The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-07-11

Ihe ~ UIsS u the tweE9-gt-Ei1s Sun-cnlAfS
ars delegates signed 10 This treaty, WIKI
the trao chiefs given above wcli1 prove
of interest 10 the Morris X Jessup expo
8Ition nOw 81 Hcrk 70 eSc=rtGin the origin
q our . borlgines All ,he names sound
sinzulsriy ike those q Azi@cs given IN
Gen. Lea WaIlacs's Fair God.
Importance of the Treaties
This completes the review OF Gov Ste
veas ten Indian treaties Much interest
ing detail has been omitted from the ex-
periences Of those on the e kfoot expe
6ftIon bat enough has been given 20 shCw
The magnitude. importance and peril Of
the work. Gen. Cu}Icm says thar by these
treaties Gov Stevens sxsiuguishea The In
dian tltie TO over ltsaos,1 square miles Of
land
Nobody realized the importance Of 0eSe
treaties - much as did GOV. stevens In
his very first message 10 the First terri
fcriai legislature he SPOKE a. follows,
The Indian title his not been extin-
glgished. nor even a law passed 70 pro-
vide for its extnguIshment east OF the
Cascade mountains. Under the land lax
OF congress i = impossible to secure titles
re land and thus the growth OF towns and
villages Is INSTRUCTED a. weti as the de-
velopment Of the resources u the terri
tory
In his message 70 the Second legislature
- 'h~ territory he shows that he Is ready
70 undertake the work outlined above.
In this sssage he SAYS. In closing this
conTpUnICa ton. | viii indulge the hope
that the same spirit of concord and eX-
allied patriotism which has thus far
married our political existence. Will con-
tinue unto th4 end. Particularly do
inyoke the siiriy In reference TO our IN
dian relations | believe the time has
uow ~ofn" for their final settlement. In
view &c the important duties which have
been assigned "a me. | throw myself un-
reservedly upon the people II the terri
tory. not DOUBLING that they Will extend
10 me hearty and generous support in
my efforts 10 arrange. on a permanent
basis the future of the Indians Of this
territory"
This was December ;. 1874 and in TWEEN
ty-one days the first OF his ten great
treaties was concluded II is interesting
also 10 note here that Gov. Stevens at
this time was d little less than 50 years
of age.
The third session Of the legislature con-
vened while Gov. Stevens was returning
from the mountains. Acting Coy. c. n.
Mason on December :, 1855. delivered
message filed with Indian treaties and
Indian wars. The Indian was IN every
bcdy'S mind in that winter Of ls55-6 Gov.
Stevens delivered an address 10 the iegis-
lature on January u, list two days after
his return from the mountains which is
replete With good sense about the Indian
treaties. the method Of making them and
the objects sought 10 be attained by
them The treaties rere praised by some
at the time. but they were condemned by
many others. and by some il Was even
claimed and charged that the treaties
were the real cause Of the Indians wars.
Gov. stevens new OF these criticisms.
for he wrote in the Pacific Railroad Re-
ports. volume Nil. part l.. page pa. /
trust the time Will come when my treaty
operations OF iSSs-the most extensive OPP
erations ever undertaken and carried ont
in these latter days of our history re-
peat. | trust the time viii come when I
shall Ice able 10 vindicate them and show
that they were wise and proper. and that
they accomplished a great end They have
been very much criticised and very much
abused. but | have always felt that history
viii 10 those operations justice. / have
not been impatient as 10 time. but have
been willing that nay yindication should
come al the end of a term of years. Let
short minded men denounce and cri;i-
else ieuorantiy and jnjuriously, and let
time show that the government made
no mistake in the man whom il plaCa
in the great Held OF duty as its comrlis-
soner TO make treaties with the ln3ian
tribes"
Only two Of the ten treaties We're rati-
fed before Stevens appeared IN Washing
ton as a delegate TO congress. lie very
soon had the others ali ratified which
was some measure OF Yindication. bur IL
is after viewing the magnitude and great
Importance OF the work from this distance
IN history--a space Of over forty years
that We are an constrained not only .
Ntrdcate the treaties but To pronounce
their author the greatest man our com
m0nwealth has known
EDMOND STEPHEN MEANY.