The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1878-01-29

Tuesday, Jan. 90, 1878.
CONCERNING THE RED MAN.

u
1t will be remembered that Col. T..
G. Watkins. of the Indian Bureau, paid
Puget Sound and Oregon visit last
summer. His report to the Depart
ment Of the Interior has just been sent
to the Senate by Secretary Schurz. He
suggests plans for the restoration to
the public domain OF large area of
land now occupied as reservations,
which are of no real use to the Indians.
He divides Indians into two classes
sgriculturists and fishermen. The for
mer he recommends be colonized (all
west of the Csscades) upon the Puyal-
iup Reservation, which. in his opinion.
is plenty large for that purpose and
that all ssvages OF a piscatoriA turn OF
mind be consolidated upous the Reser-
walton at Neah Bay. This will abolish
the Tulslip. skokomish and Quinault
Reservations. throwing the srea Of
those bodies of land into market for
white settlers.
He recommends the removal of the
Warm Springs and Umatills Indians
from those points in Oregon to the
Yakima Reservation in this Territory !:
and that all Indians in the northeast
portion of the Territory be consolidated
on the Columbia river above its juno
ton with the Spokane. The estimated
cost of these removals will be about
$4,000. which will be paid back
speedily by the sales to settlers Of such
vacsted lands - will be thrown into
market by the removal Of the Indians
He also suggests that before any of
these lands are restored to the public
domain, all Indians qualified for citi-
ssnship shall be preferred claimants for
homestcads on such lands. This is the
first step towards the adoption Of the
British policy relating to Indians-giv.
ing them absolute title to lands like
white men, and then holding them
amenable to tho same laws and punish.
ments - white men.
In oil this we eco nothing Of the boz
gus philsnthropist, such as have dis
graced the Indian Department in days
OF yore; but plain and practical man.
who has not only made study of the
Indian character, but also. possesses
thorough and complete knowledge of
the country in which these Indians are
to be kept. His suggestions. if adopted,
will make the Indians just as well Of
and the white settlers good deal bet
ter. 1t will throw . few men out Of
Office and compel them to go to work
for living, but that is no hardship. It
will open up homes for two thousand
families in single county in Eastern
Oregon. besides giving all those IN
diabs good homes 1t Fort Simcoe under
the carsof Father WILDER. whose record
proves him to be the red mans fast
friend. Like the red deer, the Indians
are dwindling rapidly away and before
another century has rolled by, the. res
srvations, at Fort Simcoe and Neah Bay
will be large enough to hold them all.
Disease and filthy habits have proven
more disastrous to them than bullets
and arrows; and before the present CEN
fury will have closed. they will have
become % scarce that the fame of old
Seattle himself will seem more like
tradition than history. It is true that
Commissioner Hoyt disapprovcs the
plan recommended by Col. Watkins;
but by the majority of our people it
will be commended a. excellent in its
design and humane in its purposes We
hope the Senate will have the good
sense to adopt it.