Also of importance in terms of the hearings, Senator, are these questions: 2. What has been the effectiveness of the Bureau in meeting its assigned responsibilities? What is the Bureau costing the taxpayer each year? Is this the most efficient use of these moneys? Moreover, is anyone naive enough to believe that, after X number of years of bungling, the Bureau, if given further control, will be any more efficient? 3. Mr. Nash apparently believes a lumber mill is the primary need of the tribal members. Would a mill be economically feasible? Could it compete with the other mills already operating in the area? Is there a need for another mill? I believe any qualified study would determine that another mill is not needed and would not be a wise economic undertaking. I have a degree in economics and am employed as a labor market analyst for the eastern part of the State by the Washington State Employment Security Department. This is my casual observation. Nevertheless, I believe the proposal foolhardy and at a minimum in need of study with private lumbermen participating in any feasibility study. Yet, according to Mr. Nash, the mill would yield a dividend of approximately $700 per person, per year. I presume this was a maximum estimate. Other reports indicate that liquidation, by sale to the Government,would yield at least $20,000 per person; $20,000 at 5 percent interest is $1,000 per year, $300 more than the dividend from the operation of the mill. If necessary, to counter the charges of irresponsibility, Congress could appoint a commission to determine the competency of all tribal members, with the right of appeal to the court. A trusteeship could be set up for those not capable of handling their own affairs. 3. Lastly, but most important, if we live in a democracy and subscribe to democratic principles, should not the tribal members be given the right to decide for themselves the question of termination? I believe the most equitable plan would be a supervised election, thus avoiding the voting irregularities of the past, with a simple majority of those voting determining the outcome. In the final analysis, Senator, there is no valid reason for denying the right of choice to the adult members of the tribe. May I hear from you in regards to this matter? SENATE SUBCOMMITTEE ON INDIAN AFFAIRS, Washington, D.C. JERRY NEAL. THE AMERICAN LEGION, MR. CHAIRMAN: At the regular American Legion meeting held on April 13, 1965, the termination bill, S. 1413, was discussed. A motion was properly made and seconded that the adjutant be authorized to write a letter in behalf of Leo K. McCormack Post No. 80, stating that the post favors the passage of bill, S. 1413. The termination of Federal supervision over the Colville Confederated Tribes. Sincerely yours, RALPH G. BREMNER, Adjutant. Mr. JAMES GAMBLE, Senate Interior Committee. DEAR SIR: I am a member of the Colville Confederated Tribe and writing to you in regard to S. 1413, termination bill. I am in favor of this bill without any amendments. We have been under the BIA for over a hundred years, and in which time, a lot of our Indians died in poverty. And our reservation is one of the richest timber reservations in the Northwest. Therefore, if given a chance and terminate we could all make use of our moneys to develop and buy homes so that we may be independent. The BIA has had a chance to help develop our resources but have been dragging their feet until now S. 1413 has come up to terminate, the BIA wants to loan us money to buy a mill. But all they want is a perpetual hold over the Indians, and to hang on to their thrones to dictate to the Indians for another hundred years. 46-705-65-14 Therefore, I am in favor of S. 1413 and do not want a long period of termination. A referendum vote should be called and be determined by the actual adult voters who vote in this referendum. Sincerely yours, MELVIN LA COURSE. Senator LEE METCALF, Chairman, Subcommittee on Indian Affairs, TACOMA, WASH., April 15, 1965. DEAR SENATOR METCALF: I am a U.S. citizen and a member of the Colville Confederated Tribes in the State of Washington. I would like to tell the Subcommittee on Indian Affairs that I am not against the enactment of proper legislation for the termination of Federal supervision over the property of the Confederated tribes of the Colville Indians located in the State of Washington and the individual members. It is just the way in which the termination of a tribal entity is brought into law. I am against the enactment of S. 1413 as it is now written. I have read the statement which Mr. Thomas Edwards, president of the Colville Indian Association delivered at the Senate Subcommittee on Indian Affairs in the New Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C., on April 5, 1965. I support all the proposed amendments which Mr. Thomas Edwards gave to the Subcommittee on Indian Affairs in his statment. Sincerely yours, SENATE INTERIOR COMMITTEE, FRANK EDGAR EDWARDS. New Senate Office Building, (Attention of James Gamble). GENTLEMEN: As an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Indian Reservation, I urge immediate passage