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SING. MARCH (, 1891.NUMBER 23uROUND VALLEY RESERVATION.ted andrain left Fa, andtilled. t brutal over the k*k. He L eonae-*1(1, with iree line wrs wasPreamble and Resolutions Passed by the Citizens and Indians of Round Valley.this (.'om mission, that we will use everv I titled, under said Act, to recover pos-mcans in our power to resist and resent;! session, from said defendants said That we call upon our fellow-citizens i lands.** ..of Mendocino County, and of the great From the foregoing extract it isStale of California, to aid us in our laud- «jnite apparent that in view of theCovki.o, February 17, 1391.KlHTOIt DikI'ATCM-DeMOCRAT ;Uursuant to call a meeting of citizens and Indians was field last night at the rink to consider the proposed action of the Government ConmdssienerH in re-able desire, in counteracting this wrong;That we urgently, and most respectfully request and entreat our Senators, and Kepresenatives at Washington to get to work at once, and take such steps as will cause the immediate recall of this Com mission, and the appointment of aof Mc-pathetio ad acci-lu had a the valga, mid3 of the wan, who f of hi*gard to reducing the boundaries of tlie I new one, which will be disinterested,Mone of Id. Andry night tome hislet him a wouldtght she for he as tro time thingvith her ning her night to ead light liar son,for the 1 of there glased y strainv’ for theu a mas-»V?r?e waited e lieaconell beingengine, through sy neverthought ; a while dt fromuUigbt. ” w heavytrack!window lear the rave theto the ie awoke r arrows tu. The die wined. Thestaring*dow of chilling eart. i track! ;ether.—f youngbe walksReservation. The meeting was well attended by whites and a number of thelending Indians of the Reservation. Mr. II. S. Lovell was elected Chairman and W. Henley Secretary. After some speech-making a committee was appointed to prepare resolutions, consisting oi II. A. KUIred, A* 0, perry, Eugene Clifton, F. M. Van Dyke and J. Updegratf. After a recess the committe reported tliefollowing;Whereas, the Commissioners appointed by the President are here to carry out the provisions of the bill approved August 1, 1B00, providing for the reduction of the Round Valley Indian Reservation and for other pufpcsps, apdWhereas, two of the three Commissioners, upon their arrival here two months ago, announced their intention of following the wishes of the white peo-! pie of this section, anlt;| «|so of the lip dions, in the action that they should take in the premises, andWhereas, upon the arrival of Mr.Smith, the third Commissioner, a change seemed to come over them in regard to their intentions, andWhereas, as we understand it, this change has been brought about by the Agent, Mr. Wilsey, and by Mr. Smith, of the Com mission, to perpetrate a gross outrage upon the citizens of this section, aud h!bo upon the Indians, by reserving fit) to 70 thousand acres, against the earnest wishes and entreaties of both whiles and Indians, andWhereas, such a large extent of territory to be reserved nipler the present circumstances, there being only 400 Indians, all told, and only 100 heads of families, is so much beyond their needs as to make such action not only an outrage upon the people of this county anil State, but a thing which is absolutely idiotic in its absurdity, now thereforeIlesoh'edt That we, the sovereign yotere of Round Valley, do hereby enter a most solemn protest against such action, thinking as we do, that it was the duty of the Commission to follow out their proclaimed intention when they first arrived here—that of finding out the wishes of both the whites and the Indians, apd taking action, so as to as nearly as possible satisfy a((;That tliis Commission, at least the majority of them, namely, Mr. Smith and Mr. Shrvoek, since Mr. Smith ar» rived, have not tried to find out what were the wishes of the people in this matter, and have shown no disposition to satisfy anyone, either white or black.inaccordance will* the forms of the bill;That ihe above only applies to two members of this Commission, namely Mr. Smith, who runs it, and Mr. Shryoek, who seerns to he but putty in his hands;That we have only words of praise and respect for the dignified and intelligent attitude assumed by Col. Hunt, and hope that no word derogatory to him will be used in connection with this matter;That a copy of these resolutions shall be sent for publication to the Dispatch* Democrat and the Republican Press;That a copy shall also be sent to the President, the Secretary of the Interior, and each one of our Senators and Itepre-fbrtheftp-thefact that these settlers, long before the extension of the reservation, had entered upon the land in good faith, the purpose of acquiring title to same when it should be surveyed.The case above spoken of was pealed to the Supreme Court of United Slates by the plaintiff, and there the judgment of the lower Court was affirmed.During the first session of the 49tliCongress a resolution was passed through the Senate, under which a Committee was appointed to investigate the condition of Indians on reservations in California, Said commission consisted of Senator Dawes, of Mas-•mchusetts, Cameron of Wisconsin, and Morgan of Alabama. During therecess of the Senate that followed, thiscommittee came to California and toRound Valle}*, remaining there a number of days and took the testimonysentativeB in Congress, with an urgent! i * ....request to them to