"'Indian Revolution' Charges Dismissed - Chiefs Lectured"

Twenty-one charges against 20 Six Nations Indians involved in the recent "revolution" were dismissed for want of prosecution in magistrate's court here Wednesday.

In accordance with instructions from Attorney-General Kelso Roberts, the Crown presented no evidence.

Fourteen of the 20 charged appeared in court. Among the missing were Chief Joseph Logan, Jr., Ross Powless and Irvin Logan, who have been in hiding in the United States since kidnapping charges were laid against them.

Toronto lawyer Malcolm Montgomery appeared for the missing six.

The charges were for kidnapping, impersonating peace officers, and obstructing police.

The courtroom was filled with Indian spectators who remained quiet through the proceedings.

As soon as all the class had been dismissed, Magistrate J. T. Shillington, QC, aimed a stern lecture at the hereditary chiefs and their supporters.

He said he did not want any of the participants "in this disgraceful affair" to think that non-presentation of prosecution evidence showed any leniency or weakness on the part of the government.

"The government recognizes," he said, "that there are some wrongs which possibly should have been looked into in the past, but which through neglect or oversight have only been brought to the immediate attention of the departments that in the next few weeks and months that with the help of your council, the wise counsel of your chiefs, and with the help of the wise council of department heads, that all the difficulties - real or fancy - which have been looming large in your lives will have been cleared away," said Magistrate Shillington.

He referred to the setting up of a court and justice of the peace on the reserve, recommended by Attorney-General Roberts, as "right and proper."

Crown Attorney C. C. Slemin, informing the court that no prosecution evidence was being presented, warned that the Crown authorities would ""insist on the fullest penalties if there is a repetition of these incidents."

"It is a wonderful thing to remember the past. It is a wonderful thing to use the experience of the past in carrying on in the future. But we must realize that since the world began the sun has risen in the east and set in the west... which would certainly indicate that the hands of time cannot be turned back," he said.

"Progress is the process of living from day to day."

The magistrate said that remembering tradition and past glories was a wonderful thing, but they - (the Indians) - should not try to live in the past.

"These individuals in creating the situation which happened on the Six Nations Reservation did not, in all sincerity, if they gave it any thought want a government to revert back to the methods of living or the ways of living of 100 years ago, and go through what their ancestors went through."

Magistrate Shillington said surely the Indians did not want to go back to the days before all the progress made in the past 50 years. "But that, in effect, was what they asked for, and the young people of the reserve were asked to support it."

He continued: "Surely you did not wish to inflict on the generation here today and on the generations to come tomorrow, the type of life and the type of living without all the advantages of educational facilities and health and welfare facilities? Would you deny your children all that? It is just a matter of common sense.

"We have seen there is no inequality of ability of the persons living on the reserve. We have seen men like Brigadier Martin rise to the very top and Pauline Johnson, who rose to the very top as a poet."

Surely they did not want to rob future generations of that equality, yet that was what __

The 14 Indians who appeared in court Wednesday were: William Johnson, charged with kidnapping and impersonating an officer; Frank Doxtater, Lawrence Nanticoke and John Skye, Jr., charged with obstruction; Arnold General, Ira Bruce Hill, Ross Hill, Peter Jacobs, Carl Johnson, John Kick, Wilfred Logan, Glen Maracle, William Martin and Arthur Powless, charged with impersonating police officers.

Those who did not appear were: Elwood Green, charged with obstruction; Irvin Logan, Robert Porter, Coleman Powless, Ross Powless and Howard Skye, Jr., charged with impersonating police officers.

The three for whom warrants were held on kidnapping charges failed to return from hiding, but their cases were also dismissed.

Mr. Montgomery said they had telephone to get the result of the hearing, and would return to the reserve immediately.

He hailed Attorney-General Roberts' move to dismiss the charges as a wise move. He said it means much more chance that the dispute over governing powers on the reserves here can be setled peacefully.

Chief Councillor E. P. Garlow of the elected council said following the dismissals that he favored the move personally. But, he added, he did not know how other members of the elected council will react. A 10-2 majority favored pressing the charges.

"If they (the hereditary chiefs keep the peace I think things will be all right," he said. 'But if they don't, the minister (Citizenship Minister Ellen Fairclough) has assured me the law will be enforced."