New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-07-19
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA.


MADE BY THE INDIAN AGRNTs~NEChsSAl1i hA-
FORMS IN OUR INDIAN POLICY.
rpov az occ ,sroNAI CORRESPONDENT OF TIE TiiBuNi'
CLEAR LAKE, Cal, July Ga part OF Round
Valley IN MendOcinO County, Is set apart anu "seu i
an Indian reservation and under tno posoi' pOOI u
the Administration, attempt has peen n"'o W saeV
and keen all the Indians Of the Northern coast Vi |
fornla upon this reserve. In point OF i'o' 'os "o ~
nearly all there 1O5l men, women ana ohiluren' uo-
ordno IN n census recently taken, OF nearly l2VO ac-
cordng 10 the Rev. Mr. Burchard, the lndlhh AGENT
ara actually within tho reservation lines anu "oo'
! 400 are absent, at work Tor themselves VI Iva
white men, but have the nghI W 0olo
In at any time to DO clothou "nu M
pornS valley ia PLAIN surrounded by high mountains
The plain is mostly excellent agricultural land; INC
mountain slopes are valuable for grazing Inc RESERVE
tom contains IT Is said GOOO0 but only small
mart of tins is plain about onethrd or perhaps only
ouarer Of the whole valley The remainder Is occupied by
white farmers and there Is rude little town. Coyeto
I'm the center Of the valley about mile and ba nom
the reservation house, The reservation has MIL store-
houses the houses Of the agent and his snbordnates
two schoohouses and the hus OF the Indians; all are
either rough board one-rOOmed shaGtes, or nero wig
vans built by themselves of brush, with peculiar low
entrances into ALL You must creep al-folrs. These
they prefer for Summer USE and found that number
Of the board shantes empty and the doors naed
up. their owners sensbiy preierng TO live IN brush
houses during the hot weather. When arrived NJ the
agency the Indians receiving their ration OF HOUR
and rs they gathered in a great courtyard had IN
opportunity 10 examine them They are short, dark
skinned generally ugly, stout, and were dressed IN va
rous STYLES but always in such clothing as they get
from the Government, not in their native costume.
Among several hundred women saw not one even toll
erably cOmely or consplcuousy clean or neit; but
saw several hundred men very well dressed lhcy car
Rcd OF their ratiOns In baskets which they make, ana
which are waer-ught. The Agent or superintendent,
Mr Burcbard very obligiugly showed me through the
camp and answered my questions aud what follows oil
information gained in this way
A RESERVATION VILLAGE.
The Indian shantics contain a Fireplace bed place.
sometimes a table once / saw small store-rOom ana
on the walls hung dresses shoes, hsnnSnets aud other
propertv OF the occupants. Tho agent pointed ont 10
me that in most OF the houses there were bags OF Hour
and meal slowed away, and remarked, Whatever they
may say against the President, 10 one can say That
ne does not make the Indians comfortahle" and IL IS
true that saw everywhere ia the camp h' evidence OF
abundant supplies Of food and sufficient clothing in the
possess ion OF the Indians. The superintendent said 10
me They have plenty Of everything; they have often
several bag, Of hlr in tho houi' a once; no man can
s,v they are wron,ed." TITO c1rthcn f.oS Of tan
houses we're unusually clearly swept there Az wells
at w-j.h tlo people Go5 wafer; the schao,Aou-'' "e
well furrif ic1, md good as tie average country
merely physical kind. Tie agent, Mr Burchard'
seems to be a genuinely kind person, smple-heared,
and should think honest and his assistants. whom
saw struck me as re pectIble men. Indeed, several
persons IN the valley unccunected with le reservation
told me that under Mr. Burchards rule the Indians were
much better treated than by his predecessor sup
pose therefore that one Of the most favorable cx
amples OF the reservation system IatiacG Tho 81 sem
therefore, 30 far o. least applies to the Indians OF
fIIe "a
when 1 say That 1t pecc Of cruel aud stupid mis-
management and waste for which there is no excuse
except IN the ignorance Of the President who con-
tnues IT,
DIsGRAcEFUL METHODS AND RESULTS or TIE REsERvA-
TIJS SYSTEM.
Most OF the indians Of these northern coast coun-
ties es well as those Of Southern California, have Tor
some years been a valuable iaboring force for the
farmers. They were employed TO cloar land, to make
hay and In many other ayOcatOus about tho farm they
lived usually in little rancheros, The irm-lonses
the women washed and did chores for the whites about
the houses and there has been Tor least hall dozen
years. pretense that their presence among the
whites dangcrp 10 these dr. B-rchard toid me
himself It'd. moro than hall the Indian men at Round
Valley were competent farmers, ana that the Indian
women used at the agency houses os servants and
made excellent and competent house-hclp Scattered
through Potter Little Lake, Usiah and other valleys,
they wore earning their living and number o. farmers
81 this region have assured me that H was Bcrou dis
advantage 70 them lose the help OF these Indians
Nor was 1t even necessary TO speak their Ian
guage in order 70 their labor, for tho agent
told me that Of the Pot or valley une-eEtLs tUoak
English; Of the PIT, Rivers, fourliihs; OF the Little
Lakes twothirds; OF the ECdw00ds, thFccquartcs Of
tho C0ncOWs and CapcllJs, twO-tIIds. Tic WylacAes
and Ulies speak less; they have been, believe, longer
on the reservation. As I walked through the Indian
camp, English was as often spoken in my hearing
Indian.
H. The removal Of the useful and sc'f Importing part
Of the Indian population 70 the reservation brought
about by means which are o disgrace tO tine U4teI
States Government. There is in all this northern
try class OF WLjes ignorant, easily led TO evil
and extremely jealous Of what they imagine to be- their
rights. Among these somebody fomcntcd Jealousy Of
the Indians was raid that they took the bread OF
white mems mouths; that their labor mtcrercd with
the white men, and forth. In fact suspect that tho
Indians were too respectable aud there people in
this State who say that 20 the interest OF Iu
dian Bureau TO have the whites hate the Indians. They
were az industrious aud harmless people; even the
squaws worked The Indian mon had learned
10 take contracts for clearing land, wedding fields, 90.
and many OF them were 90 trustworthy iG4t the farmers
made them small advances where II WAS necessary
They were not turbulent; and surprised to DC told
that drunkenness among them. Alter secret
deliberations among the mean whites melted by no Que
knows who, and headed by tho dclnaSOgues who are
never found wanting when dirty work ia to DO done,
petition was sent to the State Superintendent at san
Francisco for the removal OF the Indians but tho more
decent people immediately prepared aud sent up cOun-
ter petition, stating the whole case This Wac IN tho
Spring OF 1872. do not know tho state indian Agent;
but am told that he besacd dad not act, and In May
Of that year mob without authority from him or from
anybody else without notice TO tho indians, with
out giving these poor Creatures time TO gather up her
household goods, 10 arrange tIoir Attie Affairs,
! drove them out OK their houses aud sixty
| miles over o cruel road, 10 the reservation.
! Against this act OF laWless violence toward
peaccablc and selisupparng men AID women, WHO are
/ 7 nothe oGiri.uy called tho u.tlgug upf,r,,r. h,