Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1891-10-09
A Deadlock on the Reservation.

/
Miss Helen Clark, pure-bred Indian
OF the Blackleet nation, has been ap-
pointed by secretary Noble rs q special
alloting agent on the Nez Perce reserva-
tion. She is well educated woman
and IN every respect qualified to per-
| form The duties that will devolve upon
| her.-San Francisco Argonaut.
If the above item is correct, the OPEN
OF the reservation, to which the people
OF this country have been looking for
ward for thirty years, seems to be as far
off and as difficult of attainment as ever.
For The last three or four years the peo-
Pile have been led to believe that Miss
Fletcher had been alloting these Ind
ians their lands, and each season we
have beeu told that the work would
surely be finished next year." But a
government officials "next year." like
the Mexican's "to-moriow,p never
comes. When Miss Fletcher came from
the east this spring it was given out
that her allotment was practically COM
pleted last year, and that there were
only a few little details 10 be arranged.
and few loose ends to be gathered up,
and that by midsummer her mission
would be wholly accomplished. Well,
midsummer has come and gone. and not
only is the allotment not completed, but
II transpires that another special agent
has been appointed, either 10 assist or
10 supersede Miss Fletcher, and no
doubt the whole work will be done over
again and yet again. in order TO delay
for as long time as possible the OPEN
ing Of these idle reservation lands.
For it may RS well be understood that
influences of various kinds are az work
in our midst TO bold the reservation to-
gether as long as possible, and that mis-
sionary work is going on all the time to
poison the minds OF the Indians against
the severalty system, and TO have them
reject the allotment scheme entirely.
when the matter is finally brought be-
fore the tribe in council for final actiou.
These interests hostile to the people
are few in number and exceedingly die
verse in aims, but they are bound to-
| gether by the ties OF common purpose.
| There are factors in the case whose i'm
| terests are based solely on personal, sci.
| fish and mercenary considerations;
vested interests are involved in 1t, and
churchly influences, absorbed entirely
by too pbilanthropic regard for the
spiritual and material welfare of the
Indians, stands with stubborn right
eousness in the way. lest by opening
the reservation the government would
in some way get the better of the Ind
ians, and at the same time not unmind-
ful of the fact that the acceptance and
adoption of the severalty system ele-
Yates the individual Indian and dis
solves the tribe, and thus correspond
ingly depreciates the prestige or the
church in the matter of patronage and
Influence. There are other agencies.
more or less potent, both on and of the
reservation, whose hostility is manifest
ed in various ways, and from motives
which are only apparent to those of us
| whose lot is cast on the borders of q
great Indian reservation. 1t seems that
these hostile influences have already
acquired and used the power to delay,
| If not 10 set aside entirely, the execution
of settled policy OF the national gov.
ernment. The severalty system was
adopted during the Cleveland adminis-
tration, and the Nez Perce reservation
was placed on the first list for experi-
ment; but thus far the good intentions
of the government have been frustrated
by the Vaccinations of marplots and
their agents, 30 that the opening of the
reservation seems as far off as ever, and
the blight Of dry rot and decay with
which these idle lands affect the sur
roundiog country is as firmly entrench.
| ed as ever.
| Here is an opportunity for a few of
Idabo's distinguished senators to make
a record for themselves by investiga-
ting the cause of these endless delays
which so retard the growth cfthis state.
The opening of this reservation means
a speedy addition of one hundred mil
lions of dollars to the taxable property
of the state. because the reservation
commands the natural outlet to this
great Clearwater basin, which cannot be
developed until its "bottled-up' status
is removed
"