The Ronan pioneer., 1917-07-27

come and look over the country. He
said: when you look at Alexander's
place and the land is good and say
Come Victor l will go. If you think
my land is good then Victor will say
Come Alexander then our children
will be content. That is the way we
will make our treaty.
Federal Promises Broken.
That, in effect, was the substance
of the treaty which was signed. The
government also promised to send
carpenters, blacksmiths, artisans and
teachers The government made no
surveys, sent no carpenters, black
smiths, artisans or teachers as prom
ised. Instead, II years later, an or
der was issued which decreed that all
the Indians be transferred to The
Jocko reservation. Congress appro-
priated $4,000 to defray the expense
of removal and in 1872 General Gar
field was dispatched to the Bitter
Root to arrange treaty covering the
removal 1t was in August, 1872,
that General Garfield came. He said
in his official report that he found
the Indians unwilling to move, be-
cause for II years the government
had taken no steps to carry out the
He'll Gate treaty. However, General
Garfield prepared an agreement
which was published as having been
signed by Chariot, First Chief of the
Flatheads Arlee, Second Chief of
the Flatheads; Adolph, Third Chief
of the Flatheads-these as principals
and Congressman William H, Cla-
gett, D. G. Swain, Colonel W. F. San
ders, j. A. Vail and B. F. Potts, then
governor of Montana, as witnesses.
Lost Faith in Whites.
Chariot was outraged when he
learned that it was published that he
had signed the treaty. He declared
he had not signed the treaty and that
he had told the commissioner that he
would not sign it and that he would
never go alive to the Jocko reserva-
I! ton. His sense of honor was wound
ed; his dignity shocked and his last
bit of faith in the whites shattered
the whites whom he had befriended
and protected when his cousin Joseph
and his blood-thirsty band of Presby-
terian Nez Perces came through the
valley in 1877.
| Arlee and his band moved to the
Jocko reservation and Arlee was des-
ignated chief of the Flatheads by the
government This added to Charlot's
resentment and he continued stub
bornly to maintain his lodge at Ste
vensville.
Finally the matter got to congress
and Senator Vest of Missouri and
Major Maginnis, Montana's delegate
in congress were appointed to investi-
gate. They visited Chariot, heard his
story and it's confirmation by Father
Ravalli and believed him. They then
forced General Garfield to admit that
Chariot had not signed the treaty.
The original document on file at
Washington did not bear the old
mans mark. He gave as his reason
for publishing that untruth that he
thought when Chariot saw how the
work was progressing, he would
conclude to join the other chiefs and
keep the tribe united. These men
then tried to persuade Chariot to go
to the Jocko, but the old warrior was
bitter and sore at heart and would
not yield.
Later, in 1884, Major Roman took
Chariot and five of his sub-chiets to
Washington for conference with the
president and the secretary of the in
terror. There, after a long and fu-
tile argument. Chariot was told he
might remain in the Bitter Root val
! ley as long as he was friendly to the