12 C. F. COAN
the Commissioner to include Washington in his recommenda- tion that treaties be speedily made with the Indians of Oregon. As in the case of Oregon, the formation of the Indian policy was placed in the hands of the superintendent. Recommenda- tions made after the policy of making treaties had been adopted by Congress, July 31, 1854, were, therefore, important in determining the policy. In December, 1853, Stevens stated: the general policy which he believed should be followed in dealing with the Indians of Washington Territory; the cost of making the treaties ; and a plan for the organization of the Indian service. It was asserted that it would be impossible to accomplish anything for the Indians unless they were paid for their lands and placed on reservations where they could be cared for. This situation was the result of the "Donation Act," passed by Congress September 27, 1850, which gave the lands to the settlers without regard to any claim that the Indians might have. The superintendent urged that the reser- vations be made immediately, because suitable lands for this purpose would be difficult to obtain if the matter was delayed, particularly west of the Cascade Mountains, as that part of the territory was rapidly filling up with settlers; and that the reservations be surveyed at once, in order that land disputes, a common cause of conflicts, between the whites and the In- dians, might be settled more readily. It was estimated that $30.000 would cover the cost of making the treaties with all of the Indians of the territory. The superintendent recom- mended that Washington be divided into five districts for Indian administration purposes ; three of which were to be agencies, and, two sub-agencies. The agencies were to be the Puget Sound region, the Yakima and the Spokane country, and the St. Mary's Valley. The sub-agencies were to be south- western Washington and the Spokane country. These were definite opinions as to what should be done, and how it should be done. 29
The Commissioner of Indian Affairs recommended, Novem-
29 Stevens to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, Dec. 26, 1853, Communica- tion from the Secretary of the Interior and the Commissioner of Indian Affairs
. . . recommending certain appropriations for the Indian service , Feb. 9,
1854 (Serial 698, Doc. 34), pp. 7, 15; Stevens to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, Sept. 16, 1854, C. I. A., A. R., Nov. 25, 1854 (Serial 746, Doc. i), pp. 415-62.
