Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1914-02-24
INDIANS DEMAND
INDEPENDENCE
Indians of Northwest Meet In
Convention and Assert
Demand for Rights.
FRANK LAW MAKES TALK
Present Laws Hold Indians
In Slavery Is Asserted.
johnson Takes Hand

Branding themselves as slaves to
the United States government, and
pleading for freedom, Northwest In
dians, in convention in Tacoma, Sat
urday, took the first steps toward the
organization of an association which
has for its purpose their release from
government by Indian agencies, and
for the free ownership NOf land on the
same footing with the white men.
QuiniauIt Indian Speaks
Frank Law, a member of the Quin.
iault tribe stated the position of the
Indians and their demands as fol-
lows:
81 am always glad to discuss with
the Indians the questions that are
confronting us. Many Of you here do
not show much of the Indian blood,
but you are all Indians. so long as
a drop of the Indian blood courses
through your VEINS" the speaker be-
gan.
matters, to demand our rights and Sc
cure fair treatment from the govern
ment by presenting our claims in
such a way that they cannot put us
Off
1.-THE lands reserved to us by the
early treaties were not given to us
by the government; they are our
lands. We gave the government our
lands and the little reservations they
left us they are holding back so that
we have no right or use or benefit
from them.
1.-THE Indians, whose lands the gov
,ernment has taken, and who are allot-
ted lands by the government, with a
string tied to it, are given only 80
acres, while the immigrants who
throng our shores are given twice
that much, 100 acres. Our just rights
have been sadly invaded by the gov
,ernment.
Foreigners Better Treated
Immigrants from every country
of Europe come to this country and
are given rights of citizenship, while
we, native born Americans are de-
prived of our rights as citizens.
I'VE are restricted and fettered in
the exercise of our personal liberties
and in the possession, use and enjoy
ment of our property. BY various
acts of congress the Indian has been
granted the rights of citizenship with
it's privileges, responsibilities and i'm
munities, yet as a matter of fact they
have never been placed in a position
to enjoy those rights because under
the laws and the system of allotting
lands in severalty under the Dawes
act of February 8, 1887, only such In
dams as have been given allotments
are allowed the rights of citizenship.
Congress in passing the socalled
Burke act of May 8, 1906, which pro-
vides that not until the granting to
us of patents in fee shall we become
citizens of the United States and ell
titled to the rights, privileges and
immuntes of citizens, thus cutting
off the rights we would have had
under the Dawes act and leaving us
subject to the exclusive jurisdiction
of the United States like lot of
slaves.
RELOCATED to Slavery
, $50 the act of 1887 made us citizens
and the act of 1906 again relegated
us to the ranks of slavery. to a con-
dition of wardship with no compen-
sating advantages.
"a large number of Indians have
allotments of land but not dollar
under their control with which to i'm
prove their lands, to purchase tools,
stock and machinery to cultivate the
lands, while the government has mil
lions of dollars of our money in the
banks where it is being used for spec
ulation by the white man and the pol
itican."
johnson Talks for Indians
Annent the complaints of the In
dians, it is noticed that our congress
man, Albert Johnson, made a stirring
speech in the house yesterday. &C
cording to dispatches in this morning :
papers. 1t is of some length, but the
Herald feels that it cannot be alb
breviated in justice to the subject
and the dispatch is given below III
full:
WASHINGTON, D. c.. Feb. 23.--
Representative Albert Johnson OF
Washington made a stirring speech
in the house in defense Of the Quin
iault Indians while the Indian appro
priation bill was under discussion. He
had read to the house the treaty and