S'KOKOMISH MISSION.
The venerable Dr. Cushing Eells left behind him many mementoes of his remarkable activity in promoting educational and missionary work in Oregon and Washington, on the Pacific coast. Nor with his decease has his good work ceased. Two sons of his have gone forward in similar lines of effort. His son, Major Edwin Eells, was one of the first nominees of the American Missionary Association under General Grant's Peace Policy, and he was renominated by us so long as we were allowed to make nominations, and he has been continued ever since, making a total service of twenty-three years and a half. During this time the Indians have received titles to their lands and have become citizens. His effective hand has been seen in all their improvement. But now we learn that he has been notified that he is soon to be relieved. His removal is said to be due solely to politics. We are sorry for the Indians, and we are ashamed of a Government that will deprive them for partisan purposes of a good agent.
Another son of Dr. Eells, Rev. Myron Eells, was appointed as a missionary at the S'kokomish Agency by the American Board, and when the transfer of missions was made he was continued at the post under the American Missionary Association—a position that he still holds. The subjoined sketch from his pen shows that in point of honesty, in some respects, at least, the Indians surpass their white neighbors.
HONORABLE RECORD FOR INDIANS.
BY REV. MYRON EELLS, S'KOKOMISH AGENCY, WASHINGTON.
During the late financial stringency the principal business man near this reservation failed, and put his property into the hands of a receiver. The S'kokomish Indians owed him about three thousand dollars, and the whites owed him over twenty thousand. The first business of the receiver was to try to collect these debts. After he had made considerable effort in this direction he said to me substantially as follows: "These Indians have made more honest efforts to pay these debts than the whites have, as a whole."
As the Indians have become citizens they have been required to work road taxes among their other duties. The road supervisor said to me: "I obtained more satisfactory work out of the Indians than I did out of the white men." The Indians had often said that the roads were theirs, and they wanted to use them, so that they were not losing anything, even if they worked a little over their time, and several of them who were over fifty years of age voluntarily gave a day's work or two. While the Indians by no means always do as I wish to have them, yet these facts are encouraging.
