The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-07-04


rasft vghs F.ars lc4pafad IN that history
Ills great aor6 on the Pacific Railroad
earsexa Is enaDo6le6 IN taa government
rsabEeasgou ~ thirteen large volumes
Yhls sgorl did anr.'d serEsce for the Pa
csc Northwest FOR * demonstrated 7f's
sffIre feasibility 81 a transcontlnsntaa
fsisroaa. - which he mad unoounaed
gtst5 and fope This faith q Cox.
stevens Is pleasantly indicated hy an IN
eAsafst which ts related b Mrs. Sarah D.
r.!b5y. II Seattle, as foliows.
+ think II was in 80. when Cos.
Stevens vas about - start for Hashlng-
tor ClsF. By way Of san Francisco and
the lstFlrnus route. he mad been eieeiea
delegate, Is. congress stopping on al So
attic on bis way from Olympia he called
al the home of fIili8sy Butler. where
was staying for a time II Butter ana
Henry T.. Yester came into the house
wlfb MIN. was sitting in 4 chair hold
lng nay hoy hEe years old, who was N
his Hizhsg0an. ready fer hsd In the
course of flis conversation, tins governor
reached out his hand ard placed IL on the
cBlias head.
This boy alr. Butter. will liye long
enough 10 see railroad train run
into Seattle. You and may not Tive
that long but this boy XII
Yes We viii too broke in Dir Yes
ler. I win lie hong enough and / viii
take "a ride Oh the train. too
Everyone knows" continued Mrs.
f.ib5y 'that AIR. Yesler was right And
you don't know no. proud was when
sent down TO the track and looked at
TIE ne@ locomotives brought out here,
when tho Seattle. Lake Shore end East
egn railway wss completed 1 remember
that one OF the locomotives was named
Henry T.. Yesler ard that made me glad"
The baby boy referred 10 by Mrs. Libby
IL Hon. John -. Libby. the wesI-known
steamboat captain Of Port Townsend
who was one OF the members If the last
legislature. from jefferson county.
The earliest archives Of the territory
hear abundant testimony 81 Gov Stevens
wonderful capacity as AT executive. and
Of his power as a commander IN suppress
sing general indian war In Gen. Gull
i0ma Biographical Register Of the On
GERS and Graduates of the United States
Military Academy" volume T., pages -
To ~. aud ln The Seventy Ninth High
ianders, New York Volunteers" and The
Virginia Campaign Of lsgZ Under Gen.
Pope may be found brief records OF his
career of service renown ana glory as q
rapidly promoted officer in the Mexican
aaF and the Rebellion
The results accomplished in any one Of
the fields cf activity mentioned above
would suffice TO make enduring fame for
any ordinary man But there IS still an
other great work done by Gov Stevens
tn. importance of which IS little thought
of now. It was the making OF treaties
with the Indians. Gov. Stevens made ten
of these treaties. aud they all stand on
the United States statutes as the law be
tween the government and the natives.
So far / can learn these ten treaties
were the only ones ever made with the
Indians IF Washington territory. Gen.
Hazard stevens, sen Ut the governor.
tells me that the Stevens family have al
WAYS considered these Indian treaties the
master work Of Isaac l. Stevens This
paper Is planned 4 study of these In
dian treaties
In 49, the government published a large
volume Of l.o75 pages entitled a C0lnpila-
tom Of All the Treaties Between the
United States and the Inoian Tribes Now
IL Force as Laws" This volume contains
the text 81 All the ten treaties made by
Gov isaac l. stevens but the signatures
are omitted. and, OF course, none Of thu
''no~ view" leading up 10 the treaties has
been inserted IN the hook Two years ago,
while seeking further Information on this
9uhj e., wrote 10 the United States com
missioner of Indian affairs and received
a most gracious reply from Commissioner
u NJ Browning. who said 10 part: 4
do npi know OF any publication Of the
talks with the Indians parties 10 these
treaties, but there is a large collection If
these talks. in manuscript. on Ole IN this
office. the cost of copying which would
be - cents per lp9 words but IL at anv
time You are IN this city this mass of
manuscript would be placed az your ser
vice for YOUR personal Inspection and for
copy. Should YOU desire In tho mean
time a copy If the talks had with any
particular Indians in negotiating any
specific treaty. an estimate would hs
made Tor you Of the probable cost there
az but jh" mass X too great Ia warrant
me in taking the time ~ q clerk IN this
office IN counting and calculating the
cost 81 a transcript Of the whole stock ~
talks made with Gov Stevens. without
Knowing whether or not said work would
D. ordered when the estimate Was made
would state. however. that This office rs
always ready Ga aid al historians In coll
iect3n8 ds'a from its flies and records
thai may ts needed for pubucauou and
general information"
This letter rs thus quoted rather extcn-
s'N*iy Tor t~o re1sons FIRST 10 show
that ia aA probability none ~ these talks
nave hteh published, 0nd Also 10 show
that the mass ~ cheese talks In MANN
script is hc'oua the ordinary couceptton
Ct Sach matters. II has sometimes b...,,
charged that these treaties were hastily
coulrivet Nnd forced through the conn
sal7 0ithont &iv.rs tGe Indians an oppor-
'nty = understandings theg~ Cfyr Has
"f8 stevens saNs ht~ father was extremely
s'sfhfH{ 10 make tA@ Indians understand
p1fftctiF wet .Neft sentence The words
wrtc atteref throeea Interpreter after fn-
'erHf-'rr. aHt eN the questions and au-
SnstS ~rra hleInHF3- verieG down hs.
"isrh-. which accounts far the mass -
manuscript referred ta su thr abave letter
'Hl"mi~s E'fHVnin< Was aisJ R3nd