USA > Idaho > History of Washington, Idaho, and Montana : 1845-1889 > Part 54
USA > Montana > History of Washington, Idaho, and Montana : 1845-1889 > Part 54
USA > Washington > History of Washington, Idaho, and Montana : 1845-1889 > Part 54
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72 Lewiston Signal, Nov. 1 and Dec. 13, 1873, and March 28, 1874.
73 The following is a list of the federal and territorial officers, and members of the legislature from the organization of the territory of Idaho to 1884. The lists of legislators down to 1866 have been given. 1864: governor, W. Il. Wallace, resigned to become delegate; secretary, W. B. Daniels; auditor, B. F. Lambkin; treasurer, D. S. Kenyon; marshal, D. S. Payne; chief justice, Sidney Edgerton; associate justices, Samuel C. Parks and Alex. C. Smith;
478
POLITICAL AFFAIRS.
attorney of 1st district, Thomas M. Pomeroy; 2d district, George C. Hough; 3d, vacant; clerk of court, J. C. Henly.
1865: governor, Caleb Lyon of N. Y .; secretary, C. De Witt Smith; dele- gate, E. D. Holbrook; judiciary same as in 1864; clerk of court, E. C. May- hew.
1866: governor and supt of Ind. affairs, Caleb Lyon; secretary, H. C. Gil- son of Ohio; chief justice, John R. McBride of Or .; associate justices, Milton Kelly of Wis. and A. C. Smith of Or .; U. S. marshal, J. H. Alvord of N. Y .; U. S. revenue assessor, M. C. Brown of Me; U. S. collector, John Cum- mins of Or .; territorial treasurer and ex-officio prison commissioner, E. C. Ster- ling; comptroller and ex-officio librarian, H. B. Lane; supt of public instruc- tion, J. A. Chittenden; attorney of 2d district (McBride's), C. B. Waite; clerk, W. B. Smith.
1867: governor, David Ballard of Or .; secretary, S. R. Howlett of Idaho; judiciary, McBride, Kelly, and John Cummins; marshal, Alvord; U. S. rev- enue assessor, Austin Savage of Idaho, vice George Woodman; U. S. col- lector, J. C. Geer of Idaho (formerly of Or.); surveyor-general, L. F. Carter of Idaho; attorney Ist dist, Frank Dalton; clerk, Warren A. Belcher; atty 2d dist, J. J. May; clerk, W. B. Smith; 3d dist atty, E. J. Curtis; clerk, R. E. Halleck.
186S: governor, David Ballard; secretary, S. R. Howlett; judiciary same as above; U. S. attorney, Henry E. Prickett, vice Hough; Hough made Ind- ian agent; registrar U. S. land-office, R. H. Brown; receiver, J. C. Carroll; comptroller, R. W. Bishop; attorney of Ist district, W. W. Thayer; of 3d district, L. P. Highce; other officers same as in preceding year.
The members of the 5th legislature, 1868-9, were-councilmen: G. W. Paul of Ada county; V. S. Anderson of Alturas; W. M. Vance, R. G. Allen, A. J. Bonner, and C. C. Dudley of Boisé; S. P. C. Howard of Idaho; J. S. Taylor of Nez Perce; F. E. Ensign of Owyhee; J. M. Taylor of Oneida; B. F. Yantis of Shoshone; Taylor president. Members of the lower house: Thomas H. Cal- loway, S. B. Wright, Thomas B. Hart of Ada county; Meredith Kelly, Lewis Linbeck, of Alturas; W. S. Harley, S. T. Hussmau, D. McGrew, D. B. Moody, S. Goodenough, Bailey Hayden, V. Marx, Thomas Foy, of Boise; E. T. Beatty, E. Mulkey, of Idaho; G. W. Bell, V. S. Zeigle, of Nez Perce; Patrick Camp- hell, Seth Catlin, P. S. Quion, of Owyhee; F. M. Shoemaker of Oneida; W. A. Goulder of Shoshone; Beatty speaker. The attachés of the council were: George Ainslie secretary; A. H. Purdy asst-sec .; Thomas Sweeney enrolling clerk; W. W. Habusham engrossing clerk; S. B. Dilley sergt-at-arms; Lewis F. Alpey doorkeeper; Robert Gillespie page. Attachés of the lower house: H. F. Sayrs chief clerk; E. Raynor asst-clerk; George Ish engrossing clerk; J. H. Slater enrolling clerk; John Donovan, sergt-at-arms; J. Wells door- keeper; George W. Butterfield page.
