St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-10-28
Land Sharks st Work.
Special to the Globe.

Special to the Globe.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 27.-Under the
treaty OF 1885, the Puyallup Indians of
Washington Territory were entitled to have
lands allotted to them in severaltY when
they desired it and had complied with GER
tain conditions. The conditions were COM
piled with and the desire expressed a few
days ago. in accordance with the treaty.
The land office about one year and
half ago prepared patents for the
allotment of land to 167 Indians. Since
then on the reservation which the PuyallupS
are located was established the town of
New Tacoma, which has grown up near
the reservation, and branch of the North
ern Pacific railroad has run along close to it.
The land is good, and the proximity of
thriving town and a railroad has made it
valuable. The land sharks of Wash
ington Territory have cast envious eyes on
it and have decided that if they
can help it, it shall not be wasted by being
given to the wretched Indians when the
noble white men could make much wealth
off it if they could get it at the government
price of $3.50 an acre. No sooner was it
learned that patents for these lands were
about to be isuued to individual Indians
than ex-senator Nipple Mitchell went to
Teller, then secretary of the interior, and
asked him to hold up the patents.
The secretary had time enough to accommo-
date Mr.. Mitchell, who was acting as at
terney Tor the railroad company, but he
never got time to let the patents go out.
RECENTLY THE FACT
was brought to the attention of Secretary
Lamar that there were 167 patents for lands
for Puyallup Indians lying in his Office and
| |. - Ill +l,1 For 81
tiles preceding having been con-
sign and issue them, when Mr.. Hippel
Mitchell, again by accident, as it were
learned what was about to be done and he
swooped down upon the secretary and pre-
sented to him so many reasons why the
patents should not be issued, that the
secretary, who had never heard of the case
before, decided it would be safer to inform
| himself of the facts before he went any
further, and the signing and issuing of the
patent has again been delayed for
| investigation. The game of the
spectators is perfectly apparent. Mr.
Mitchell says that the people of New
Tacoma do not like to have Indians so near
| their town as the Puyallups were, and
would be obliged to the secretary if he
would move them away, as they have no
| notion of moving themselves away, although
the Puyallups were where they are now a
long time before New Tacoma came into
existence. The lands of the Puyallups are
now worth SIS to S25 per acre and are GER
tain in few years
TO BE STILL MORE VALUABLE
on account of the growth of the settlement IS
and the advent Of railroad communication.
Mr.. Mitchell and his people would like to
have the government move the Indians
against their will to some remote and un-
fertile tract of land that is worth the Wini-
mum price Of S1.25 an acre, and throw the
reservation open to private purchase at 81. sc
an acre. There are about 25, 600 acres of land
at stake, and the spectators who can gel
this land at 81. so an acre would make a
fortune on the spot. Even if they get it at
its present valuation they would make &
good deal of money by the increase in the
value of the land in the near future,
and they are willing to make
this profit, even if in violation
of the treaty and of every principle of law
and equity the PuyallupS are dragged from
the reservation and put on an alkali deser
where even sage brush gets tired trying tt
grow. Some members of the Indian Right;
association are interesting themselves il
e