The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-12-21
NEWS OF TACOMA
TACOMA BrzrAU or TEE PosT-Iyrnxs-
sKscK1, iIIs PACIFIC AyEyrK
THoxAs SAxxoss, MAsAsn
rrrALLur CONTRACTS volD.
They VIII he ~ the CoDmissioasrs
Have . beehive veiee.

Have . Deeisfve veiee.
TACOMA, Dec. 9l-fSpeciai. THE Puyal-
iup Indian commission will not recognize
land contracts uttered BY Indians for the
sale Of reservation lands, and thew state that
it Is the purpose OF the government net to
permit the contracts 20 cut any figure IN
the sale Of the same. This viii Affect up
ward Of 500 900 estimated 70 be invested
in reservation contracts. The commission
considers the Doolissie bill for the r.
novsl Of the restrictions upon the lands
of the Indian distinctly in favor
Of those holding contracts, and that
10 is the desire of such holders TO
push forward the DoolittIe bill in order
that they may ''skin" the Indian and hold
him to his contract. That il how the COM
missioners account for the request OF q
committee OF the Indians for . meeting
with the commissioners, ~ which meeting
the com missioners understand that they
were TO be notified in effect that the lndi-
ans had mo use" for them. And the
Indian leaders admit that was what they
intended to do. In the original communi-
cation of the Indian committee the VIII
son bill, under which the government APP
propriated SIS. 900 for sending forward the
present commission, is termed ssinfamous"
and obnoxious" In reply sent to tine
Indians, which has not been published,
the commissioners beg to dissent" and
state tina. they understand that the Wilson
bin was for the purpose Of protecting the
Indians from robbery" That was the state
OF affairs when the Indians notified the
commissioners. as announced in today's
Posr-iNTELLIsEscER, that they would here
after refuse 20 meet with them. either in
div,dually or ~ people. On the con-
tra-y, the commissioners say they have
daily conferences with the Indians, some
Of whom repudiats the notification of the
Indian committee. And this committee,
the commissioners say. has at least six
members out of thirteen who are not
legally members of the Puyallup tribe.
some being Kanakas. others MeIicans and
members of other tribes, as shown by ex-
Judge Wickersham's monograph on tho
subject published in 1858. Consequently
the committee is not recognized by tho
mmission as representing the Puyallups,
and the latter will therefore not answer
the notification that the Indians would
not meet the commissioners. Chairman
Anderson. Of the commission, says:
I'VE have certain duties to perform be-
fore calling public meeting with the In
dians. We must learn who owns the res
ervation land, plat the school farm into an
addition TO Tacoma and appraise the value
OF the lands. The Indians can best facfii-
tate matters by giving Us all possible In
formation, which some are doing. The
government and not the Indians pays our
expenses. and We consider it none of their
business how we proceed to do our duty.
We desire to treat them honorably, and. il
they only knew it, our mission is to ben
etit them and not to obstruct them. We
shall recognize all to whom patents have
been issued as members of the Puyailup
tribe. although If the question were raised
it could be shown that some now holding
patents are not entitled to them. Patents
were also issued to two dead Indians who
were dead ~ the time the patents were is
sued"
Some OF TIE leaders of the Indians claim
that the commission is simply here to have
a good time and spend the governments
money. The commissioners say such
charges are hardly pertinent, ~ the com.
mission has certain duties TO perform, as
outlined. and prefers to take orders from
the department of Indian affairs rather
than from the Puyaliups or those who
speak for them. A lively interest has been
engendered in the whole proposition, but
the commissioners now consider the pub
lie more friendly than when they arrived.
The commissioners estimate that IL will
take six months 10 year to complete their
task.