The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1915-08-27

really competent to judge of what land
Is worth homesteading is the home.
steader himself. Why not LET him NO
judgment and not some distinguished
gentleman who is probably on his first
'islt TO this western country. The
nomesteader is the final test and to
hlll should be left the decision. Whv
not complete these allotments and then
throw the rest of the land omen to
homestead settlements? Give the peo-
pie an opportunity ana then if the land
Is not selected, who will be injured
II any is selected, to just that extent
the public will be benefited Give this
opportunity for homesteading for a
reasonable period and then dispose in
some other way, of the remainder. This
was the procedure followed in regard
to the North half O" this reservation.
1t worked we'll. Why not apply it to
the south half?
You also state in your letter that the
| schedules of allotment and classified
tlons have been but recently received
lat the office and that these must be
carefully checked ard for that reason
there has been considerable delay.
1t seems to me that your statements
In reference to thi" matter are not
borne out, either by reason or by the
| records. The last of the alloting
agents were dispensed with last Aug
ust-one year ago. Why, then, the de-
lay regarding the opening of the reser-
vation? According to the Spokane
Chronicle of February 23, 1915, Super
intendent Johnson on that date stated:
The work of making allotments to
the Indians on the diminished Colville
| reservation is practically completed
There are less than a dozen Indian
children yet to receive their allot-
ments. and only wait the opening of
spring to make their definite Sc &C.
ton" How many months does it re-
Guire to make definite selection OF less
than a dozen allotments? If you have
not had the records in regard 10 alot-
ments in your office for practically a
year for the purpose of revising and
checking, what has been the cause for
this delay? If you will look at the
record, | think you will find that the
field work of alloting on the north
half of the Colville reservation was
completed in December, 1899, and on
January 80, 1910, less than eight
weeks thereafter, the schedules had all
been checked and all conflicts and cr-
rors adjusted and corrected and the
schedules were approved by the sec
retary on that date. What is the mat
ter with the efficiency of this depart
ment at present that they are still
asking for time to do this work after
period of twelve months, when in the
former case, it was done in period OF
about six weeks? Evidently the delay
in the opening of the reservation is
not unavoidable but deliberately inten-
tional. ..
| cannot refrain from commenting on
another reason given by you Tor this
delay. You speak of the failure of con-
gress to enact laws that would protect
the Indians from the baleful intlu-
ences of intoxicants. This was evil
IDENTIFY an oversight on the part OF con-
gress, if it really exists, and one great
ly to be regretted and one that cen
gress, if it was brought to their atten-
ton. would not have hesitated to i'm
mediately correct, if it was not com
plicated or burdened with some other
provision. | cannot but feel that IL
this alone stood in the way, that the
department is to blame for not bring
| ing it to congress in such shape that
the objection would have been at once
removed. But is this objection well
founded? Certainly, as citizen OF this
state Won cannot be unmindful o. the
| fact that the state of Washington VIII
have a prohibition law in effect On the
first day of January, next. VIII 1t not
protect the Indian as we'll as the white
man?
Again, another reason for this delay
is made because some children nave
heen horn and to care ror their inter-
ests the allotments cannot be con-
cluded In the usual course OF events
| if is presumed that the death and Dirth
rate will be approximately equal ana
what the parents left would care LOT
the children. If the plan suggested III
vour letter is to determine the purpose
of the department, then nothing can pe
finally settled as long as an ad"lI
snecimen of the species remains anu
| with all the pathetic and poetic re-
| citals of 1.-The disappearing race un-
fortunately, too true, if this is aW"lVeu
u will be a "far-off divine event
that will concern only those that snail
follow along hereafter, wheh 'u''e
| now interested will be remembered
on1v in dim tradition, and Will give
tho denartment time to bring apou'
this wonderful achievement withou,
too rudely violating any OF Its Sa'r0'