

 States and of Minnesota for preventing forest fires, the 

 Commissioner's instructions proceed as follows: 



"It is the desire of this office that you use your best endeavors 

 to prevent the Indians, so far as possible, from causing forest or 

 prairie fires on any of the reservations under your charge. To this 

 end you should take such action (by calling the Indians in council 

 at some convenient time, or otherwise) as may be necessary, care- 

 fully to explain to them and all other persons who may be residing 

 upon the reservations or there temporarily, the laws that have been 

 enacted by the State of Minnesota for the protection of its forests 

 — which laws the whites have to obey — and also inform them of 

 the said Act of June 4, 1888, which provides that every person who 

 wantonly destroys any timber upon any Indian reservation or lands 

 of any tribe of Indians shall be punished by a fine of not more than 

 $500, or be imprisoned not more than twelve months, or both, in 

 the discretion of the court. Further, they should be informed that 



