The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1857-12-17

tion IN relation to them To supply this deficiency
submit interesting COMMUNICATION upon the subject
from Lieut. y Mowry, Of the army, who has for some
time been stationed In the country and appears 10 be
well informed in regard To the character and disposition
Of the Indians inhabiting It,
The Indians OF the plains within the Upper Arkansas
and Upper Platte agencies and embracing the Apaches
Arapahoes cumanches, Cheyennes, and Kioways, have
with the exception of the two latter been quiet and peace
fully disposed during the year. The Cheyennes have
been In open hostility, and committed many outrages
and though they chastised during the summer by
body Of troops under the command Of Colonel Sumner of
the army is feared that they not yet sufficiently sub
dued to expect that they will abstain from further awless
acts when opportunities offer Of ndugng their feelings Of
hostility In consequence of their bad conduct their pro
portion of the annuity presents sent out for them and tho
other Indians Of the Upper Arkansas agency was not de
lvered to them Nor should the Koways who have also
manifested decidedly hostile disposition, have received
their share but the agent compelled to let them
have it to prevent their taking It by force
To keep the tribes inhabng and roaming through the
country the Upper Arkansas under proper subecton
and to protect communication with New Mexico, it
would be essential that there should be military
post established at some proper point in that region
The scanty information have in regard to the In
dams of Utah is not reliable satisfactory. 1t much
be feared that they have been tampered with and their
feelings towards the United States alienaed to such
extent by the Monnons that in any difficulties with the
latter large portion of them may be found the side Of
those enemies Of government and laws, Such state
Of things has been apprehended by this Office for
time, win be seen from the accompanying copies of
Indian Affairs to your predecessor in 1855.
The superintendent for California reports that universal
peace prevails among the tribes throughout the State
that not hostile sentiment Is entertained by the In
dans any portion OF the State and general feeling
security peryades the entire white population" He fur
ther states that the progress Of the reservations at
tended with great degree Of could be
pected desired by the most sangnne friend of that sys
tenn - that sthe Indians perform with entire willingness
all the labor required and that hc progress they have
made in acquiring knowledge Of the pursuits Of indus
try il remarkable and in the highest degree encouraging
to the friends Of the system of subsstig Indians by their
own labor. Among other interesting evidences Of this
good result he cites the fact that at the Nome Lake.
cryaon the wheat crop of this year. consisting of
ten Thousand bushels, was entirely harvested hresbed
sacked and hauled to the storehouse by the Indians at
tended only by two white men .ss.s.st
An extreme drought has cut off the crop the reser
vations In the southern part OF the State and additional
expense may have to be incurred to the Indians
suffering from that cause, which every effort is being
made to prevent rMaE# Ea,
Five reservations in nil have been established viz
sebastion Tejon, Klamath, Nome Lakee, Mendocino
and Fresno farm, ON which about III ,239 Indians have
been coonized and in Of being successfully
trained to habits OF industry From the Representations
of the superintendent there must be marked difference
in the habits and condition of those who have settled
the reservations and tose who have yet submitted
themselves to this beneeent plan for their preservation
and improvement A most reprehensible practice has
prevailed to some extent in California of kidnapping In
dian children and selling them for servants This prac
to say that it has been condemned and
by the great mass OF the people There have however,
been difficulties growing Of IL but energetic
measures having been adopted by the sup
press it, and some OF the parties engaged in 1t having
been convicted and sent to the pententary IL believed
that there will not be renewal of these troubles
gc number of claims have been presented for payment
for supplies furnished the Indian service in California
ring the years 1851 and 1852, which have been paid
for want of appropriations but which been constantly
pressed this Office Attention called to this mat
ter by Commissioner Lea, on the 7th April 1852, in a
communication to the Secretary of the Interior in which
he recommended that appropriation should be made
to enable the department TO investigate the claims
the 18th OF the same month in response to resolution
of the Senate he renewed this recommendation but no
action taken by Congress in reference to il until 1854
when by the act of 29th duly of that year. special ap
preparation of sl83s25, with interest thereon from the
first day of june 1851 ut the rate of ten per cenum per
! annum made to pay John Charles Fremont who
of the claimants Congress having thus acknowl
edged the validity of these claims beg leave to
| the recommendation Of Commissioner Lea that they
should be Investigated with view to their fsal settle
nent As the matter stands at present. OF the
missioners charged with large of money and
they aege that they surrounded with such state
of affairs to make these expenditures necessary In
der to avert Indian war; and that their action did have
that effect 1t is proper that their conduct should be
vcsgated and ii found justihabe, that they should be
relieved from such heavy liabilities and have their
counts adjusted with the government.
would invite special attention the report of the
pcrntendent for Oregon and Washington from which il
appears to be manifest that relations with the Indians
in those Territories In very critical condition. and that
under the existing state of things there is constant liza
blity to general outbreak their part from any dis
turbing cause which must involve the expenditure of
millions TO subdue them well the most amentable
loss Of life and property by the insuficeny protected
white inhabitants The nonratcation of the treaties
heretofore made to extinguish their title to the lands
necessary for the occupancy and of citizens
to have produced little disappointment and the
tnued extension of settlement into their territory
without any compensation being made to them is
slant of dissatisfaction and hostile feeling They
represented being willing to dispose OF their land
| to the government and know of alternative to the
present unsatisfactory and dangerous state of things but
the adoption of early for the extngushment Of
their title, and their colonization properly located
ervatons using and applying their consideration agreed
to be allowed to them for their lands to subsst and
cothe them until they be taught and influenced to
support and sustain themselves The losses and damage
to the government and to the citizens resulting from
another general outbreak the part OF these Indians
would probably, fully equal IL not exceed in amount
what would be necessary buy out aud colonize them
that they could be etfectuay controlled II not inn
proved and civilized n AZ 49, IS an
Our settlements, well the friendly Indians along
Puget sound and the waters of Admiralty inlet suffer
eriay from the pre- atory nonsions the Indians from
Vaneouvers island and the other adjacent British and
Russian possessions They enterprising, warke
race and generally make their expeditions by water in
large Canoes OF them large enough carry
hundred men, which they propel with much swiftness
To afford the necessary protection to people from their
frequent depredatons the employment of light -daught
armed steamer in those waters to intercept and chastse