1869: governor, David Ballard; secretary, S. R. Howlett; chief justice, David Noggle of Wis .; associates, William C. Whitson, and M. E. Hollister, vice J. R. Lewis, resigned; U. S. marshal, H. W. Moulton; surveyor-general, Edward Rugger; receiver, James Hunt.
1870: governor, Thomas W. Bennett of Ind., vice Gilman Marston and Thomas A. Bowen, resigned without acting; secretary, E. J. Curtis of Idaho; delegate to congress, S. A. Merritt; judiciary as above; U. S. dist attorney, J. W. Huston; U. S. marshal, Joseph Pinkham; surveyor-general, L. F. Cartee; registrar Boisé land district, T. Donaldson; receiver, James Stout; assessor U. S. revenue, A. Savage; collector, J. C. Geer; territorial treasurer, John S. Gray; comptroller, D. Crane; clerk supreme court, Thomas Donaldson; register in Boisé City, H. W. O. Margary.
Members of the 6th legislative assembly, 1870-1-councilmen: I. N. Coston of Ada county; John McNally of Alturas; R. G. Allen, W. Lynch, N. M. Vance, and II. A. Mattox of Boisé; S. P. C. Howard of Idaho; B. J. Nor- dyke of Lemhi; C. C. Call of Nez Percé; J. II. Stump of Oneida; D. G. Monroe and Gilmore Hays of Owyhee; B. F. Yantis of Shoshone; D. G. Monroe president. Members of the lower-house: W. A. Yates, W. T. Por-
479
IDAHO OFFICIALS AND LEGISLATORS.
ter, T. D. Calahan, and P. Everett of Ada county; R. W. Marshall and E. B. Hall of Alturas; J. H. Wickersham, D. B. Mooney, J. J. Tompkins, A. E. Calloway, John West, J. H. Hawley, Julian Smith, and. J. G. Hughes of Boisé; Perry Clark and P. Cleary of Idaho; Jefferson Williams of Lemli; J. P. Silverwood and H. H. Wheeler of Nez Perce; J. W. Morgan of Oneida; J. B. Pierce, W. P. Upsher, P. Campbell, J. R. Crawford, and W. H. Van Slyke of Owyhee; W. B. Yantis of Shoshone. W. A. Yates speaker.
Members of the 7th legislative assembly, 1872-3-councilmen: I. N. Coston and J. B. Wright of Ada; John McNally of Alturas; Benjamin Willson, J. V. R. Witt, and H. A. Mattox, Boise; S. P. C. Howard, Idaho; B. J. Nor- dyke, Lemhi; Gilmore Hays and L. P. Higbee, Owyhee; J. H. Stump, Oncida; Stanford Capps, Shoshone; I. N. Coston president. Members of the lower house (their counties are not given in the journal): Harvey Hall, N. B. Willey, J. W. Garrett, Charles Himrod, Peter Adams, A. Dean, John B. Sissins, M. J. Biddy, G. W. Tomer, J. J. Apperson, G. M. Parsons, A. B. Anderson, J. H. Tranger, A. E. Calloway, F. Campbell, S. S. Fenn, James H. Bennett, L. H. Hatch, A. T. Huffaker, Thomas Elder, Matt. Davis, J. M. Short, S. M. Jeffries, P. McMahon, and A. L. Simondi. S. S. Fenn speaker.