immediately attend to 0 y Was aVRll,,ble llr°-to this important matter.fessing to know anything about the condition or history of the Indians 011The committee also reported the j Reservation, following preamble, giving a history of the I Said testimony was afterwards cm-.reservation.The people of Round Valley and vicinity, without regard to sex, color or political affiliation, in mass meeting assembled for the purpose of expressing their sentiment* in regard tobodied in a report made to the Senate by this Committee through SenatorDawes, to which report, as coining from a trustworthy source, we com-mend earnest attention. This committee on page so veu of their reportsay: “The committee ura #Vf t.h»the acts of the Indian Commissioners j opinion that the earliest measures sent here for the purposo of establish, j should be taken to reduce the bound-i.« the boundaries of tlio Round VaRley Indian Reservation, to appraise upon it cannot amount to more thanlands, improvements, etc,, find the | seven or eight hundred, men, womenfollowing:.That the people settled upon the grazing lands many years before the lines of the reservation, as now es-ancl children. A few thousand acres of valley land, with perhaps a small portion of upland for grazing purpose^ is all that can be utilized for their benefit. To these needs, the limits oftablished, were extended so as to lake | tbo reservation should be reduced.”in their places. I ^ will be noticed that tnere were1* w • estimated to be at that time seven or1 he Round Valley Reservation ex* nr ur. . .. . , , . , , , or eight hundred Indians on the resisted before and during the late war,; ervation, but at this time there is onlysimply by some kind of an order of the four hundred and twelve Indians onSecretary of the Interior, which was without legal value until the time of a certain proclamation, made by Genera] Grant after he became President. In 1873 the government for the same reason, not necessary to be explainedthe reservation, which number Includes the Indian families of several white men, two Portuguese and two Africans.There are at this time less than one hundred heads of families competent to manage and cultivate allotments ofland.here, abandoned * portion of tberes-J At the ,a8t gession of CongregH aervation, under its original limits, j bill was passed and approved Oct. 1st,and extended its lines northerly, tak- j 1890, for the reduction of the Round ing in nearly 100,000 acres of additional Valley Indian Reservation in Califoy-lands, upon which settlers had improvements and were living. To ae-ma, and for other purposes. The Act provides for the reservation and the allotment of all the agricultural lands,coinplish this purpose Congress passed and in addition to the allotment of thea law on the 3d of March, 1873, de-; agricultural lands, which amounts tofining the boundaries of the new res-F *lVe thousand acres of the finest and, .! niost productive lands m the countv,ervation, and providing for ibe erea-U reascmable amount of gracing. .milRut, on the contrary, have made nn tlon of 11 Commmsiun to be ^pointed , timber lands small be reserved for thetheir minds to reserve this large amount b’ Secretary of the Interior, j «se of the Indians, to be used by (hemcharged 'with the duty of locating j •12 common.anting,”5.maining ride.” boarded ntly unite COIl-3, two ofattoningof territory, keeping the whole matter a - o............. * -—.......* ; ^ p . . .. , ,secret from both the whites ami the In- such boundaries, and also to appraise j th^ provisions of the Act are here, andpay my eighbor.i. But, blonde.usly re-buraiugthe coo-bought-ities cx-jus.It hoard-iUiuandftupution.re many ie in pe-tccmuu-eq ue n i*cd againhas received in regard to running the line;.That this large amount of territory, which they apparently intend to reserve, is so great that the Indians can have no possible use for, and do not want it, and the whites think it foolish and absurd;That the whites are of the opinion that 10 or 12 thousand acres are amply and more than suilicient to be reserved under present circumstances, and the Indians join them in their belief? and all earnestly desire that the rich valley lands, about 5000 acres, should all be retained and allotted to them in 10 or 12 acre tracts, as may be decided upon, which i$ entirely acceptable to the whites;That the white citizens of this section have land contiguous to the Reservation for half a lifetime; and during that long period business and trade relations haveestablished a friendly feeling between them, which naturally leads them to think alike on this important question,dians until their intentions are now die- j the value of all the improvements of j in addition to the valley lands tbev closed by the orders which the Surveyor each of the settlers who were in pos- j we now reserving the boundary lines,session of lands, situated between the 80 as.to reserve some 70,000 acres of northern boundary of the old reserva- J fi!pv *hd this.. , ./ , , ... they are doing contrary to the wishestion and the northern boundary of the j 0f Indians and Whites, with one ex-new reservation.Pursuant to said Act Commissioners were appointed, who proceeded to the reservation, defined its boundaries, and undertook to make an appraisement of said improvements,ception, Agent Wilsey. This we claim is most unreasonable and exceeds the provisions of the Act.The Indians say they do not want this amount as it is more than they can manage, and will only