The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1896-10-09
WRONGS OF OUR Indians
Extracts From Report ot
Commissioner Browning.
GETTING THE WORST OF IT

GETTING THE WORST OF IT
Trouble Between the Prospectors and
the Aborignes ON the colville Res
ervation Over Land Titles.
Washington, Oct. 7.-Nearly every
report of a commissioner of Indian
affairs is tinctured with sympathetic
lines for the poor Indian. In 80 many
ways the report shows the poor Indian
is getting the worst of the deal. Much
of Commissioner Browning's report is
devoted to detail Of transactions in the
Indian service, but in several instances
there are the usual complaints about
the encroachments of the white people
upon the rights of the Indians One
of these is in relation to the Colville
Indian lands, in the state Of Washing
ton. The last session Of congress
passed law allowing mineral entries
to be made on the ceded portion Of the
Colville lands. The government al
lows the Indians to take allotments on
ceded portions of Indian lands, instead
of confining them to the reservations.
This is to give the Indians the best
pick of the lands which the govern
ment pays for. Until these allotments
are taken and the lands surveyed, the
ceded lands cannot be opened for settle-
ment. The clamor for permission to
secure mineral entries became so great,
however, that in the case of the Col
vile lands, special permission was
granted to make mineral entries.
Here is what the commissioner says Of
the Colville lands and the encroach-
ments upon the Indians:
"Only few weeks had elapsed after
the passage of the act before the Indian
office began to receive complaints from
the Indians and letters from the white
entrymen themselves, indicating a
clear and determined purpose on
the part of the latter to use their
right to make mineral entries for
the purpose of gaining foothold on
the reservation. Placer claims were
staked off on lands which were en-
closed with fence and cultivated by In
dams. In the language of one of these
would be settlers, this was done with
the intention of proving up and then
laying off townsite. He frankly
stated that there is not gold enough to
pay to work and in many places hard
ly enough to swear by, and that, al
though the lands he desired were in
side of an Indians enclosure, he
wished to make himself secure in his
location for business place as qucikly
as possible. in order to get the start OF
all other placers. >"
The Indian Office here at once began
the work of looking into the conn
plants, and, in letter to the secre.
tary, the opinion was expressed that
the rights of the Indians were being
invaded. The commissioner Of the
general land Office sent an agent to
make an investigation. This agent re.
ported that none of the lands on the
northern portion of the reservation
claimed and improevd by the Indians
contain minerals in such quantities
that they can be profitably classed as
mineral lands. The commissioner OF
the general land Office instructed the
land officers at Spokane to accept no
application to make mineral entries OF
any agricultural or grazing land on
the reservation claimed by Indians,
upon which they have Improvements,
and the officers were directed to exer.
else the greatest care to protect all In
dian occupants of lands on the reser-
vation. The Indian agent has been
instructed to cooperate with the land
officers to protect the Indians.
On the other hand, it is asserted that
in many cases Indians have gone upon
good mining property at the request OF
certain shrewd individuals, and ara
holding the lands until the amount OF
the miperal can be definitely deter.
mined by them. By the payment Of a
small amount of money the Indians
will pull up stakes and move over on
his reservation, leaving the claim to bs
occupied by the speculator. While
occupied by the Indian, the claim need
not be worked to be held, and the man
who expects to secure it can save the
500 year which must be expended
upon mining properties.
In all the time that mineral has
been known to exist on the Colville
reservation the Indians have made no
move to have 1t extracted. They will
not work mines themselves. In the
present instance it is believed by many
people that they are standing in the
way Of the development Of mines, and
this, at the request Of men who expect
to make something out of the lands il
minerals to any extent are discovered.
Jealousy the Cause.
Peoria, ILL.,, Oct THE bodies Of
Charles Williams and his wife Belle,
both colored, were found Sunday along.
side the Rock Island railroad tracks.
Each died from bullet shots, and the
corcners's verdict was murder and sui.
eide. Jealousy is the supposed cause.
South Enid, o. T., Oct. Frank
Royce, a notorious bank swindler un-
der sentence to the penitentiary, and
John Stearns and William Baker,
charged with horse stealing, escaped
from Jail last night.
The Railroad Through Manchuria.
Pekin, Oct. 7.-Consent has been
given by the Chinese government fol
the building of a branch of the Siberian
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