of bill S. 1413. (Letters identical to the above were received from :) Arlene B. Cox, Clotilda H. Black, Myrtle B. Ort, William G. Black, Rosalie Black Greene, Kenneth R. Gorr, Joy Dean Gorr Prescott, Emily S. Grant, Mrs. Constance Lloyd, Elizabeth J. Landreth, Jimmie A. C. Smith, Emily Smith, John Smith, and Leona S. Baker. Re S. 1413 termination bill (Colville Tribes). SENATE INTERIOR COMMITTEE, New Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. (Attention of Mr. James Gamble). MARCH 29, 1965. GENTLEMEN: I am one of the members of the Colville Tribes who favors passage of the above-mentioned bill. It appears to be a fair bill which would accomplish the greatest good for the greatest number. The money would be a big help to the young people in financing an education, learning a trade, and establishing their own homes. It would give the older Indian a nest egg for his old age and perhaps enjoy some of the comforts to which most Americans have long been accustomed. I intend to use part of whatever I might get for further education (business college) and to buy an annuity for retirement years. Yours very truly, Thank you for your assistance in this matter. (Mrs.) LORETTA C. GALIK. TACOMA, WASH., March 29, 1965. SENATE INTERIOR COMMITTEE: I, a member of the Colville Tribe am in favor of the termination bill S. 1413. I believe it will be beneficial to the majority of those enrolled. Sincerely, ANNIE O. ROWLS. DEER PARK, WASH., March 28, 1965. Senator LEE METCALF, DEAR SIR: I am writing to express my deep interest in the passage of the bill S. 1413 as I am a member of the Colville Indian Tribe and am anxious to have the reservation sold and the proceeds divided among tribal members. Those of us who are older hope the liquidation is accomplished very speedily, so that we may benefit from the money. Many of us are very poor and will be saved from a poverty-stricken old age by the liquidation. Thanking you, I am, SENATE INTERIOR COMMITTEE, New Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. (Attention of James Gamble). Mrs. LESTER NEAL. DEAR MR. GAMBLE: A vast number of the tribal members of the Colville Confederated Tribes in the State of Washington desire to be relieved of governmental wardship over their lands and individual actions for the reason that said wardship handicaps them in their business dealings and deprives them of their freedom of action and the exercise of rights and privileges awarded and exercised by other American citizens and it is their desire to be placed on the same basis economically and legally as other American citizens. It is their desire also that they be granted as individuals their equal cash share representing their equity in all reservation assets of the Colville Confederated Tribes in the State of Washington. It is my feeling that S. 1413 is a beneficial step in this direction; however, I would like to see subsection (f) of section 6 amended to read as follows: "select the portion of the tribal property which if sold at the appraised value would provide sufficient funds to pay the members who elect to withdraw from the tribes for their equal cash share representing individual equity in all reservation assets, sell the property so selected at not less than the appraised value determined by section 6 of this act." Thank you for the consideration of this matter. Sincerely, SENATE SUBCOMMITTEE ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. CORINNE COE, ELIZABETH HOLBROOK. REPUBLIC, WASH., April 1, 1965. DEAR SIR: I wish to say I truly support S. 1413 and hope for the best interest in making it to help all tribal members. Sincerely, JESSIE A. BREMNER, Member of Colville Indian Enrollment. SEATTLE, WASH., April 2, 1965. SENATE INTERIOR COMMITTEE, Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. DEAR SIRS: I would like to urge the committee to recommend the enactment of S. 1413, which provides for the termination and liquidation of the Colville Indian Reservation. The time has come for an end to the outdated and discriminatory policy of treating the American Indian as a conquered people and segregating them from the rest of society by the establishment of Indian reservations. Many of these people no longer wish to have an ownership share of the tribal assets and it is not in their interests that they be tied to an organization to which they do not wish to belong. Congress now has the opportunity to right the wrongs of the past 80 years and I feel it must. Sincerely yours, DENNIS E. NEAL. HAMPTON, VA., April 2, 1965. DEAR SIRS: I am writing concerning hearings your committee is holding on bill S. 1413. I am very much in favor of seeing this bill passed. I cannot understand how a $150-a-year per capita payment on an estimated per capita share of $20,000 can possibly be called fair. This money, if deposited in a bank, would bring an income of at least $800 a year. I think, given the chance, most Colville Indians would handle their money as well as any other segment of the American population. We are responsible citizens and should be allowed to handle our own affairs. Thank you very much for your interest in this