Members of the 8th legislative assembly, 1874-5-councilmen: A. H. Robie and H. E. Prickett of Ada county; John NeNally of Alturas; J. M. Cannady, J. H. Hawley, and R. E. Foote of Boisé; S. P. C. Howard of Idaho; E. T. Beatty of Lemhi; L. P. Brown of Nez Perce; Angell and H. Martin of Owyhee; A. Stalker, Oneida; W. A. Goulder, Shoshone. Members of the lower house: J. H. Paddock, Orlando Robbins, J. H. McCarty, and J. B. Pierce of Ada county; R. A. Sidebotham and V. S. Anderson of Alturas; E. A. Stevenson, Charles W. Stewart, Frederick Campbell, G. B. Baldwin, Calvin R. White, James W. White, Matthew G. Luney, and Joseph Cave, Boisé; George Shearer and Philip Cleary, Idaho; George L. Shoup and T. C. Tuthill, Lemhi; J. C. Waldrip and William Groat, Nez Perce; Hunt, Culp, Pool, and Moore of Owyhee; Clemens of Oneida; C. T. Nelson of Shoshone.
1876: governor, D. P. Thompson; secretary, E. J. Curtis; delegate to congress, S. S. Fenn; chief justice, M. E. Hollister; associates, W. C. Whitson and John Clark; district attorney, J. W. Huston; U. S. marshal, Joseplı Pink- ham; surveyor-general, L. F. Cartee; register of Lewiston land-office, Seth S. Slater; receiver, R. J. Monroe; register of Boisé land-office, W. P. Thompson; receiver, James Stout; agent Nez Perce Indians, J. B. Monteith; internal revenue collector, Austin Savage; territorial treasurer, John Huntoon; terri- torial comptroller, Joseph Perrault.
1877: governor, M. Brayman; secretary, E. J. Curtis; delegate to congress, S. S. Fenn. Members of the 9th legislative assembly, 1876-7-councilmen: W. T. Baker and I. N. Coston of Ada county; R. A. Sidebotham of Alturas; E. A. Stevenson and J. V. R. Witt of Boise; E. T. Beatty of Lemhi; L. P. Hig- beo of Oncida; R. Tregraskis and F. C. Porter of Owyhee; S. P. C. How- ward of Idaho; William Budge of Bear Lake; W. G. Langford of Nez Perce; D. W. C. Dunwell of Shoshone. E. T. Beatty president. Members of the lower house: F. K. Froman, Thomas Gray, H. K. Hartley, J. F. Griffin, and B. L. Warriner of Ada county; T. J. Curtis and C. K. Davis of Alturas; James H. Hart of Bear Lake; Stephen Dempsey, M. G. Luncy, John H. Myer, George W. Richards, and I. S. Wieler of Boise; Philip Cleary of Idaho; Jesse McCaleb and Leonard G. Morse of Lemhi; S. P. Edwards and F. Points of Nez Perce; P. A. Tutt, R. L. Wood, E. H. Moore, G. W. Gilmore, and John Ward of Owyhee; J. N. High and W. T. Norcross of Oneida; E. Hammond of Shoshone. T. J. Curtis speaker.
1830: governor, J. B. Neil; secretary T. F. Singiser; delegate to congress, George Ainslie. Members of the 10th legislative assembly, held in Jan. and Feb. 1879, according to an act passed at the previous session changing the time of beginning from Dec. to Jan-councilmen: J. B. Pierce and M. R. Jen- kins of Ada county; George M. Parsons of Alturas: Joseph Travis and George Pettengill of Boise; J. W. Hart, Bear Lake; N. B. Willey, Idaho; George L. Shoup, Lemhi; William Clemens, Oneida; B. J. Nordyke and Philip A. Regan,
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POLITICAL AFFAIRS.
