OCR Text |
Show REPORT OF TEE COMMISSIOKER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. l1 I control of the teachers, while they contribute by their labor to their own support, I aredoing good, and should alone he relied upon. In regard to both of these points the opinion of Superintendent Huntington concurs with those of the several agents; hut in regard to the subject first referred to, that of allotments of land, he recommends that such allotments he made, not in fee-simple, with the power of alienation by deed, hut only for the use of the Indian party and his heirs, and that the quantity allotted to each fhmily he eighty acres. While the reports from all of the agencies concur in favoring this policy, there seems to exist a difference as to the state of preparation of the Indians for it; and, perhaps, good policy may require that the experiment should he tried upon that one of the reservations where there is the best prospect of success, which seems to he the Umatilla reservation. Some difficulty has occnrred from the persistent determination of certain white parties to take possession of locations at the mouth of the Aquiua river, in the coast reservation, for an oyster and fishing station, contrary to the ponitive orders of the agent in charge. One party, who had been forcibly removed by military aid, called in by Agent Simpson, brought suit against him for damages. Upon the representations of the anperintendent of the importance of the case, the em-ployment of counsel atareasonable rate was anthorized to defend the agent. The case has heen continued over to the December term of the court, at which time it is nnderstood that the rights of the United States, nuder the treaty made with the Indians in 1855, will he brought in question, and the superintendent has been ! ! furnished with the necessary evidence: In regard to the treaty of 1855, just referred to, I had occasion to remark at some length in my last annual report, and to urge that some action should he taken hy.government for the fulfilment of its stipnlations, the Indinns having faithfully complied with their part of the agreement. They abandoned large tracts of land to the United States, now occupied by the whites, and promptly removed upon the reservation proposed for their residence, and have since con-tinued to reside upon it. Without repeating here the language of my previous I report, I beg leave to refer yon to i t s statement of the facts in the case, and to add that, in my judgment, some speedy action shoold be taken by the depart-ment under which these Indians may he led to reepect the good faith of the government. If it is not deemed proper, by a formal ratification of the treaty of 1855, to concede the original right of the Indians to the soil, some other --arrangement ean he made which will he equally satisfactory to them; and your attention is especially invited to the remarks of Superintendent Hnntiugton upon this subject. Early in the year 1864 Mr. Steele, then superintending agent of the northern district of California, apprehending hostilities from sundry bands of Indians, among whom were the Klamath Lake and Mondoc tribes, who occupy a district of country about equally divided between California and Oregon, took occasion to visit them and inviting their chief* to a conncil, at which also appeared the chiefs of several tribes of Califimia Indinus. He succeeded in inducing them to abandon their hostile intentions, and to promise peace with eachotber and with the whites, which promise has been kept with almost entire faithfulness. I have ineluded among the papers published with this report an intere3ting letter from Mr. Steele to Hon. Mr. Harding, senator from Oregon, furnishing valuable in- I formation relative to the tribes who inhabit the region of eo~zntryr eferred to. At the same time that Mr. Steele was thus occupied, a hill was pending in Congress making an appropriation of $20,000 to enable your department to con-snmmate treaties of friendship with the tribes referred to, as well as those of southeastern Oregon. Under d.ate of June 28, after the passage of the act in question, the anperintendents of Oregon and California (Mr. Austin Wiley hiving snceeeded Mr. Steele) weredesignated as commissio~~ertos negotiate the desired treaties. Upon conference with Superintendent Wiley, Mr. Huutington found |