matter. Sincerely, VIRGINIA D. JOHNSON. REDDING, CALIF., March, 31, 1965. SENATE SUBCOMMITTEE ON INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEAR SIR: It has come to my attention that the Colville Indians as a unit should like to have enacted at your earliest convenience a bill in the Senate of the United States; namely, S. 1413. As a member of that group I heartily endorse this act of termination, so let it be known that I have hereby recorded my feeling and support in the affirmative. We, too, have been socially and economically segregated as a group of people too long. I could go on but the world wouldn't hold the multitude grievances if time were to permit ; neither would your patience. Briefly, then, please do all in our favor to pass this bill; otherwise, we shall go on wailing at your doorstep. Yours truly, ELMINA C. GERLINGER. Senator LEE METCALF. ROCKAWAY, OREG., March 29, 1965. SIR: I am a member of the confederated tribes, of the Colville Indian Reservation. I am in favor of termination bill S. 1413. Yours truly, CHARLES NEWELL OVERTON. OROVILLE, WASH., April 2, 1965. DEAR MR. GAMBLE: I support the bill S. 1413 for termination. I am a Colville Indian Association member but do not support or agree to the bill the other Colville Indian Association members that are at Washington, D.C., are there for. Sincerely, VELMA SEYLER JENNINGS, CIA Member. WILBUR, WASH., April 1, 1965. SENATE INTERIOR COMMITTEE, (Attention of James Gamble). DEAR MR. GAMBLE: As a tribal member of the Colville Tribes, I would like to register my testimony for the proposed legislation, bill S. 1413, termination bill. Sincerely yours, NORMA H. NUGENT. ABERDEEN, WASH., March 31, 1965. SENATE SUBCOMMITTEE: I firmly support the bills S. 1413 and H.R. 5925 now in Congress. The tribal members have waited so long for this, and I hope that Congress at this time will approve the bill. MARY B. BABINEAU. SENATE INTERIOR COMMITTEE, New Senate Office Building, SAN JOSE, CALIF., April 1, 1965. (Attention of James Gamble). DEAR MR. GAMBLE: This letter is to express my wholehearted endorsement of S. 1413. I believe an expeditious termination of Federal supervision over the property of the Confederated Tribes of Colville Indians is essential if the members of the tribes are to ever take their place in society as responsible citizens. To date the only thing I have heard in opposition to the bill is that if the property is sold and the money dispersed to the various members that some members would spend this money frivolously and become welfare cases. I am sure you realize the lack of validity in such an argument. Surely the responsible majority is not to be made to suffer because of an irresponsible minority. If this line of thought was followed on a nationwide basis it would mean a curtailment of free enterprise because a few people weren't fiscally responsible. Also I think you will agree that an individual with this degree of naivete or irresponsibility is probably now, and always will be, a welfare case. Please Many of the tribal members that I have corresponded with have expressed their dissatisfaction with the current dole system. We earnestly request an end to this well-meaning "hothouse" existence you would provide for us. give us a chance to make it on our own. Think of the small businesses, the education, and the training that could be afforded us by the passage of this bill. I would like a chance for my children to grow up, not under the shadow of poverty and handouts, but as heirs of contributing members of society. I would like to be able to leave them something other than funeral expenses; I would like to help them--especially with their education. I believe you can help me to help them by giving this bill favorable consideration. Yours very truly, SENATE SUBCOMMITTEE ON INDIAN AFFAIRS, Washington, D.C. MYRNA M. WILLIAMS. KELLER, WASH., April 2, 1965. I am an enrolled member of the Colville Confederated Tribes and heartily endorse S. 1413 and H.R. 5925 now in Congress. I lend all my support to the cadidates pledged to support termination legislation of the Colville Reservation. MARY BRUDWOLD. ABERDEEN, WASH., March 31, 1965. DEAR SUBCOMMITTEE: I am very much for the termination bill such as S. 1413 and H.R. 5925. That is coming up before Congress on April 5, 1965. Sincerely, NANCY M. LEFFELBEIN. APRIL 2, 1965. SENATE SUBCOMMITTEE ON INDIAN AFFAIRS, Senate Interior and Insular Affairs Committee, New Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. GENTLEMEN: I wish to urge the passage of legislation S. 1413 and H.R. 5925 now in Congress. I am an Indian of the Colville Reservation, and as I will be affected by this bill, I wish to voice my wish. Very truly, HENRY JAMES DESAUTEL. KIRKLAND, WASH., April 2, 1965. MY DEAR SENATOR: I am an enrolled member of the Colville Confederated Tribes, a supporter of the group called the Colville liquidation promoters, and a mother of four children. I am writing to urge passage of the termination bill known as S. 1442 that has been reintroduced in this session of Congress. In the Senate the bill is S. 1413; in the House it is H.R. 5925. |