| Show CHIEF JOSEPHS SPEECH The correspondent of the Indianap olis Sentinel in describing the visit of Chief Joseph of the Nez Perces to the national capital says Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce Indians I In-dians came to Washington a few days I ago to make a plea before the great I father in behalf of his little band of followers They are 0 remnant of a I I once powerful tribe of Nez Perces who are descended from the common stock of Shoshon or Diggers Joseph was not corded an interview by President I McKiney but he saw the secretary of the interior and the commissioner of Indian affairs Josephs speech as I translated by the interpreter is given verbatim I will be observed that he makes a pitiful attempt to quote tho I classic lines The missionaries first fell on their knees I Then on the aborigines He said in his speech as reported by the stenographer The maker of the earth was dear t us and we lived upon such fruits as the earth produced and were happy Then came Christopher Columbus who discovered the samejuand it has been fearful that Christopher first landed on American shores and he fell down upon his knees and prayed He then fell upon the Indians They have been fallen upbn ever sine until they have been driven from the Atlantic to the Pacific oceQn We have brought with us Mr President a copy of a newspaper news-paper printed in our part of the county coun-ty and noted for Its fearless stand I for the rights of theminers and labor inb men and has had the courage to state the effects ofthe Indian outbreaks out-breaks I have roTrifacross the country coun-try to see you as the chief jf the greu government of 70000000 people and to ask you at this late day to do tardy justice to the few of us left by alloxv ing me to take my 150 people and go north on the Snake river in Idaho and take up land in severally and I would like fo have the government put in a sawmill and an industrial school so that the young men can learn trades until they are capable of running it themselves In view of the fact that my people werj robbed of 50000 of the 570000 sent to Governor Lyon by the govern ment for us and that my property was scattered and ior3I think it but just and right for the government to allow me a pension of 1000 per year from riow until my death I want my interpreter to be an assistant teacher where he came from that is in Nes pilem Washington state I thank you Chief Josephs requests weio denied and on the following day the commissioner commis-sioner of Indian affairs wrote the following fol-lowing noteto the secretary of the In t rior Buffalo Bill wants Joseph and his associates to fill a two weeks engagement en-gagement in New York He promises to paythem 100and give them a suit of clothes apiece and their expenses The note was returned endTcod UP mission to go to New York granted C N Bliss secretary Joseph and the other three Indian are now in Nev York They will earn 25 each This was indeed a pathetic endin to Josephs visit to the great father He was not permitted to see the president He received promises of compensation compensa-tion for the money and lands of which he and his tribe ha been robbed but the United States with great magnan imiry gave him and his associates permission i per-mission to earn 100 and some clothing cloth-ing by exhibiting themselves in New York for two weeks I |
