New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-04-04
THE UTE AGREEMENT.

STATED FROM A tOlsyhA PUNT Of ' INV
the Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir: Your issue Of Sunday last contains an editorial
on "The Ute Agreement which is erroneous in some
~ its statements Feeling assured that you do not
desire TO wrong the Indian nor TO do injustice to the
peope of Colorado, as citizen Of that state. and
near nelglbor Of these Indians for eighteen years
beg little OF your valuable space In which To make
plain statement Of facts.
Yon SOY that the lands they now occupy are
contained within strip Of country lying along the
"a PLATA River 40 miles long and fifteen miles wide
You are substantially correct as to the length ana
width NJ the strp but II does not lie along the La
plata River II Is true that this river crosses 1t,
running through its entire width Fifteen miles,. but
so do six other rivers. IT might, WIN equal pro
Driety be claimed that the lands III me 'ohhecteut
Valley lie along7 the Hudson River. iou fuFthcF
cav they we're placed here In $780, IN ACCORDANCE
with a treaty which promised theh numerous au'
va,taces etc The first treaty made with the utes
which attempted to define the boundaries OF ther
rosorv,tion was made at Conejos. Col III leb3 Inc
nresent southern Ute Reservation was inelfoeu "ilhh
the boundaries then fixed. In 1913 alolNer aerre
ment (knOwn as the Brunot agFcemehV vas N"'S' W
which they coded t. the Government iarso '' "~' "
the body OF their reservation. wipch ''h|'"'u "D 80
then and IS now known the san Jhah ln"n1 So"
This placed The reservation In an iheon'c"'o"' VN'
there being strip about 40 miles io"s anu M,
nI.c wide fthe present home OF the southern 'uc''
Ice, along the New Mexico border, st1p l"e"''
miles vide along the tab border 10 "e % u.s'''
10 Minutes parallel Of north latitude, anu al u" ~
mainder Of the reservation, the great pTny oi IT, Ne
north of th, line; thus was the hlteohihe Sr'P
created. -, - .,.,
Won say they had not got well sctln upon "len
Colorado reservation before the white peopc a"uHi
tncm hogan TO agtste for their removal For more
than ten wears after the ConcjOs agreement tieie
were not half dozen white settlers in Colorado within
nny miles Of this reservation; they had no reason
To complain and did not. As matter OF iac' III"
first agitation Of the question OF remoVa came loh
,h indians them,eive, and from the IDdlan Depart
mont After the ratification OF the brIn0t agree
ment when settlers began 10 come into the opened
tcrri,orv in la7t75 1t became apparent To- both the
Dcnatment and the Indians that the fifteen mile strip
IN the New Nexro border and the twenty nile stFp
on the Utah border were D't al all su'eu "' I'll" 1S
Of the Indians and that their occupancy of the same
might occasion trouble by reason 81 the ia'' 'a'
the Indians on the south were cur OF practically
from the indians the north by the Intervening
territory ceecd under that agreement Therefore, in
1-7a at the suggestion Of the Indian Bureau. Con
gr., passed an act providing for the appointment Of
commission b treat with the tics for the cession
of these fifteen mile and twenty nile strips In ac-
cordance with this. General lisfch. ule Hon. Lot
NJ Morrill, and the Hon Y. {. Mcfarland were ap
pointed as such commission. They during that year
negotiated an 1@IffIl'HN VIII 'iNN' H'"oH'AH IT,
bv which they agreed surrender their claim to those
Il rims and accept another reservation. Before Con
gross could ac; upon this agreement, however, the
outlrcal If ties occurred In 1879. These events
nece--ltated vigorous measures on the part OF the
Government few ~ the chiefs 81 the various bands
were brought 60 Washington some Il them - prisoners
and the agreement VI l@-O WAS made. Commission
was appointed TO get the assent Of three iourths ct
the adults II all the tie bands 10 this agreement.
