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About Weekly Chemawa American. (Chemawa, Or.) 189?-198? | View Entire Issue (Aug. 13, 1909)
meekly Kbfcriiawa JUmerican- VOL. 12 AUGUST 13, 1909. NO. 8 Poor Quileutes. s . ... v : . ' ; Taholah, Wash, Aug. 4, 1909. Editor of the Ocean Wave: In recent issues of various newspapers in the Grays Harbor country, it was stated that F. R. Archer, United States alloting agent of the lands in this reser vation had completed his work. He has made 580 assignments of land to the In dians, and reports about 15 candidates whose claims have not yet been located. Forty members of the Quileute tribe have made aplication for land on the reserva tion, but their cases have been reported to the Indian office, at Washington, D. O, and pending this decision the Quileute will not be given land. But, be cheerful, Quileute, there's truth in the world yet. Poor Indians, they have many disad vantages. They lost their only rights in this wide world of ours for being de barred from obtaining lands in this res ervation. This was their very last op portunity in the world to secure lands. The coming generation will have no op portunity to prove to the world their skill and ability in the farming industry. It may sesm , strange to men of thoughtful minds to realize that the?e Indians have eventually lost their rights, for unknown reasons. Their ancestors the leading men of the tribe were the first ones to set their hands on the treaty document made in 1855 and 1850 in the presence of Gov. Isaac I. .Stevens, when this state . was a territory. The record shows plainly that the Quileute delegation had more men who signed the treaty, but how did it happen that these Indians were excluded from the allotment of lands? They have sup-' ported the articles vested in the treaty document, but they neither bought any more slaves nor made war with other Indian tribes, alter the said treaty. They have waited and waited for years to be granted their rights, until the end placed them beyond consideration. The intelligence of some of these In dians is superior to other Pacific coast tribes, but had they been treated justly they would have proved themselves more intelligent than all Pacific coast tribes, in agricultural, industrial and educational pursuits. The only way they can make a living now, is to work for the settlers, but the work does not last a year round. They do little vege- (Continued on page 8.)