OCR Text |
Show to these Indians has introduced them into new and more trying experiences. They are close to the growing city of Tacoma, of about 30,000 inhabitants, with the real.estate scheming, greed, and craze charaoteristic of such communities. Of the 166 allottees, 64 are dead. The cases of the heirs are in the probate court, where they are "stuck" because of unpaid fees, though in most cases the heirs are in possession. The polygamy and illegitimacy of fornrer times, uuder which many of these heirs were born, makes much trouble, mlxlng titles and causing interminable snarls. The Indians having become citizens under the Dawes bill of 1887 are not now easily controlled for their best interest, and are often vic-tims of schemers, mho teach the most radical ideas of liberty. Down to 18'50 drunkenness mas punished by the Indian agent, and the sale of liquors was a felony punishable in the United States penitentiary. Under the operations of the Dames bili, all such cases arc dislnissed in both the United States and the State courts, and no liquor-seller can now be convicted of selling liquor to even Iudiau ~~linorsS. ince these decisions driurken~~ehssa s increased, ~ r it ils n ow esti~uatedt hat one-third of the male Puyalliq) Indians use l~quofri eely, often to inebri-ation. The value of this reservation land is very great. The late United States Puyallup eom~niasion collected the judgments of thirty meu, ' whose opi~~iongsa ve an average of $275 an acre, making the total value of the 17,483 acres of a:llotted land $4,776,:50. Sonre portions were set as high as $1,000 to $G,000 an acre. Besides its value for city extension, the question of right: of way for milroads is a prom-inent element in the agitatiou. It is not strange that many citizens of Tacoma should regard it as adverse to the interests of their city to have such a. body of u~~occnl~liarndd blocking its progress, a,~,rtsdh o.uld seek some way to gaiu a eontrollirrg interest in the 111diau allotnrents; nor is it stranee that the Puvallun Indians should be easilv drawn into these schheu, mhen stroAg pehriary rnotivcs are presen"ted. But the tenure of the patents bar sale or mortgage. The fee simple can not be alienated for twentv-fivevear~. Ulrder these circ~rmstances I legal ingenuity has inveuted"a sp&ies of aoutracts n-it11 the Indian allottees, in lieu of a deed or mortgage, in oonnection with which qnasi I claims or leases ou the land have given. and a laree a~l lou~oift u 1 money (some $30,000) paid the Ir~dians. Th; co~rtractssti~ulatthea t when the restrictions upon the patents areremoved, the coutracts shall I ouerate as an absolute bouvevGrce of the inud in fee ximi~le. a114 the "iease money" shall be reckoketl as a part payment of theprice agreed upon in the contract. Under the temptations of the situation, many of the Puyallup 111di-ans have lapsed from their former thrift. They do not know the value of morley aud spend it freely in rdinous dissipation. This class are not cultivating their lauds, as they did formerly. Many complications and grave qnestions are l~ending during this transitional period through which the Poyallups are gassing. Violent deaths are not uncommo~r through whisky, even among the ex-pupils of the scl~ool, solue of the brightest beiug the victims. An Eastern paper put this case tersely as follows: The most atrenuona objection is offered to the PuyaUops being allowed to retain their reservation at the espeuse of tho enlugement of the city of Teeom?. No donbt their presenon is an obstacle; no doubt but that their lauds are incraasin in valoe every year. but iirlppase these lands were owner1 by white meu. Would %ey not in proto'otwl)in $otting the very last dollar possible for than l Some n,n,ange-meut ought to be made for these people who have beoome rich through uo fiault of |