Bozeman avant courier. [volume] (Bozeman, Mont.) 1872-1882, 1877-08-23

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ed to conclude the new treaty. with N,
{ rump OF the council, which. though re-
II lequ'f'ng persuasion to deal ut all with ,h.
= government that had before shown itsel
!, 80 grossly deceitfu!, was induced to con
! sent oy the simple arraeAement of inclu,
'"S the existing possessions OF its members
III 'ne new reservation. The birth plac,
OF Lawyer and the homes Of his adhe.
ren.s M being preserved TO them, they were
: willing to accept even the doubtful secur.
NY OF the United States for nearly half q
'nii'lon OF dollars as a consd, ration fo,
.he sale of tract of land in which thev
had little interest and no title. The trans
ac''on taay be likentd to supposed pur-
'"ase III our colonial times by tie parent
government from the Pennsylyanians of
: thc charter and lands of the New ork
colony, against its earnest protest, with
'ne provision that the latter should
migrate from its home on the Hudson for
some gradged refuge among treacherous
tencm'es-te be driven by force in case of
refusal, and the purchase-money all paid
10 the undlsturbed Quakers. The LAWYER
party could afford to be "frienGly' on
these terms, bu: In fact made little by
their unworthy bargain, for the Govern
ment has been consistently pertdou, even
TO th"m. This new treaty, which, being
unjust and incomplete, should never have
received the appreciation of the Senate.
was not ratified for four years more, so
that While the annuites and other pay.
ments under the old were not paid those
just promised di ! not begin, and when
there was pretencc of fulfilling pledges,
1t was done with such delay and lrregu-
larity as TO be nearly useless. The Terri
tory OF Idaho having been established,
laws were enacted in cirect disregard of
the Intercourse Act and approved py the
Governor, who was ex-ofiicio the local
of Indian affairs, thereby
confusing the aboriginal mind and induc-
ing fear that the "Great Father" had Q
''forked tongue" The allotmeuts of land ;,
with certificate of title, pledged by the
treaty have never yet been 6 ven. and can
not be, because the surveys were made,
against the protest of the agent, in such a
|perfunctory style as 70 leave no inner
metes and bounds with monuments and
records SO as to adjust the lines of farms
1ntermixed with the confused aud un-
certain lines of the tribal fields are the
farms and implements of White
settlers. As, notwithstanding the
treaty, the LAID Office has decided
these claims to be legally held by the
whites. they naturally refuse to go off un
til paid for thfm and the Commissioner of
Indian Affairs thcreupon has repeatedly
asked Congress IN vain for an appropria
|tion to remove this intolcrabIe nuisance
There was small inducement for Joseph
to listen to the voice of the charmer and
abandon his vested rights fo1 the new
reservation.
As if there we're not enough misunder-
standing already occasioned by treaties
and their violation, two contradictory ex
|ecutive orders were issued. The first
was dated June l6, 1873, setting aside a
tract, including the disputed Wallowa
Valley, exclusively for the ''roamina" or
"non-ireaty" Nez Perces, thereby &C
knowledging the justice of their claim to
it, if not the validity of their title, and
they were formally told by the local agent,
under the direction of the Secretary of the
Interior. that they should remain undis'
turbed in possession of this tract, and that
the white settlers, then about one hundred
men, should be removed. This order and
promise were induced by the report of the
Commission of the preceding month,
which came to the following conclusion:
1T any respect is to be paid to the laws
and customs of the Indians, then the
treaty of 1868 is lot binding upon this
band. If so, then Wallowa Valley is still
a part of the Nez Perce reservation. If
this is the case, the Government is in
equity bound to pay white settlers for
their improvements and for the trouble.
inconvenience, and expense OF
removing from there The
Secretary of the Interior directed appraise-
ments to be made of these improvements,
which amounted to the large sum OF $751;
$50, and probably SO frightened Congress
that no motion was introduced to make
the appropriations. II was not realized
that pers,stent national wrong is debt
at compound interest, and that the pay
ment of this equitable obligation in 1874
though it would never have been in
Cured if right and reason had earlier pre-
vailed-would have saved much larger
sum, as well as many lives i'm 1877. AS
M nrovision was made for the settlers.
the exc ecutive order above mentioned was,
perhaps .ecessarily, revoked by another
dated June 10, 1875, which restored the
land to public domain for sale, and 1t has
since been surveyed, forming part oi
Baker County, Oregon. Feridy aud ter
|viversation could no further 90. Joseph
and his band became hopeless OF earthly
iustice and ready victims to the new
prophet, who preached of divine interto-
Isition. The settlers of course remained,
and also, of course. there has been 1oi
Years 4 hostility, sometimes resulting in
collision between them and the Indians
(each party regarding the other as tres
pessers), one OF whom was last year mur"
Idered and his brother this summer ex-
nloded the mine of insurrection By killing
I,he murderer. The desperate rising OF .
fra. varlike and uncivilised people
against iusupportable wrong done by Its
nrofessed guardian hss been tho natural