Owyhee; George A. Manning, Nez Perce; W. B. Yantis, Shoshone. N. B. Wil- ley president. Members of the lower house: William Allison, T. Gray, A. E. Calloway, C. B. Humphrey, and H. J. G. Maxon of Ada county; W. H. Butler and A. Leonard Myer of Alturas; Joseph C. Rich of Bear Lake; J. W. White, Robert Spenser, M. G. Hardin, G. B. Baldwin, and R. H. Robb of Boisé; William C. Pearson of Idaho; D. B. Varney and W. Birdseye of Lembi; William King and J. J. Bonner of Nez Perce; Alex. Stalker and D. R. Jones of Oneida; G. W. Newsom, P. Weatherman, William Cooper, George Chapin, and William Nichols of Owyhee; Robert T. Yantis of Shoshone. W. Birds- eye was elected speaker on tho 102d ballot.
Under the reapportionment act of June 3, 1880, there were elected the following members of the 11th legislative assembly, 1880-1-councilmen: R. Z. Johnson of Ada county; John S. Hailey of Ada and Washington; James Murray of Boisé; S. B. Dilley of Boisé and Alturas; J. W. Poe of Nez Perce; I. B. Cowen of Nez Perce, Shoshone, and Lahtoh; L. P. Wilmot of Idaho; H. Peck and L. C. Morrison of Oneida; Charles Cobb of Cassia and Owyhee; William Budge of Bear Lake; W. F. Anderson of Lemhi. John Hailcy presi- dent. Members of the lower house: A. E. Calloway, A. S. Gray, P. J. Pefly, and J. Brumback of Ada county; Stephen Dempsey and Frederick Campbell of Boisé; I. W. Garrett of Alturas; James Hart and J. C. Rich of Bear Lake; R. L. Wood of Cassia; E. B. True and T. W. Girton of Idaho; James L. Onderdonk and J. J. Gilson of Lemhi; I. M. Hibhs, S. J. Langdon, and J. M. Hedrick of Nez Perce; J. W. Cummings of Owyhee; W. L. Webster, Joseph Dudley, Alex. Stalker, and David R. Jones of Oneida; William Nichols of Shoshone; Thomas M. Jeffrey of Washington. E. B. True speaker. The official register of 1881 contains the names of George Ainslie congres- sional delegate; John T. Morgan chief justice; Norman Buck and Henry E. Prickett associate justices; Wallace R. White U. S. district attorney; E. S. Chase U. S. marshal; A. L. Richardson clerk of supreme court; E. A. Stone agent at Lemhi Indian reservation; C. D. Warner agent at Nez Percé reser- vation; R. W. Berry collector of internal revenue; D. P. B. Pride, C. P. Coburn, and George W. Richards deputies; William P. Chandler U. S. surveyor-general; T. W. Randall chief clerk; John B. Miller, Jonathan M. Howe, and August Duddanhausen registers; J. Stout, R. J. Monroe, and A. W. Eaton receivers of publie money
1883: governor, John N. Irwin,
Members of the 12th legislative assembly, IS82-3-councilmen: J. V. R. Witt of Ada county; Thomas C. Galloway of Ada and Washington; Joseph Travis of Boisé; E. A. Wall of Boisé and Alturas; C. E. Robinson of Bear Lake; E. P. Johnson, Custer and Lembi; P. A. Regan, Cassia and Owyhee; James Odle, Idaho; W. L. Webster and Henry Peck, Oneida; William S. Taylor, Nez Perce; J. B. Cowen, Nez Perce, Shoshone, and Kootenai. E. A. Wall president. Members of the lower house: D. W. Fouch, J. P. Wilson, I. N. Coston, and H. K. Hartley of Ada; E. M. Wilson of Alturas; R. H. Robb and F. Campbell of Boise; Amos R. Wright and H. S. Woolley of Bear Lake; J. C. Shoup of Custer; W. C. Martindale of Cassia; W. C. Pear- son and Robert Larimer of Idaho; O. A. Dodge of Kootenai and Shoshone; James A. Haywood of Lemhi; A. Buchanan, K. Larson, and G. W. Toner of Nez Perce; J. M. Harbour of Owyhee; C. J. Bassett, D. L. Evans, M. L. Gruwell, and J. B. Thatcher of Oneida; F. M. Mickey of Washington. D. W. Fouch, speaker. Hollister was succeeded as chief justice, Jan. 13, 1879, by William G. Thompson; and Thompson, June 10, 1879, by John T. Mor- gan, who held till 1885. Norman Buck succeeded Clark as associate justice in the Ist district. Caso Broderick was appointed to the 2d dist in May, 1884. The chief justice took the 3d dist in 1879.
