Los Angeles herald., 1892-06-10
NO BILLY WILLIAMS IN THEIRS,
Indian Agent Rust and the
COahuillas.
The Senate Wants Information on
the Affair.
Senator Vest Asks for Information
What the New York Sun Has
to Say About the
Matter.

Rust and the Coahuilla Indians:
At the instance of Mr.. Vest the senate
has directed Secretary Noble to inform
it whether it is true that Agent Rust
lately deposed Cabazon, the hereditary
chief of the Coahuillas, and put in his
place, against the wishes of the Indians,
q man named Billy Williams. The sem
ate also wants to know what has caused
the discomfort now existing in said
tribe" and what steps have been taken
to remove this discomfort.
The Coahuilla Mission Indians of Cal
ifornia, numbering about 800 souls, liv-
ing near San Bernardino, are a peculiar
band, and, indeed, according to Mr..
Dawes, who has seen them. there are
no other Indians like them in the United
States" They are a peaceable, temper.
ate, industrious, orderly community,
who were under the care of
the Jesuits for more than CEN
tury while California was part OF
Mexico. When Mexico secularized the
domains of the church, these Indians at
the Jesuit Mission lost their protectors.
and the annexation of California caused
the whites to drive them from the lands
they occupied. Readers of Mrs. Helen
Hunts Ramona will understand all
this.
In his first annual report Secretary
Noble noted that about twenty reserva-
tions had been set aside for the use OF
the Mission Indians since 1875, varying
in extent from S8, 745 to 80 acres, and
aggregating 223 .954 acres. Some Of these
reservations, by reason of an incorrect
description of boundaries, did not in
clude the very land which it was designed
to reserve, upon which the Indians
were living; in others the Southern
Pacific Railway company claimed the
odd sections, and there we're also indi-
vidual claims. Some of these Indians
were occupying government lands not
set off as reservations, and some we're on
private grants, and, of course, con-
stantly liable to be driven off. Yet
their occupation antedated, perhaps,
the adverse titles. Mr.. Noble made
these suggestions.
The correct ascertainment and deter
mination of the rights of persons who
have ascertained claims or made settle
ment on the reservations should not be
longer delayed. A bill providing COM
mission for this purpose has been fre-
quently urged upon the attention of con-
gress, and it has several times passed
the senate, but has failed to receive
final action in the house of representa-
tives. The necessity for such legislation
is again reported by the commissioner
of Indian affairs to be of the utmost i'm
portance for the welfare of these Indians
and it is hoped that the approaching
session of congress will not adjourn
without providing proper measures con-
corning these lands.
In his next annual report the sscre-
tary returned to the subject, declaring
that ''the Mission Indians, whose rights
were fully recognized and respected by
the Spanish and Mexican governments,
have Suffered such wrongs under our
government that they have formed the
subject of numerous official reports dur
ing the last twenty years. The execu-
tive department has done all that was
possible to protect them in the posses
sion Of their ancient homes and villages,
and to repress the encroachments con-
stantly attempted upon their lands,
but through the failure of legisla-
tive action their situation has
grown worse from year to year. limo
cent settlers have also doubtless been
deprived of just rights and made to suf-
fer undeserved losses through the ina
bility of the department to properly
discriminate between them and willful
trespassers." 1t must, therefore, be
evident that this band has suffered
grievances enough to entitle it to the
consideration of the government; and if
it is true that person whom they do not
like has been made their chief through
any unwise or unauthorized action of
their agent, the subject is worthy of the
senate's attention.
It should be said, however, that at
the last session of congress the long de-
layed bill for the relief af the Mission
Indians, which had passed the senate
during the Forty-eighth, Forty-ninth
and Fiftieth congresses, failing each
time in the house through want of
proper attention to it, became q law.
The object of the act was to determine
and adjust the relative rights of the
Indians and the settlers to the lands in
dispute. Under that act, approved Jan.
IL, 1891, commission was Immediately
appointed, consisting of Messrs. A. K.
Smiley, ]. B. Moore and @. O. Painter,
who were afterwards assisted by Mr.. F.
D. Lewis. Mr.. Smiley and Mr.. Painter
are well-known friends of the Indians,
and the commission completed its work
In satisfactory manner. The Southern
Pacific Railroad company agreed to take
other lands in exchange for the allot-
ment which they claimed on the Goa
huilla reservation. A bill to ratify this
arrangement has been passed by the
senate in the present session and is
pending in the house. If it becomes q
law, these Mission Indians will no
longer be wanderers, but will have
homes near San Bernardino, with small
severalty ailotments.
As to the new cause OF trouble, ac-
cording to letters cited by Mr.. Vest, the
Coahuillas, as long a. they have been
known to whites, have been governed
by the Cabazon family as chieftains or
kings. One of them, who died few
years ago at Indio. is said to have
reached the age of 140 years, according
to the records at the Catholic mission.
His authority descended to his son, but
1t appears that Mr.. Rust, the new agent,
considered the present Chief Cabazon
as q bad Indian, who prevented his
people from working and was anxious to
keep them under his control. Mr.. Vest