The Interior Secretary Came to See Whether the Puyallups Could Manage Their Own Land. He Left Surprised.
John W. Noble toured the Puyallup reservation's farms ahead of opening it to sale — and found the people he had been told could not handle their affairs running them well.
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.
TACOMA, Aug. 23 — [Special.] — Secretary of the Interior John W. Noble is here making his first inspection of the Pacific coast. His first impressions of the western slope are decidedly favorable and he says he did not expect to find so much substantial progress. He finds more agricultural development than he thought existed, and Spokane and Tacoma, as cities, please him very much.
Heretofore Mr. Noble had not been farther west than Helena, and he and Mrs. Noble decided to see the Coast this summer during the adjournment of congress. Mrs. Noble is suffering from a slight cold and has not enjoyed the trip so far as thoroughly as her husband.
While Mr. Noble is making it a sort of vacation trip, he took advantage this afternoon of an opportunity to visit the Puyallup Indian reservation, about the opening of which he has had to bear much in an official way. So far he has advocated a conservative policy regarding the opening of the reservation, such as advocated by Indian Commissioner Morgan and Senator Dawes in adjudging the Indians entitled to the greatest amount of government assistance in selling their lands to the best advantage and in husbanding the proceeds.
Agent Eells being absent, Peter Stanup and H. G. Maun escorted the party, including, beside Mr. Noble, John F. Plummer, Nelson Bennett, Judge Frank Allyn and G. W. Delaney, of Tacoma, about the reservation. The farming district of the reservation was visited, and many questions asked by Secretary Noble, evidently with a view to learning the general knowledge and business ability of the Indians, also their ability as farmers and financiers. The Indians showed much general knowledge on all the topics discussed, and Secretary Noble was manifestly pleased as well as surprised with the evidence of the ability of the Indians to manage their own affairs. One of the main efforts of the Indian department in civilizing and domesticating Indians being directed to breaking up tribal relations, Secretary Noble was given every opportunity to observe the general lack of tribal relations among the Puyallups.
This evening a public reception was given Mr. Noble at the Tacoma hotel. Tomorrow he has been invited to take a cruise in Paul Schulze's launch, and various points adjacent to this city on the Sound will be visited. Tomorrow evening, after dining with Mr. Schulze, Mr. Noble will be the guest of the Union Club.
In a day or two the revenue cutter Wolcott is expected to take Mr. and Mrs. Noble to Seattle and other Sound points.
“Secretary Noble was manifestly pleased as well as surprised with the evidence of the ability of the Indians to manage their own affairs.”
The 'opening' of the Puyallup reservation under the Dawes Act broke up communally held land into individual allotments and put the surplus on the market — a machine for separating Native people from their land that was dressed up as assistance. Noble's astonishment that Puyallup farmers and financiers could handle their own affairs is the tell: the policy presumed incompetence. The Puyallup Tribe is still here, and still fighting for treaty rights and compensation for land taken.
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