excite the envy of their less fortunate whiteIt seems to make this appraisement, j neighbors, W,U continually en-involved trips on horseback over a these lands, but they say,. , and most truly, give only just whatrough and mountainous country, and we need ftnd can use, and then our. Some eharita-utiige ofittn rela-:w mor* h them wiser—ipiVM V,charityue storysteeiued-ith: being a ing des-time he ly of hisi i Kin tfor that or some other reason, these rights will be respected. Commissioners failed lo make a legal 9ne ^,e#com|ni8sion we learn,.appraisement of said improvements,' contending for-all the rights of . ‘ f * £ .. the Indians in what they need, doesconformity with the terms of said i not think Uley lmVe they slightest useact. i for so much territory, and reserving ofThe Act also made it the duty of the ‘ so much will tend to unsettle theCommissioners, upon said appraise-! ^r2t}ndly relations]now existing be-i \ ♦ i , ! tween Whites and Indians, and be thements bemg made, to pay, or tender , cause of C0lUim)fll |rictio,|the amount of the appraised value of j Commissioner Shryoek, after havingthe improvements to the settlers; and jsaid more than once, that his juclg-aiul this is just the thing which appar- j‘ Upon their failure then to vacate the j and conscience was against re-ontly cannot be understood or appre... lml th were to be eieptl,d- The serving so much territory, votes fordated by these Commissioners from the j - **____ f -.....18 Sr,evo,,M wrong. Against theEast;That this is not a fair Commission/as the hill directs should be appointed, one of its members being an employee in the interior Department, namely Mr. Smith, who seems to control one other membertThe IJ. S. Government then com-meneed an action of ejectment against them in the U. S. Circuit Court ine», under the advice of counsel, j wjsi10s of the Indians, against tho -deeming the appraised values insuffio- j protests of the White settler, save and 4 ient, and the improvements of some; except out* Agent Wilsey, he can •: of them not being appraised at all,! !laJ’e object in violating his -, . . *t * i judgment and his conscience. • - * *they declined to surrender their pos-sessions.i’fc knowI can’t There f knowof the Commission, Mr. Shryoek, and wlio seems to wish to retain for the control of the Indian Department, all the land that he can, without regard to the general good or the welfare of the whites or the ludians. Not caring to know their wishes, or knowing, takes action which shows an utter disregard for them;That these two members constituting a majority of the Commission, in spite ofthe expression made by Mr. Shryoek, Haw, from the facts proven, found theThe duties of this Commission Are |short, and the compensation large,;;-;^but the didioAof the next will tended over an indefinite period, | | this gentleman Ins expressed himself;I ^i | as expecting to be appointed onthis btate, and which action was pros- j p«xt Commission, haseculed in said Court, and was tried be-! that the Secretary of the InfcerwH$d;??fi fore Judge Sawyer. j him that he, the Secretary,-'Tlie result of the suit was: Till!l? aPPoi,lt •)» on the next?vComiiif^;||I S1CH1 ' •/. ■ • r-' ‘Ll'.r’'''the Court rendered judgment in favor Now tllj, ;),an may hide behind 4eof the settlers, and as conclusion of•'j*meterdoingr 'hen lie3 watchand Mr. Hunt, when they first came here, that of settling this matter to the satisfaction of everyone, have now apparently decided upon a plan, which will he i in satisfactory to both whites and Indians, and thus be the source of troubleand annoyance In tlie future of all parties concerned;That the proposed action of reserving fifty or seventy thousand acres is opposed by both whites and Indians, and is acceptable to no ouo in this section, except to Agent Witleey, and possibly some of Ids employees; *That ten or twelve thousand acres is more than amply sufticieiiFfpr,the needs of the Indians at the prffeptHime, and would satisfy all parUes ^;.v \That this Commission Us nowerto settle'.-tjjiis, mattersto ^ vciry pjna, iti^ is| iy; ^ pareptlyf ■ partment instruction s, 3! anything iii thefollowing, which we take from the there isicocioua1 ioe «tu-l do forvelry, 1ig thke^ii to findmifindings and Judgment of said Court;“That as said defendants, who entered upon the lands as possessed by them before said lands were included in said reservation, the Act of Congress entitled an 1 Act to restore a part of Round Valley Indian Reservation, in California, to the public land, andfor other purposes/ approved; March 3d, 1873, under which this action is had, recognise* their nghts respfully to rehiin possession of the lauds i n their veral * piwsewidns ti nti | praised ' aiid pay nidn if ^ tender I ^ them fey the plai ntiff of the a|ipraiserivalue of all timii iiu provemenUj Undas the Odfnmissioiterstjfaf. amine dr “saidvini yim# X A iai .aXB a A .ft Xi’I'Ia VmAmm *lief that a man wiU •b^'-;phhis1i|d|{^ the wwiijg87;Ji^-':eoihmi^ nmn will surely.fee 'puni wrongs, great wrongs/a^inli^^ low.men.It appears that the rethaimft;ber catiie: here wiUi (i made up, and being ah;enssssaiail.nd i^uAgetith^M^libeen- appoiuwmtmmi/. -.1mwmiMv*' i 1111.r \+-• ■ i ,**Yr 1 +*ti M J * ^ fy* riff fr ..........um*.,.-.-■k
Newspaper Details
Mendocino Dispatch Democrat
Ukiah, California, US
Fri, Mar 06, 1891
Page 3
Full Page
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Anonymous
CA, USA 10 Aug 2020
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