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Show REPORT OF THE BOARD OP INDIAN COMMISSIONERS. 125 advice. Captain Smith was here aiid remained awhile. Soon the Indians followed no good advice. Mr. Wilbur came back and it was as if he had gotten us up again from our wild ways, and so you find us. JOE STLIRE, ( the chief.) I was raised among the whites and know many things about them. I never thought I would be chief. I was always a friend of the whites. When they said I should not do wrong I listened to what they said. I try to do right. I don't steal from the whites. My heart was always good to them, and so it is now. I see the great chief who came to us. I heard what he said, and I will keep it in my heart. I will always remember what you say. Some of these young men whom you see this is not the country of their fathers. The treaty brought them here._ The Government wants to give white men's hearts to us, and these young men take advice of the- white men. We want to do as white men do. We want to get the Bible into our hearts ; we hunger for it. We are glad you come to help us. We want all to follow after the Scriptures. These old men, all they know is the treaty. They say I helped make the treaty, and that is all they know. I wish" they would come out of this and do right. If the people were all good, white men would not trouble us. Some of my people are wild and get into trouble with the whites. I am ashamed of them, because they are my people. THOMAS PEARN, ( a preacher.) I am a man and see the great chief who visits us. My heart is glad. I never thought a great man from Washington would come. The President is away off, but sends you to see us. This is not my country. We were not raised here, but about Fort Vancouver. The tribes that belong here do not want the whites to come here, and they always want to make trouble. When a boy, I heard they would make war with the whites. I was at Vancouver. I learned to work. I saw soldiers traveling about. We did not know anything about this country. The commanding officer put the Indians in a fort to keep soldiers from killing us. We remained one year with guards to keep us, and we were safe. The commander then told us this land was assigned to us, and the tribes who belonged here left, and we came here and found an agent. We were strangers and feared to come to this country alone, and we were brought here. We were Indians then, not men as we are now. We were in old times like the old Indians great fighters. We fought other tribes and people. Soon a missionary came, and we wondered whether he would be a big man. Dr. Lonzedale and Mr. Wilbur came as missionaries. They fixed up a room and hunted children for a school. He found us and said, " Boys, won't you come to school 1 " I said " Yes." Then the people who had left their country began to come back. They bate us, and say it is not our country. We know the President assigned us this country. WT e did as the agent said, and we received an education. I am a man. I have a new heart. The old heart we received from our fathers has passed away. We can write, and why should we not be pleased toward the President, for he sent teachers for us, and we are pleased toward him. We want the President to know we are learning. We want Mr. Wil-bur to remain. Now I have a license to preach. We have two churches. The great chief sits in one of my pulpits, and I am glad. I want to say a word to you. You see these Eeople. We never could find one to take the place of our agent, Mr. Wilbur. Some, may-e, would want another. They would say they obey the laws of the President, but don't take the advice of the agent. We must obey Mr. Wilbur if we would obey the President. I tell you the feelings of our young men. Mr. Wilbur does not tell me to say so, but it is our heart. We want him to stay, and we want the President to know that he is the man for us. CHAl- LoT. I am a common man no chief. Nobody gave me advice to make rny heart good. Now I see the great chief who has come to us, and what he has said we take it into our hearts. The great chief has talked good to us, and we want to keep it. You have a heart, and I have one. I take what you say, and I will koep it. Some of the Indians say they never get advice. Now they get it from you. The President wants ail to have one mind. Your men and women are my brothers and sisters. I don't say w^ ; v! l have onty one mind, but ail these young men and women have one mind. Mr. Wilbur under-stands us all. We want the President to know our hearts. WAH- TuM- KEE. I have forgotten part of my mind hefore when I talked. Joe Stuire is like my brother ; he talked about the difficulties. I was at the fight just here. Colonel Wright gave us advice at that time. He told us then all the Indians would live here. I kept his words ; he said that half way from the Dalles was the line. He said the Kliquitat Indians from below would come here first. The treaty brought us here and nobody can fault us for living here. Only the common people find fault with others coming here. The chiefs don't say anything. I have watched what has been said. Colonel Wright gave us food advice, and I kept it ; he said no one could drive cattleinto our country ; only the adian cattle could be kept, and soon you will have plenty. One time I was a leading man, but the young men have taken things in hand. I said nothing about the cattle. There are plenty of cattle on our reservation belonging to the whites. We lose cattle, and dare not say anything. That is what I want to say. SKUCUM, ( JOHN.) We look upon Mr. Wilbur as our father. There was a chief came from Vancouver with us ; he died ; his ears were open to good advice. We were not raised in this country. The President wanted to give us a place to live ; he gave us this country. At first we heard nothing good here ; we knew the President as father had assigned this |