The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1879-01-10
Siletz u. s. Indian Agency.

1t has been my intention, ever since l
came on this reservation, as soon as was
=. sufficiently acquainted to enable me to give
a correct statement, and put "a just estimate
on the condition of things here, to write an
article for your paper and right here I am
admonished, by a correspondent of the Sa-
lem Statesman, "ithat no reliance whatever
can be placed instatements that go out from
this reservation" they being such exagger-
ations.. I shall feel somewhat relieved from
any fear on this point in writing for your
paper, knowing that most of your readers
are sufficiently acquainted with me to enable
them to make all due allowance for the {" ex-
aggeration-"
i As a general rule, the Indians here
are industrious and are trying to make
a living for themselves they no more
live in groups, as separate tribes, but
have, nearly all of tkem. or at least the
heads of families, taken their land as sur
veyed, and have built houses on the same
and are making, some more and some less,
improvements. cannot say just how many
houses there are, l counted something over
a hundred and twenty, last Summer, soon af-
ter Icame here, and they are constantly build
ing as fast as the mill eau supply lumber
These houses range all the way from twelve
to fourteen feet square, up to one eighteen by
thirty-fve, with a kitchen running back
with porch and wood shed. Quite number
OF them have good barns, with granaries to
hold thair Soma nf tbap, still lya
their beds ON the floor, while perhaps one
half have bedsteads and tables, and perhaps
one-third of them have their cooking stoves;
and, indeed, some of their houses would
lose nothing by comparison with many of the
whites. AS a general rule they go decently
in dress, wearing clothes that are more costly
than their circumstances would justify !;
in this respect they are about like white
people.
! The school is III prosperous condition,
for an Indian school; an average daily at
tendance of over fifty children, five or six
of these are white children, belonging to
employees. AS for the progress of the chill
dren, all things considered, it is all that
could be expected. In order to obviate the
difficulty arising from the distance that
many of the children have to come to school,
provis; on is made to furnish them their din
ners, in the shape of a lunch, and they are
| furnished, to some extent, with clothing,
and the little girls are taught to make their
own clothes. Steps are being taken to build
Io, o1 sxx,bi 10
mostly on the ground, and, as understand,
the carpenters are only waiting for the foun-
dation to be laid, to raise the building; when
this is done the school will be converted in
! to a manual labor school, where the girls
will be educated in all the arts of house
keeping while the boys will be required to
work on the farm, at trades, and all will
be kept at the school and away from the in
fiuences of their former Indian habits.
We have we'll organized church, under
the efficient and jealous labors of Rev. I.
F. Royal. aided and sustained by most of
the employees, in which our excellent agent
takes very deep interest, and is most ef-
fectual worker. l cannot see but the In
dians are as orderly in their department as
the whites, and as0ncere in their profess
sions. know of but one standard by which
we can judge of the genuineness OF any
mans religion, and did not make that
standard. Judge the tree by itsfruits, is
the only rule know, and tested by this rule,
the Indians here lose nothing by comparison
with whites. In the application of any rule,
we must ever bear in mind "that where
little is given little is required. AS for the
progress in industrial pursuits, it is certainly
onward. By a late circular to the agent,
each employe is required to take two ap-
prentices, to be instructed in the different
departments of labor.
We also have, by instructions from Wash
ington, a police force, whose duty 1t IS to
keep order on the reservation, which Is dl-
vided into districts, and each district IS as
signed to policeman, who reports to the
Chief of Police who is white man and one
of the employees. The remainder OF the
force are Indians. This works admirably.
1t has had good effect, so far, In checking
crime on the reservation, and we recently
had fine illustration of its beneficial effects
on a certain class of white men. Not long
since a white man came ON the reservation
about noon, and stopped at an Indian house.
in sight of and within a mile Of the agency
The Indian tried to get him to go to the
agency, but he refused. So when 1T was
dark the Indian, fearing that this man was
after no good, gave notice to the ponce
whereupon he was arrested, and III the aD
) sence of the agent, brought up to'head-quar'
: tiers and not being able to give satlsfac
tory reason for his conduct, was, by tine
writer of this article, as Chief OF Police
and ex-officio agent in the absence OF Mr.
Bagley, ordered to be placed IN the guare
house until morning, when he was taken out
: given his breakfast, and sent under the es
cort of an Indian policeman, off the reserva
ton. While on his way, he confessed to thu
!, Indian that his object was to get squav
j for wife, and live among the Indians tha
e he had had one squaw wife and wanted an
other. This is the man that the correspond
C-1 S0y. Ina