Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1914-06-19
INDIANS DEMAND
TREATY RIGHTS
Indian Congress Closes After
Formulating Plans to Sc
cure Treaty Rights
DECEIVED BY TREATY
They Adopt Resolutions Al
leging the Government Has
Not Kept Agreements

TACOMA, June 18.-The feature
Of the Indian congress, which closed
Tuesday evening, was the adopti0o
of resolution demanding Of tn
United States government the fulfKn-
ment of the treaty rights granted r.
the Indians, but which have been for
years held out by the Indian depart
ment.
The resolution was presented By
Allen Weir, the only honorary meR-
ber Of the federation, and who grew
up from childhood with the Indians.
as a demand of the Clallams,- but was
adopted by the congress in toto ana
as the working basis of securing the
rights which have for more than .
years been withheld by the govern
ment, after the Indians have faith
fully carried out their part of The
agreement.
The Weir resolution refers to the
treaty, the giving up of the lands
millions of acres in extent, with an
the hunting grounds and fishing priv
leges that furnished the Indians a fv-
ing, now all controlled by the gov
ernment or sold out to private pa1-
ties, while nothing has been done by
the government in carrying out its
part of the agreement, it was claim
ed.
The conduct of the government, in
giving allotments of few acres.
where the treaty calls for hundreds.
and in tying SO much red tape 10
the allotment that it makes it worth
less is severely scored in the resoIs-
tion, particular instance being 70
ferred to in the case of the QuiniaullE
where the government intends to take
off the valuable timber On the II
dams land and leave them with tbs
bare stumps.
The resolution demands that such
land as is left out of the few acrex
named in the treaty be patented u
the remaining Indians, with the reo
tape strangling' conditions cut 0ul,
and that where there is no land 10
make good the treaty obligations thxf
money be paid in lieu thereof
Represented at the federation meet
ing were Quiniault, Quillayute, ClaI
lam. Nisqually, Squaxin, Makah, Che
halls, Cowlitz, Puyallup, Tulalip, Clat-
sop, Muckleshoot, Lummi, Umatilla,
Chinook. Skokomish, Shoalwater
Bay. Hyda. Yakitut, Yakima, Klickf.
tat and Suquamish.
Treaty Made to Deceive
Peter Kalama Of the Nisquallys
sounded the key note of the meeting
when he told Of the promises made
by the government through Governor
Isaac I. Stevens, fair promises meant
to deceive the Indians and never
meant to be kept by the government.
he said, and never reported to the
government as talked and agreed .
between Governor Stevens and the
Indians, but made to represent tho
governors ideas. regardless Of the
promises made to the Indians, Who
had kept their part Of the agree
ment.
"They did not give us this land
said the speaker. 1T was our land:
all Of it. They promised if we wouIu
give up all this vast empire, our hunt
ing grounds, our fishing grounds, an
the lands where we were making \
good living-if We would give this an
up they would give us back few lit
tie pieces of it-but they have not
done even that, and what they have
given us-given US of our own lanA.
not their land-has been so tied with
red tape and obnoxious conditions
that it has been Of little use.
"The time is come when, il our
people are to derive any benefit from
this land. this little land that is LETT
after all this vast empire has been
taken over by the government, the
time has come when we must make
a determined and an organized move
to save this little fragment of what
we have left"