The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-03-29

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Ser York SAN
ArersrA. Ne. March 15---One u
the most int2resting men IN the
Maine lcgislature this winter has
been Joseph Nicola. full
hooded Indian. the daily accredited
representative 0f the Penobscut tribe.
There are two tribes OF Indians II
Maine now. the Penobscois and Pass
maqueddies. each of which has legal
II recognized organization, resolves .
bounfy from the state. elects gover-
nor and acknowledgement every
year. and sends : representative 20 the
legislature. The status OF these rep
resentatives is like that Of the dele
gates TO congress from the territories
they have q voice In the proceedings
but no vose--and Joe-Nicola has big
bass voice that booms through the
corridors like q neose-horn when he
addresses committee on the claims
Of his tribe. for the Indians are never
satisfied with what the state gives
them
Representative Nicola says that as
well as he can figure It the state owes
his tribe $459, 900 for homage rent and
other items. but he makes little
progress in getting his claim through.
He, however. makes the following
proposition, apropos of the agitation
for the removal OF the capital: II the
state viii transfer the seat OF govern
ment to 0ldtown. the home of the
Penobscof braves. the original lords OF
that part OF the earth and where,
Nicola says. the state house really be-
longs. he will agree TO give back TO the
state half the amount of this claim,
or over $225. 600.
Imagine a tall, Observation-Disclosures
man of middle age, with an Indian S
bronze skin, straight black hair, sharp
eyes and sober expression, dressed in
q flannel shirt. frock coat and siouch
hat, walking up the capital steps with
the dignity Of a senator, and you have
before your mind 8 eye Joseph Nicola,
the representative of the Penobscot
tribe. He talks well, but never diff
fusely. has an average mans acduaint-
ance with the dictionary, spells cor
rectiy, writes fair hand and knows
his arithmetic. He was educated, like
the other Indians who are educated
at all. by the Sisters of the Catholic
church who make their cherries
home amid the squalor of the Indian
tribe on Oldtown island. Nicola is an
observing man, and while he has said
little has done q powerful lot of think
ing during the session and has formed
his own estimates of the leading men,
bers.
II think ex-Gov. Robe is the sound
est man in the house, he says, ssbut !
tell you Zoe Manley is mighty handy.
The Indian representative never in
dulges in fire-water and has behaved
with as much decorum as Deacon Ben
Hill, the sedate Androscroggin sena.
tor. He took the calks out OF his boot
heel. day or two after he came here
and has been q gentleman in every
sense of the word.
Nicola has taken much interest in
the discussion of the woman's suffrage
question, which has been q leading
feature of the session. He gave his
views on the subject to the World cor.
respondent as follows:
There is an old tradition in our
tribe that woman sprang from beau
tjful plant, but the white man teaches
that she came from the rib of man,
taken while be slept. The white man
speaks of the chip of state and of his
country as ship, and he says the SUI
preme right in the land is the right OF
suffrage. Now, when question which
concerns the whole country comes up,
who should exercise the supremacy
Let US see! When a ship is built the
keel is laid. and this is the same as the
backbone in human being. Then
the ribs are added to suit. But sup
pose the ship goes on the rocks? p Ribs
may give way and still she may be
saved, but ii the keel breaks the back
bone is gone and the craft doomed.
Therefore. in my opinion, the suprem-
acy is vested in the keel and not in the
rib.
Nicola, ike most of the Indians, is
fond of politics. and what ne doesn I
know about manipulating a caucus
isn't worth guessing at. In state
famous for its politicians none are
more adroit than the coprer-colored
citizens of 0ldtown island. They
have their parties and their factions
understand the use of Doodle, and
fight out their campaigns for governor
or representative as obstinately and
ingeniously as their paie-faced neigh.
bors contest a state cleo ton.