The Nez Perces
Kamiah"; Lawyer's "salary" was continued, and a like "salary" to two of his sub-chiefs, "who shall assist him in the performance of his public services"; six hundred dollars more to another of his chiefs, "in consideration of past services and faithfulness"; and Lawyer signed—"with fifty other chiefs and head-men, twenty of whom were parties to the treaty of 1855," records the Commissioner.
Fifty-eight chiefs and headmen had signed the original treaty eight years before; only twenty of these fifty-eight signed the new treaty. Now, where were the missing thirty-eight who did not sign? And again, whence arose thirty new chiefs and head-men in so short a time, to sign the new treaty?
This is not the only time that, while a treaty waited, chiefs and head-men were made to order to meet the demand for signers.
With these fifty signatures the treaty was declared to be the expression of a majority of the Nez Perce nation, and all outside tribes were given one year in which to come within the limits of the new reservation. It is impossible to perceive either honesty or justice in thus getting a favored portion of an Indian nation to sign away the possessions of outside tribes, who were holding their native valleys under express agreement with their Great Father in Washington. A few of the outside Indians bowed to the inevitable, and removed to the reserve, but the majority did not; Joseph, always tenacious of
89
