Uproar Over the Removal of the Yakima Agency
Local outrage mounts as the federal government ousts an Indian agent despite tribal protests.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The feeling over the removal of Captain Priestley, as agent of the Yakima Indians, is of an intense nature. Even many republicans condemn the action as being uncalled for and unjust. While there was a petition circulated among the republicans for the appointment of W. L. Stabler as agent, it was not largely signed, and it is claimed that a number of the names it bears were placed there without the sanction and against the desire of their possessors. A request has been made to the Interior department for a copy of the petition and some interesting developments are expected. Captain Priestley reported on the 23rd inst. that up to that date he had received no intimation from the department of his suspension or removal. The Indians do not take kindly to the change and a delegation of them offered to go to Washington, at their own expense, and enter a protest against the removal. They will hold a big council this week to talk the matter over, but Captain Priestley will advise them to quietly submit to the change.
“The Indians do not take kindly to the change and a delegation of them offered to go to Washington, at their own expense, and enter a protest against the removal.”
Federal management of tribal affairs has long been a flashpoint for local sovereignty and integrity. The tension between the Yakima people and bureaucratic decisions made from afar in Washington D.C. echoes a century-long struggle for autonomy that remains relevant in modern tribal-state relations.
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