Title

Letter to Indian Agent Mallet from Indian Commissioner

Files

Identified Persons

J.Q.Smith; Major Edmond Mallet

Identified Places

Tulalip Agency

Author

J.Q.Smith

Recipient

Major Edmond Mallet

Approximate Date

January 9, 1877

Original Item Medium

Correspondence

Accession Number

2013.001.089

Folder Name

Tulalip_Agency,_Washington_Territory

Language

English

Digital Reproduction Information

Scanned from a photograph at 400 dpi in TIFF format using a Nikon D800, and imported as JPEG2000 using CONTENTdm's software JPEG2000 Extension. 2015

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.

Transcription

L.

Department of the Interior

Office of Indian Affairs

Washington January 9th 1877

Edward Mallet Esq.

U.S. Indian Agent

Tulalip Agency

Washington Terriorty

Sir In reply to your letter of the 13th ultimo you

are advised that the Tulalip Indian Reservation

belongs to the Indians by virtue of the Treaty of Point

Elliott dated January 22, 1855 {Vol.12.p.927}

and the order of the President defining its limits,

December 23rd 1873 and is not subject to entry

or settlement by whites or any others than Indians.

Until a few years ago, Indians were privileged

to cut timber or wood from the reservation, but

the supreme Court of the United States has now

decided that there is no law granting that privilege

unless it be for the ulimate purpose of cultivating

the land. The Inidans have the sympathy

of the Office in the distress this decision brings

upon them but it has no power to arest the operations

of the law and relieve their necessities except to advise

them to cultivate their land, they will then be entitled

to the use or benefit of the timber required to be cut by

such cultivation. Unless your Indians will agree

to do this, you will demand that they comply with

the law and refrain from further cutting of timber.

Very Respectfully

Your Obt Servt

(Signed) J.Q. Smith

Commisioner

Washington "[?] 1292"

Recommended Citation

Edmond J. Mallet Collection. Emmanuel d'Alzon Library Manuscript and Photograph Collection. Assumption University, Worcester, Massachusetts.