Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1894-10-12
PUYALLUP AFFAIR
No Other Settlement of the
Middle Anticipated.
THE INDIAN BUREAU IS FIRM

1t Is Said That Its Oflcers Want the
Ruled Out as InValid-The Commits
sion Doing Good work.
| WASHINGTON, October 1,-Notwith-
standing the hard fight made by Repre-
sentative Dooittle and other members
of the Washington delegation, the prob
abilities are that there will be no settle
ment of the Puyallup Indian reserva-
ton muddle and sale of the lands except
in the manner which is now being en-
ployed. The great fight which has been
made to have something done which will
give the men who made contracts with
the Indians an opportunity to test their
validity will probably fail. From the
very first there has been a disposition
on the part of the Indian Office to have
these contracts ruled out as invalid and
make the men who made the contracts
with the Indians lose what they have
paid them. This disposition originated
with Agent Eells, who has for so many
years been agent for the Puyallups, and
permeates the entire Indian Office. The
contracts were probably made in opposi-
ton to the wishes of Mr.. Eells, and he
intends, if he can, to make the contract
ors lose. Ever since Washington was
admitted the delegation in Congress has
been trying to have the lands opened
under some regulations that will give
the contractors an opportunity to get the
L. l.. Etltv al hut h1 q
always been a failure. The nearest a
bill of that kind came to passing was in
the Fifty-frst Congress, when Repre-
sentative Wilson slipped through in a
right-of- way bill clause which would
have settled the whole affair. Cockrell
of Missouri caught it up in the Senate
and made a tremendous buster, and
Allen and Squire, who were not as famil-
lar with Senatorial ways as they have
since become, allowed the clause to be
stricken out, something that would not
happen again. Now the difficulty is in
getting something through the House.
In the last session of Congress Doolittle
tried the House and Squire the Senate,
but the more that has been done the
more opposition is found. This opposi-
ton comes from the Indian bureau,
which is very much opposed to the set
Element of the Puyallup lands on any
other basis except to eschew all contracts
made.
Assistant Commissioner Armstrong,
who for all practical purposes is the
Commissioners during this administers
ton, SAYS that the commission which is
now at work on the Puyallup reservation
is doing good work in his opinion. He
was there not long ago and looked the
| field over. He says that when the COM
mission reports its action will be unop-
posed and the lands will be sold. The
| first report will relate almost entirely to
the lands held in common by the Indians
and not to those held in severalty. Gen
eral Armstrong says that after these
common lands are disposed Of, the com
mission will take up the individual
lands, which the Indians desire to sell,
and they will be sold under the direction
of the government. Asked if anything
whatever would be done with the con-
tracts, General Armstrong replied:
Nothing. They are invalid. Every
body knows they are OF no account. Ii
they are tested in the courts, it will make
nodifference When the court dismissed
the Injunction against the commission
that settled the contracts. They will
have no standing in court. Why would
these fellows be trying to secure legisla-
ton to legalize them if they did not
know they were worthless without such
legislation?"
1t will be seen that the Indian office
is dead set against the men with the
contracts.