The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1916-10-06
UNDER FALSE PRETENSES.

is intended as a misleading inference
that the Colville Indian reservation
was opened solely and wholly through
the efforts and influence of Congress-
man Dill, and that is claiming an i'm
portant congressional action under
false pretenses Far be it from us to
belittle the efforts made by Mr.. Dill to
hasten the opening of this reservation,
but for the actual congressional pro-
ceedings leading up to the opening Mr..
Dill was no more responsible than any
citizen of this county. That was ar
ranged for before Mr.. Dill donned the
congressional toga. The chief credit
| for that legislation rests with Senator
| Jones and PoindeXter, as the follow
ing facts taken from the records and
| published in the Spokesman-Review
go to prove, and If any one should re-
ceive support for activity in securing
the opening of the Colville Indian res
ervation it should be Senator Poin-
| dexter:
| The democratic candidate for con-
gress has been asserting as the chief
accomplishment of his term the fact
that he opened the Colville reserva-
ton, said Mr.. Hebberd. This state
ment has been somewhat accepted, es-
pecially in the vicinity of the reserva-
ton itself.
While Mr.. Dill is undoubtedly en-
titled to credit for agitating this ques-
ton. for visiting the department of the
interior and for cooperating with the
rest of the Washington delegation, the
record does not support his statement
that he opened the reservation.
A reading of the Congressional Rec
ord and examination of the facts sur
rounding the opening discloses in fact,
that it was due to resolution intro
duced by Senator Poindexter and to
his influence with the department of
| the interior. The original law authoriz-
ing the opening of the reservation was
passed March 90 1906, by the congress.
For years Senator Poindexter had
been urging the department to eApe-
dite the work of allotment, classified
ton and appraisal. When the new COM
missioner of Indian affairs, Cato Sells
came in. Senator Poindexter secured
from him peremptory order that the
work of allotment be brought to a
close, and as a consequence it was
considered and the work Of classified.
ton and appraisal taken up. All this
was long before Mr. Dill became 8
member of congress.
in April, 1915, before Mr.. Dill had
taken his seat in congress, Senator
Poindexter and Senator Jones had q
conference with the commissioner and
insisted that the preliminary work be
OutiUded and that the reservation BE-
4 opened that season
They were assured that the report
of the appraisers was on the way tc
Washington and that every effort
would he made to open the reservation
that summer
"The matter being delayed Senator
Poindexter, after his return to Spo-
kane in the summer of 1915, wrote a
lengthy letter to the secretary Of the
Interior calling attention to the situa-
ton and demanding that the matte be
proceeded with promptly in pursuance
of Ike act of congress.
after considerable delay an ans
wer was received from Bo Sweeney
the democratic assistant secretary OF
the interior, going into the matte: at
length claiming that there was little
good land left for settlement on the
escTvet;on and inclosing articles argu.
ing generally against the policy OF
opening reservations for settlement
From this, for the first time It ap-
peared that the commissioner Of Indian
affairs did not intend to open the
reservation and was really seeking to
eYaae the act Of congress. Senator
| PcindeXter at once wrote a strong let
\ Ter to the secretary Of the interior
charging these facts and citing the evil
dence that the Indian office was not
proceeding in good faith to open the
reservation and stating that if it was
not opened when congress convenet!
steps would be taken to secure the en-
forcement of the act of congress of
| 1906.
Il Upon his return to the last session
OF congress, in December II 5, Sena.
tor Poindexter discovered that the
r'atter was still delayed, and on De-
Gerber T. 1915, introduced a rcsOlu-
ton in the senate which appears In the
Congressional Record of tina; date, on
page 20, providing as follows:
| Resolved, by the senate OF the
| tinted States: That the secretar; Of
the interior is requested to inform the
senate as TO what progress has been
made toward carrying out the .erms
and provisions of the act of congress
of March 20, 1906, providing for the
! opening 70 homestead entry Of the sur
plus unalloted agricultural lands In
the diminished or south half of the
Colville Indian reservation in the state
Of Washington, and also as to what
steps are being taken at present for
( that purpose, and the reasons for the
delay therein
THE same afternoon the secretary
o. the Interior, after conference
with Senator Poindexter and other
members of the delegation, Fixed the
date OF the opening of the reservation
rs Jniy |, 1916, and the date upon
which it was finally opened. Upon De-
cembei -, 1915, just six days after the
resolution was introduced, Senator
Poindexter stated upon the floor of the
senate Congressional Record page
249) that since the introduction of the
resolution ] have had conference
with the secretary of the interior and
he has fixed definite date for the
} opening of the reservation--July 1,
!, 1915 The matter having been dispos-
| Cd of he then asked that the resolution
be iaid on the table