1SS4, federal officers: governor, William M. Bunn; secretary, D. P. B. Pride; delegate, T. F. Singiser; surveyor-gen., Wm F. Chandler; chief justice, John T. Morgan; ass, justice, Ist dist, Norman Buck; 2d dist, Case Broder- ick; clerk, A. L. Richardson; asst U. S. dist atty, W. R. White; asst U. S. dist atty, Alanson Smith; marshal, F. T. Dubois; reg. land-office, E. L. Cur- tis; receiver, M. Krebs.
CHAPTER IV.
THREATENING ASPECT OF AFFAIRS.
1861-1874.
TRIBAL AND TERRITORIAL DIVISIONS OF THE ABORIGINES-ATTITUDE OF THE NEZ PERCÉ NATION-GOLD DISCOVERY ON THE NEZ PERCE RESERVATION -COUNCIL AT LAPWAI-TERMS OF TREATY DISREGARDED BY THE WHITE MEN-ABORIGINAL DIPLOMACY-BIG THUNDER AND THE MISSIONARIES -TERMS OF THE NEW TREATY-CLAIM OF EAGLE-FROM-THE-LIGHT -- SPEECH OF LAWYER-CONFERENCE WITH JOSEPH.
THE native races of Idaho were divided by the Salmon River range of mountains, the Nez Percés being the representative nation of the northern divis- ion, and the Shoshones of the southern. The con- dition and character of the former were relatively higher than those of the latter.1
During the five years' war from 1863 to 1868, the history of which I have given, the Nez Percés re- mained quiescent, taking no part in the hostilities, although they were not without their grievances, which might have tempted other savages to revolt. The troubles to which I here refer began in 1855, with the treaties made with them and the other tribes of eastern Oregon and Washington by Palmer and Stevens, superintendents respectively of the Indians of those territories. At this council there were two parties among the Nez Percés, one for and one against a treaty-a peace and a war party-but in the end all signed the treaty, and observed it, notwithstanding the strong influences brought to bear upon them by the
1 See Native Races, passim; Hist. Or., passim, this series. HIST. WASH .- 31
(481)
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THREATENING ASPECT OF AFFAIRS.
surrounding tribes, who went to war after agreeing to its terms. They were conquered, and the country opened for settlement.
It was at this period, when the discovery of gold on the reservation of the Nez Percés caused white inen to overrun it without regard to the rights of the Indians, that their loyalty was most severely tried, and that a division occurred in the nation. A war at this time was narrowly averted by the combined efforts of Superintendent Hale of Washington, and Lawyer, the head chief of the Nez Percés, together with the establishment of a military post at Lap- wai.2
At a council held in August 1861, at Lapwai, Eagle-from-the-light gave his voice for war, and for a coalition with the Shoshones. Looking-glass, the former war chief, was now too old to lead in battle, but Eagle-from-the-light was eager to succeed to his honors. A number of sub-chiefs were ready to sup- port this measure; but on the other hand, the power- ful interest represented by Lawyer was against it, and a company of dragoons under Captain Smith, stationed at Lapwai ostensibly to protect the Indians from the impositions of the mniners, was a standing menace to the Nez Percés, should they break the peace. The council finally adjourned without agree- ing upon anything in particular.3
This condition of the Indian mind was strongly represented in congress, to procure an appropriation of $50,000 for the purpose of holding a treaty with the Nez Percés for the purchase of an important
" I am aware it has been said that before the war of 1877 the Nez Percés never shed white blood; but this is an error, as in 1862 they did commit sev- eral murders, which is not surprising under the circumstances. Ind. Aff. Rept, 1862, 396. A white man was also killed by them near Lapwai in 1865. " Nathan Olney, who is good authority in Indian matters, writing to The Dalles Mountaineer in 1861, said that all the tribes except a part of the Teninos Wascoes and Des Chutes were only waiting for the consent of the Nez Percés to join with the Shoshones in a general war against the white popula- tion. Portland Oregonian, July 1, 1861. The conduct of the Cayuses called on Steinberger's command at Walla Walla to punish them, which he was forced to do. Olympia Wash. Standard, Nov. 1, 1862.
