The Treaties of Canada with the Indians of Manitoba and the North-West Territories / Including the Negotiations on Which They Were Based, and Other Information Relating Thereto

by Alexander Morris

COTE--"The same man that has spoken will speak yet."

KA-KIE-SHE-WAY (Loud Voice)--"This is the one who will speak; after he speaks I will show what I have to say."

LIEUT.-GOV. MORRIS--"Understand me, what I want to know is, does he speak for the nations. If you prefer to speak by the voice of an orator I am glad. All we want is to hear the voice of the people, and I asked you at first to choose among yourselves those who would speak for you; therefore I am glad to hear the man you have chosen, and I am glad to hear that after he has done the Chief will speak to us."

THE GAMBLER--"Saturday we met, we spoke to each other, we met at such a time as this time, and again we said we would tell each other something; now, then, we will report to each other a little again. This Company man that we were speaking about, I do not hate him; as I loved him before I love him still, and I also want that the way he loved me at first he should love me the same; still, I wish that the Company would keep at his work the same as he did; that I want to be signed on the paper. I want you to put it with your own hands. After he puts that there it is given to the Indians, then there will be another article to speak about. The Indians want the Company to keep at their post and nothing beyond. After that is signed they will talk about something else."

LIEUT.-GOV. MORRIS--"I told you on Saturday that I had nothing to do with the Company. The Company have a right to trade. I cannot make them buy goods and bring them here, or stop them from bringing them. I dare say some of you are traders; you do not ask me whether you shall buy

goods and sell them again, and I do not stop you. It is the same way with the Company. If they make money in bringing goods here they will bring them just as they used to do; and I want you to understand it fully, the Company may have a little more money than the white traders, or the Half-breeds, or the Indians, but they have no more right, they have no more privileges, to trade than the Indians, or the Half-breeds, or the whites; and that is written with a higher hand than ours, and we have no power to write anything, or to add anything, to what is written and remains in the Queen's house beyond the sea."

THE GAMBLER--"I do not want to drive the Company anywhere. What I said is, that they are to remain here at their house. Supposing you wanted to take them away, I would not let them go. I want them to remain here to have nothing but the trade. I do not hate them; we always exchange with them, and would die if they went away."

LIEUT.-GOV. MORRIS--"I do not know whether we rightly understand or not. I think you have spoken wise words; the Company helps you to live, and they have a right to sell goods as other traders. I do not know that I understand you rightly, that you do not want them to sell goods anywhere except at the posts; to keep at their posts there. If that is what you mean, I cannot say yes to that; they have the same right to sell goods anywhere that you have. They are no longer as they were once. The Government of the country, I think I told you that before--understand me distinctly--the Government have nothing to do with the Company, but the Company and all their servants are subjects of the Queen and love and obey her laws. The day has gone past when they made the laws. They have to hear the laws the Queen makes, and like good subjects submit to them."

THE GAMBLER--"The Company is not to carry anything out into the country, but are to trade in the Fort. That is what we want signed on the paper; then we will talk on other subjects."

LIEUT.-GOV. MORRIS--"I have told you before, and I tell you again, that the Company as traders have the right to sell goods anywhere they please, just as you have, just as the whites have, just as the Half-breeds have, and we have no power to take it away from them. If the Company were to ask me to say to you that you were not to trade anywhere except in their Fort by the lake, you would think it very hard, and I would say to the Company, No, you shall not interfere with the Indians throughout our land. I would like to give you pleasure but I cannot do wrong; we won't deceive you with smooth words. We will tell you the simple truth what we can do and what we cannot do, but we cannot interfere as you ask us."