Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1863-02-14

EDITOR STANDARD -" I submit for your
special consideration whether our Indian sys.
tenn should not be remodelled. Many wise
and good men have been impressed with tho
belief, that this can be proftably done."-
" President Lincoln's Message to Congress,
Dec. 1862"
Senator Nssmith. Of Oregon, said in the
Senate of the United States, In his remarks
OIL the Indian appropriation bill, May. 1862.
III there is any ono Department Of our Gov
ernment worse managed than another. it is
that which relates to our Indian affairs. Mis-
management, bad faith, fraud. peculation, and
downright robbery, have been its distin-
gushing features Its defects have their orr
gin in being organized on n wrong basis.
When William Penn met in Council with
the 6Delawares and Mingoes, in 1852, and
made that celebrated treaty, which Voltaire
ksn," there was something approaching to
equality between the contracting parties.
Neither was sufficiently powerful to impose
unjust or unreasonable terms upon the other,
aud, while honesty and fair dealing character.
lied the compact, neither Of the parties de.
sired nor could they afford to violate its pro.
visions.
Since the days of William Penn, the weak
and scattered settlements of white men, have
grown to be powerful nation. Yet the poll
cy Of treating with, and regarding the Indians
as independent nations, which had its origin in
our own weakness has been continued, and
we daily witness the farce and buresque on
diplomacy. when the Government of the Uni
ted States OH ono hand, and poor degraded
band of stolid, halfstarved and naked dig
gers on the other, constitute the high con-
tracing partie>.'"
l am one Of those who are fully convinced
that our whole system Of treaty making is
wrong, have 80 stated my views in my
published work on "T'he North west Coast" a
work written by me and published before the
close of our Indian war. l will quote from that
work to show that my Judgment was correct.
as events have subsequently proved.
! was alluding particularly to treaty
which Gov. Stevens attempted to make, with
the Chehalis and other bands in 1855, at
which l was present by his invitation. The
treaty was not consummated owing to the de.
fection Of some of the Chehalis chiefs.
remark, page 34S: "Our whole system
Of treaty.making is wrong with these frontier
Indians; they cannot be made to understand
why the Agents sont to them to make treaties,
are not empowered to close the bargain at
once. instead Of referring the matter back to
Washington and waiting tho tardy action of
Government. They contrasted
this dlatory policy Of the American Govern,
ment with the prompt and decided course of
the Hudson's Bay Company. and as a natural
conclusion, were led to look on the Governors
and Factors of the company. as Of vastly
more importance than either the Governor Of
the Territory, or their Great Father in Wash.
ington. who is regarded by them as sort of a
myth.
The wise policy (of the Hudson's Bay Coz
should he initiated by our Government so far
with Indians that shall take effect at the time
Of the agreement, and this can easily be done
Let Congress. (by suitable commissioners as.
certain what the land proposed to be pur.
chased is worth, and then appropriate sum
Of money to be expended in it's purchase. and
allow the Agents to have the same Judgment
in the expenditure, as is now done to commits.
sionsrs, either for purchasing site for light
house. custom.house, or stofice. or for con-
structing military road. 1t is folly to think
Of treating with the wild Indians of tho
Northwest, will, the same formality we are
wont to adopt toward foreign nation. They
know nothing Of law or Of law terms all they
want, il to have matters AZ simple as possible
If they agree to take a stated sum for their
lands, they consider the trade the same as to
sell horse. or canoe, or peltry. 1t is to
them nothing more nor less than a trade, and
they want their money, or blankets, or what
ever equivalent that may be agreed upon.
paid, and the trade closed. have
no hesitation in asserting, that, had Congress
agreed upon certain sum to have been paid
to extinguish the Indian title in Washington
Territory. and had empowered Gov. Stevens,
when he first went to the Territory, to have
closed all the treaties as soon 40 he should
have made them, he would not only have ef.
fected final settlement with the whole body
Of Indians in that section Of our country, ami
cably. but have made saving Of millions to
the Treasury which will have to be expended
before the present war is brought to close"
could quote still further from my remarks
upon this subject, but at present prefer to re.
fer those interested, to the matter contained
in "The Northwest Coast" between pages
367 to 375. Those views, written several
years ago. are still held by me-, aud my fur
ther intercourse with the Indian tribes Of this
frontier. strengthens my belief that these
views are correct,
I was in Washington with Gov. Stevens
during the winter Of 1878, at the time he
was first in Congress as our Delegate, He
was using all his exertions to have the treat.
ies he had made ratified. and to have our war
debt passed. HI had been bitterly assailsd.
both in Cougrees and out. BY the friends and