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INDIAN AFFAIRS.
part of their reservation, $40,000 of which was appro- priated, and expected to be in the hands of the agents by November 1862. Meanwhile the reservation was freely occupied by white men, who dug gold, built towns, laid out roads, and sold whiskey upon it, con- trary to law. Even the military guard was withdrawn, because the commander of the military district dared not subject a company to temptation by placing it on the border of a rich mining region, lest it should desert. The irritability of the Indians becoming more manifest, General Alvord determined upon the establishment of a permanent post at Lapwai, on the return of Maury's command from an expedition to Fort Hall, in the autumn of 1862.4
November came, and the Indians were gathering to the promised council when the commissioners ap- pointed were forced to announce that no funds had come to hand, and to defer the conference until the following May. Even the well-disposed Nez Percés found the unaccountable delay anything but reassur- ing, and were only kept on friendly terms by the efforts of William Craig and Robert Newell, in whose probity they had the greatest confidence. At length the 15th of May, 1863, was fixed upon for the council. As a means to the peaceable ending of the conference, four companies of the 1st Oregon cavalry were sta- tioned at Lapwai, and much display was made of the power and material of the military branch of the gov- ernment, as well as its munificence in entertaining the whole Nez Perce nation, for which a village of tents with regularly laid out streets was spread upon a beautiful plat of ground about a mile from the fort.
Looking-glass had died in January, but Eagle-from- the-light, Big Thunder, and Joseph, all chiefs opposed to another treaty, were present with their 1,200 fol- lowers, and Lawyer and his sub-chiefs with his people,
+ Fort Lapwai was built under the superintendence of D. W. Porter of the Ist Oregon cavalry. It was situated upon the right bank of Lapwai Creek, 3 miles from its confluence with the Clearwater. The reservation was one mile square.
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THREATENING ASPECT OF AFFAIRS.
numbering about 2,000. On the part of the United States, there were Superintendent Hale, agents Hutchins and Howe, and Robert Newell. When all else was ready, a delay of two weeks occurred, because the Indians would have no interpreter but Perrin B. Whitman, who was in the Willamette Valley and had to be sent for. So much time thus allowed for discussion gave opportunity for recalling all the grievances of the past, and prognosticating for the future. The Palouses, taking advantage of this period of idleness, invaded the Nez Percé camp, bent upon mischief, one of them going so far as to strike Com- missioner Howe with a riding-whip, when they were ordered off the reservation by Colonel Steinberger, and Drake's company of cavalry assigned to the duty of keeping them away.5
About the last of the month the council was allowed to begin. The lands to be treated for embraced an area of 10,000 square miles, containing, besides the mines, much good agricultural land. It was at this conference that the disaffected chiefs put in their claims to certain parts of the former reservation as their peculiar domain. That spot where the agency was located, and which was claimed also in part by the representatives of the American Board of Foreign Missions,6 was alleged by Big Thunder to belong to him. Eagle-from-the-light laid claim to the country on White Bird Creek, a small branch of Salmon River, and adjacent to the Florence mines. Joseph declared his title to the valley of Wallowa Creek, a tributary
