, 1868-05-01
INDIAN Delerale, in congress.

Indian DeLegate9 IN congress-
EKtroR SrArEsMAx IL fiud in oyerhauling my
6les of Congressional papers, that bill has been
introduced authorizing the election Of Indian
delegates to Congress, and allowing Indians to
preempt lands and become citizens. This pro-
ject originates with General Sherman and the
members of the Indian Peace Commission, aud
is warmly endorsed by those gentlemen. Now,
since the Indians on the plains have fought,
robbed, aud murdered themselves up to citizen
ship, and to seat iu Congress, it is nothing
more than fair that the peaceable quiet tribes in
this Territory should have, at least small sho v
at this Congressional citizenship" or will they
be required 10 "Go thou and do likewise" before
any notice will be taken Of them by the powers
that be2 Taking it for granted thatour Sidwash-
e. will have the same show with those on the
plains, and l having lived among them these
many years, and having whipped, shot and huEg
them for their misdeeds, and have, in conse-
quence of my early treatment of them-always
on the square-been for several years their
(Cbief) adviser; have their language writtea !;
know we'll their wants and wishes why can't I
doff my Boston attire and don that of the SID
nash; yea. even the brtch cloth, blanket and
leggins, and by the investment of two bits in
an2 think the thing is feasible. can theu
get to wire.working among my "tillacums" for
the nomination to Congress, get that and my
election would be sure and then couldn't
strut off to Washington, dressed in all the sur
plus toga of "Tyee" Ia Ia 10. Meek) of ue
Walla Wallas, Cayuses, Umatillas and YakimaI |
oh no, guss notI am well aware of the dutiesof
delegate to Congress; took lessons on this sth
ject while at Olympia the past winter; in fact Iat>
tended full course of lectures on this importint
subject, and think have got it down to Tot
10 the first place, at requires a man of a lfrge
heartW alt requires a man of great understand
ing I" ait requires a man that thoroughly yum
derstands his constituency" (Who knows the
Indians better than do y at requires a nan
who will remember his friends and punish bis
enemies, &C., to the end of the lecture. Cne
of the duties of Indian delegate to Congress, &C.
cordiug to the above extract, is to see that be
Indians are not swindled by the purchase of b.
dian "ictas" for the Department. am Of TIE
opinion that / could do this. should certai6y
see that if my Indians required plows, that they
did not receive knitting kneedles, and if they wtn
ted horse collars, that they should not be sen a
few hundred dozen gumeldstic CATERS. (See Ssns
ator Nesmith report on Indian affAirs.) should
not recommend schools or churches to be esbb-
lished among my tribes. don't believe in my
such nonsense among the present generatiot of
Indians. would, however, recommend bat
the children of my tribes, when they reachel a
proper age, be removed entirely away from teir
people, and put into an industrial college, there
to be kept until they arrived at proper ige
The system of educating, or trying to edrate
the children of any Indian tribes, in the hidst
of their barbarous parents, and permitting the
children to mix with them every day, is all rem
sense nothing but time and money cal be
wasted in this way. Ifyou want to makeAnys
thing out of an Indian, take him while yet yong
and remove him entirely away from the hau4s of
vice, Of his own degraded race. If you wait to
make the meanest Indian yet known to iau
send a white child among the Indians, ther to
be reared to their satisfaction, and not let bin
mix with the whites, and see what be will ONE
forth. guarantee you will find him the man
est in the deck. To my adult (Siawash) IONS
stituency, l would recommend good farming and
plenty of farming implements good farmr to
instruct them in the art of farming also aid
from government to enable them to build mall
houses, and carpenters for one year to rect
them annuities for FIVE years in the sha,e of
blankets only, and then let the products ofheir
own labor, and the increase of their stockfur.
nish them with everything else they may iced
This thing OF shipping to the Indians OF this
coast, gmblets, darning kneedles, shoes wh pa
per soles, gumelastic CATERS, Jewsharps, mall,
round mirrors, about the size of a half oHar
and fine broad cloth of various colors is al non.
sense and should be stopped. Did you evr see
any of our Indians use any such articles save
the mirrors, which they hang round their hecks
as an ornament2 No. The blanket furnishes
clothing and leggings buckskins and 4yuse
horse finishes bis outfit. Should the proposition
of General Sherman pass Congress, i wilbe the
coming Sidtrdsh man it is just the "psish"
ior old CUM'UX.
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