, 1877-12-08
The Indian Question.
PoRr AsesLEs. Nov. %. 1877.

Tho Inaian ousstien. s.
PoRr AsoELrs. Nov. %. 1877.
To THE EDITOR OF Tm DmPA1cH:
Having read some Of your comments
on the past Indian war, also on the pres.
ent system of treating Indians, and es,
teeming it matter of great importance
Ito settlers on the western slope Of the
Rocky Mountaps. and more particu.
larly to those in this Territory, where
large tracts Of good agricultural land
have been locked up by designing In
dian agents from settlers, which never
will be utilized until the Indians are
treated as part of the great whole Of
this country. desire to express few
opinions on the subject which observa>
ton and experience have suggested:
Settlers on Puget Sound and the water
front OF this Territory have nothing to
part of our labor population. and in
many instances compare very favorabiy
with their white neighbors. / have
lived over twenty years in an Indian
country. and for several years in the
vicinity of reservations. and if all are
conducted on the same principle dom
wonder at the Indians becoming hos
tile and going on the war-path.
The whole Indian tribes are disgusted
with their present treatment. With the
exception of work, they are treated as
oil y,nAoe ho n$ GhvSmkson-
Ling them. If they dare resist any Of
the petty laws of an agent. war is de-
clared and troops sent for tc enforce
them.
My experience with Indians proves
to me that they ale not fools but close
observers. If an agent does not prac-
tice what he breaches they soon find it
out. and draw their own inferences,
which nually lessons their respect,
if they ever had any, for the Bostons.
have no doubt that the Government
intends we'll toward the Indians, and
would like to see them self-sustalning
and mingled with their white brethren
in the various pursuits of life, but they
certainly do not 60 about it tight. In
stead of isolating them on reservations.
and feeding them apart from eli civili.
zatton, it would be better when practi-
cable to let them mingle with the whites
and break up tribal relations if possi<
BILE. The great cry of agents is bad
white men and whisky, which sounds
we'll at the end of quarterly reports. If
the Indians of Puget Sound were al
lowed to buy whisky and drink il. SUBJ
ject to the same fines and penalties for
drunkenness as white men, there would
not be half the number Of dranken In
dians as there are now. AL the courts
and laws. assisted by agents, will not
keep an Indian from getting whisky if
he wants it--which the agent ought to
know by this time, for there is not q
court convenes in the Puget Sound dis.
t-icss without Indians prowling around
with marked half dollars Supplied them
by parties to catch some unfortunate
white man and send him to the peni-
tentiary.
Occasionally the Indians do make
themselves heard outside, and COM
mission is ssppointed to investigate their
grievances, but it reminds one of hunt
ing deer with pair Of Scotch bag
pipes. Agents and employees are pre-
pared weeks before they arrive. and
everything is cut and dried. The agent
appoints his own interpreter, who il
instructed to say just what the agent
wants. A few school children are taught
to repeat. like parrots. a few hymns and
verses from the Bible. A few sacks of
flour, little sugar and tea are distribu-
ted among few of the most turbulent
ones. and au agent is prepared for the
High Joints when they arrive. The
tribe are called together and the grand
pow WOW is opened with prayer. None
of the Indian troubles. are heard, nor
have they a chance to be heard. After
great deal of praying and irrelevant
talk about the Great Father in Wash
ington. the Commissioners conclude
their Investigations. retire to the agent 8
house for more prayer and lunch, and
the Indian returns to his lodge in dis
gust aud everything is lovely with the
:gent Cor another year or two. or the
Indians break out in open revolt and
become hostile to the whole white race.
Now claim that it is every settler .
business to find out and know the in-
visible workings of these institutions,
for if there is revolt among them there
is no knowing who may be the first
victim. Strange to say. no agent has
been killed by them, no matter how
much they may hate Linn. Perhaps
the indians think them not worth kill
ing. or that the Bostons would not feel
bad about it. SO they generally 60 for
the first white family that may have
settled near them
If the Government would abolish
agencies and reservations on Puget
Sound the Indians and whites would be
better off, and thousands of dollars be
saved which are now thrown away upon
few drones who have nothing to show
for it but cheek.
They talk of Christianizing Indians!
That was played out when old Jim
Beckwith was chief. of the Crows. II
! all the Christianized Indians were col>
lected together there would not be suf-
ficient to fill one of the pews IN Bro.
Rays stone church, and then it would
not be safe to pass the contribution box
to that pew last. RUsTLsR.
WHEN the earth shook at Tacoma,
the other morning, the wife of a
prominent resident poked him under