into. hos. XII The Com
mission was instructed that they had 10 authority 10
amend the agre. mcnt In any respect that In eject
they must say 20 the indians. take this agreement
a, u 1, or take the consequences. In the midst %
great excitement mcnaccd by the presence II LARGE
bodies Of troops under General Mckenzie they ac-
ccpted the Inevitable. although they protested az "s
man. appears from the official report of the Com
mission egninst the allotment Of lands In scveralty
This was a novel but effective way Of making
treaty but II any advantage was taken Of the indians
on this occasou II certainly Was not by the people
OF Colorado. By this agreement agricultural lahh9
were 10 be allotted IN scycnity lGO acres to each "Gut
head of family on the La Plata River In COorado.
or If sufficient couh not there be found. then along
the Ia Plata in New Mexico. Just after the Com
mission secured the assent II the southern ties u
the agreement great excitement cnsuei and another
outbreak Was threatened by reason Of the killing of
a ION Of chief ShaVanauX ly white man named
Jackson. and the rttaiory killing Of Jackson by the
Indians rs nasou OF this the plans of the Com
mission were dclanged and their movement, were
DELAYED. The ncOmpa9gI e and White River ties
ven, hurried of 10 Utah under escort vi the military
force, ana the southern tie, were left mot o'I'edi
ON this fifteen mile strip. where they were fond ana
la,c been 80 left ever since. The agreement coded
t. the Government all Of the reservation cN'eW 40
mm,h II the land, might he selected for allotment
in .cvcrilty Les, than nifty thousand acres would
probably be required for thi, purpose, aud therefore
10
holding a reservation containing nearly Isoo square
mics when they should be entitled To les than hf'y
thon,and acres, II IL could be found along the La
Plata River In Colorado, which the Commission say
ia tlcir opinion cannot hc done.
You say that finally after eight years Of tGor;
addressed to the authorize, at Washington durins
which time the Indians were 81 icctcd 10 All the
Refreshments short of actual outrage tLat
De. pl, among whom they were utterly uuwcconc
could invent tire. Commissioners went to -,
flemp etc II Is trlr tina. th,r' have bc,I few
,oudi,t, between iudNidu.l> Of tn t"o race, ln
which "a "a side claimed ina. The other wd> ih tAc
wrlng. aHd these Law o',uiici OF Tie rc'ciNtt"'.
EN,A u true thai Ia i ~ ia 81 r." instances
the whites w'N IN Inc wro.-' }. stree me a. wy
nusir to hold the Mnoic oi "a p"lui"A> community
ponsiic ior the acts OF a t." rthl->s ana liMtNs
men II this rule were applied Ia N"n' mc'rop' hi1h
CITY. the good ciiilcns O Ne" orh would have 40
4r the blame for yer, oug list o. irimoi> "ri' Pc.
For nearly ten year, the whites sotird around tl>
reservation have outnun beicd the Indian, twtnty d"
ono and II disposed - ,a.s advantage OF am
provocaon. they could at any TIM have driven on o.
hnnihated tic lnuians within i"'ty eight hour.
II /, a fast which tie sul ,tlnatri hy the i',t-
rnony Of tle indians ticmselNc, ana ~ ever. a, hi
for ih.nl that the white settler, have With com
pasatlvcy fc~ exceptions uniformly tr"aed them win
iDr!earancc ana hiudlcs>.
VUl NJ, tnat Il Congress, ltihcs Til, agreement IA
Will approve bribery means OF inducing thc u"
chiefs slgl." presume that You refer 10 Tie
fact thn the agreement provides fox The payment -
small auuuiilfs for five Yeas To thr heal chiefs. II
tlls be- bribery then has the GOvernm mt for wears
been engaged In Il whole ,ait systcn Ot II. This Ia,
been fNQicntly done heretofore. In fat the lff al
money or present. 10 tn chiefs ha, been the uniform
p.artirc Tor d hundred years.
You 50, tla; Colorado should bear her share OF the
burden Of taking care 81 the indians. This Is tra.
and n these lndans suicient advances or could
Ice induced h. take land In sevcralty AMI s'it down
agricultural pursuit not word OF Complaint "onIl
he ienr from tie people OF Colorado Eui this.
vayins The question OF their adya1c mcn' Ia absp
lntely rclu.r To do, and a TIE reservation l. con
fr,,pily unsuitable b. tn g. engaging In pastoral our
,u.ts what can lie done You may maze In alb't.