East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1906-11-13

In answer to the charges made
against him in the Oregon Daily Jour
NAILS story of Sunday morning, Colo
mel J. H. Raley has prepared the fol-
lowing detailed answer;
Pendleton, Ore. Nov. IL, 1906.
Editor Fast Oregonian:
Answering your request this morn
ing, | esteem it a privilege, for which
| am thankful, that you accord me
space in your paper for a statement
of the facts regarding the article pub
lished in the oregon Journal of yes
terday.-
In the first place, permit me to say
that the lands involved are not estate
lands of the Umatilla Indian reserva-
tiOn. and in this respect the article
in the Journal was very misleading.
The only Indian estate or heirship
lands that have been sold We're re-
Gently sold by the Indian agent at the
agency and of these I have no person.
al knowledge whatever, never having
either directly or indirectly, purchas-
ed any of said lands. and do not know
the persons who did purchase them.
| have never attended one of such
sales, and never have, either directly
or indirectly, submitted a bid thereon
and have never at any time been, ana
am not now the owner of or in any
manner directly or indirectly interest
cd in any of SAID lands, or in farming
any of the heirship or estate lands
or other lands on the Umatilla Indian
reservation.
However, while the article is mis-.
leading in this respect, it is perhaps
intended to refer to other lands not
now on the umatilla reservation, for.
as l understand it, it is these other
lanGs (Which | shall refer to a little
latcr) that are now being investigated
by Special Field Agent +. w. Dixon
ald Special Agents Jones and Alex
ander at this place. neither have their
Investigations in any manner secret,
50 far as | am advised. They nave
been in Pen1leton most of the time
for the last three or four weeks. J
have conversed with them, or some of
them, frequently and, so far as ]
know, their actions, as well as my
own have been open and public and
in no manner in the shape of a secret
investigation. neither is there any oc-
cas!on, so far as | know. for secret
investigation. In order, however, that
the public and my friends may be
fully advised as to my position in the
matter and as to my acts in connec-
ton with such lands, l desire at this
time to make complete statement
OF the history of the lands under in
vestigation by Field Agent Dixon and
his assistants. In doing so, l will also
necessarily make Il partial statement
for John w. Grow, whose name is also
mentioned in the article. Regarding
the other persons mentioned, and their
relation to the lands in controversy
have no knowledge and therefore
have no statement 10 make. 4 full
understanding of the situation neces-
sarily involves a brief history of the
laws relating to the lands in contro-
vercY.
First Sale of Indian aLnds.
I}y an act of March 8. 1885, conf
monty known as the SLATER Bill" the
Umatilla Indians were allotted lands
in severalty from the Umatilla Indian
reservation. Each Indian was allot-
ted upon a separate tract of land, and
in addition to these individual allot-
ments. quite large body of land
along the foot and spurs of the Blue
mountains was allotted to them in
common. as grazing lands for their
stock. There then remained certain
portion of the then Umatilla Indian
reservation which was not needed for
the use of the Indians. BY the terms
of the act of March 3, 1885, these
lands not needed by the Indians were
to he sold at public auction to the
highest bidder, in payments of one
third cash down at the time of the
sale, one-rhird in one year from the
date of the sale. and the last third in
two years from the date of the sale,
drawing five per cent interest, and
the money received therefrom to be
held by the government for the use
Of the Indians.
Prior to sale the lands to be sold
were appraised by commission ap-
pointed, I believe, by the secretary of
the interior. The land was gone over,
each tract separately, by the said COM
mission and appraised at minimum
price of $1.25 per acre, some of the
better tracts were appraised at higher
prices. The bill also provided that:
Each purchaser shall at the time
of making his purchase make and
At. q.
he has purchased said lands for his