5 Rhinehart's Or. Cavalry, MS., 6-7.
6 Although a section of the organic act of Oregon gave a mile square of land to each of the missions in actual occupation at the time of the passage of the act, Aug. 1848, and the Lapwai mission had been abandoned in 1847, with no subsequent occupation, an attempt was made after the Indian agency buildings and mills had been erected on the land, and the country con- tiguous to the reservation was becoming settled, to establish a title to the Lapwai station under the organic act. The first claimants were Spalding and Eells, for the A. B. C. F. M., and the second was W. G. Langford, a lawyer, who purchased the pretended rights of the A. B. C. F. M. for a nominal sum, and attempted to extort from congress $120,000 for the improvements made by appropriations of that body. Lewiston Idaho Signal, April 12, 1873. The claim was not allowed.
485
NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE NEZ PERCÉS.
of the Grand Rond River; and each holding for him- self and band declined to sell.
The lands reserved by the treaty of 1855 embraced all the country enclosed by a line beginning at the source of the south fork of the Palouse, extending south-westerly to the mouth of the Tucannon, up the Tucannon to its source in the Blue Mountains, along this range in a general southerly direction to a point on Grand Rond River, midway between the Grand Rond and Wallowa Creek, along the divide between the Wallowa Creek and Powder River, crossing Snake River at the mouth of Powder River, thence in an easterly direction to Salmon River fifty miles above the mouth of the Little Salmon, thence north to the Bitter Root Mountains, and thence west to the place of beginning, comprising an area which later consti- tuted five counties.
The first proposition of the commissioners was that the Nez Percés should sell all their lands except five or six hundred square miles situated on the south side of the south fork of the Clearwater, and embracing the Kamiah prairie, to be surveyed into allotments, with the understanding that a patent was to issue to each individual holding land in severalty, with pay- ment for improvements abandoned. But to this the nation would not agree. The next proposition was to enlarge this boundary so as to double the amount of land, embracing, as before, the Kamiah prairie, the agricultural lands to be surveyed, and the provisions of the treaty of 1855 to be continued to them. There was to be expended, besides, $50,000 in wagons, farm stock, and agricultural implements, $10,000 in mills, $10,000 in school-houses, $6,000 for teachers for the first year, and half that amount annually for fourteen years for the same object. Buildings for teaching black- smithing and carpentering were to be furnished. Be- tween $4,000 and $5,000 was to be paid for the horses furnished Governor Stevens and the volunteers dur- ing the war of 1855-6. The Indians might sell their
486
THREATENING ASPECT OF AFFAIRS.
improvements to private individuals or the govern- ment; and the whole of the stipulations should be carried out within one year after the ratification of the treaty by the senate of the United States. This proposition was to be final.
Lawyer then made a speech containing a remark- able mixture of diplomacy and sarcasm-the sarcasm being a part of the diplomacy-giving evidence of those peculiar talents which enabled this chief always to outgeneral his rivals. He assured the commis- sioners that he and his chiefs and people fully under- stood the present position of the government toward the Nez Percés, who were a law-abiding people, while the government itself had broken its own law, the treaty of 1855. He had understood that there were two opinions in congress concerning the making of a new treaty. As to the old one, he was willing to ad- here to that, as he had done heretofore, having always regarded himself sacredly bound by it, and the chiefs who refused to be governed by it as beyond the pale of the law, and not acknowledged by him to be chiefs. Although satisfied that the first treaty was preferable, he would like to hear what the United States pro- posed to give for the reservation lands, and that the government was disposed to be just.7
The object of this speech was fourfold: to show that he was in a position to object to the proffered treaty, to arraign the government of the United States, to make this the ground for securing addi- tional benefits should he consent to the propositions of the government agents, and to proclaim as outlaws all the other chiefs who did not follow his direction, by which proclamation his alliance with the govern- inent would be strengthened, this being the foundation of his power with his own people. After this speech of Lawyer's, the rival chiefs, Big Thunder, Three Feathers, Eagle-from-the-light, and Joseph, who had held aloof from the conference, came into the council,
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