The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1897-03-12
~ : -
Correspondence And Coun ty Notes.
HOOD CANAL, March 9, 1897.

HOOD CANAL, March 9, 1897.
Quite breeze was stirred up, and
little feeling aroused around the reser-
walton and Union City last week.. from
the fact that J. E. Yonngblood. in
charge of the reservation, compelled
number of fishermen on the reserva-
ton to leave it.. About dozen such
persons haye spent agood share of the
winter on the reservation, either in
Indian houses or float houses and
sloops, which were fastened to the res
ervation and have hung their nets on
the reservation side: This has been
going on for two or three years but
more the past winter. than before. So
Indians hanging their nets in their
accustomed places. Once an Indians
net was taken out by one of these men
and The Indian was threatened if he
! put It back again. and there has been
talk about fighting. The Indians bore
| it until short time ago. when they
! complained to Mr.. Youngblood, who
| wrote the acting agent, DIR. Newburne.
| Dr. Newburne sent orders for fisher
men to be given notice to leave, and
i that if they did not do so, to use all
force necessary and remove them.
Only five remained when Mr.. Young
blood took steps to remove them, and
then with no further trouble they were
removed.
AS this has seccasioned some criti-
cism of the act of government, and
some hard feeling against the Indians,
it may be we'll if the law on the SUBJ
ject were published.
Section 211S of the Revised Statutes of the
United States, says Every person who makes
| settlement ON any lands belonging, secured or
q auted by treaty with the United states. to any
Indian tribe, or surveys or attempts to survey
such lands, or to designate any OF the pound
aries by marking trees or otherwise, is liable TO
| a penalty OF one thousand dollars. The Presi
1 dent NAV, moreover, take such measures, and
| emplo, such military force he may judge
| NECESSARY 10 remove any such person from the
| lands, (Artcle nrst OF the treaty with the Sko-
kumieh Indians also p1ohiolts whites, with the
exception Oh COVE rllment employees ana mis-
sionay from living on the reservauonl
SEC 2i47 Inc Superintendent OF Indian al
Shall have the auihoritt 10 remove IRON Inc In
Ediau country ali persons round therein contrary
to law; he president is authorized To direct
the military iorce TO Dc employed III such re-
moval.
| SEC 2llS Iii any person who has been remov
ed from tue Indian country, shall thereafter at
any time return be found within the Indian
country, he shall be liable to penalty OF one
| thousand dollars.
| SEC 2I49 The Commissioner of Indian affairs
is authorized anu required, with the approval of
has rs.ra v,ftN
| any tribal reservation any person being therein
| with out the authority of law, or whose presence
| with u the limits of the reservation, may in the
| iudym eut of the commissioner, be detrimental
| 10 the peace and welfare OF the reservation ana
may EN- oloy for the purpose such force as may
be necessary 10 na.le the agent TO effect tne re-
| mOyal of such person.
One reason why more liberty has
been taken of late is that since patents
have been-issued to the Indians they
have been allowed to rent their lands
TO whites. On some reservations the
Indians have rented thousands of acres
to the whites, and done nothing them
selves, and the evil grew to be so large
that about year ago, Congress passed
a law forbidding the Indians to rent or
lease any of their land, and this has
been interpreted to refer to those In
dams who have patents to their lands
in which is the condition that they
cannot sell the land, as we'll as to those
reservations where ~the land is not
patented Hence the law pre- hibiting
whites living on reservations applies
now to the Skokomish reservation
AS there has been some question
where the line of the reservation is,
lwhether it be along the river bank. or
elsewhere, it may be well to say that
it is up and down the middle of the
river.
There has beea some talk among the
fl ,hermen, that while they would SUBJ
mt to these decisions now and leave
the reservsltion, yet next summer
when the Indians should attempt to
haul their seiues on the Canal and any
other place off the reservation, the
fshermen would compel them to leave
and confne them to the reservation
for their fishing. In reply to this it IS
we'll TO know that article third of the
treaty with these Indians secures to
them the right to fish at usual and ac-
customed grounds with citizens OF the
United States, and of erecting temper
AIRY houses, also the privilege to huut
aud gather roots and berries on open
unclaimed lands. >.
HooL SPORT. March 9, 1897.
Ben ohns, u the ship carpenter at
Hocdsport, is building a new furnace
to his boat house, the old one being
too sn als far the amount of work he
has on hand.
E. ,-Glark is clearing his ranch
north lf Town tnd l. seeding 1T down.