Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 8.djvu/17

 RECOLLECTIONS OF AN INDIAN AGENT. 9 school house, only one teacher could be profitably employed, and so Dr. Teal was informed that his wife could not be ac- commodated. His salary was $1,200 a year and he was per- mitted to do outside practice besides, which made his position a very desirable one. Still he had been led to believe that his presence at the agency was absolutely necessary to the sta- bility of the agent's administration, and with this idea firmly fixed in his mind he went to his home on the meadows, but not until he had, in rather bad humor, informed the influential members of the tribes that I had turned him off. In his place, Dr. Roland, who had been a day laborer at the agency, was appointed. Mr. Backus Henry, the carpenter, a brother of Dr. Henry of Yamhill County and an intimate friend of President Lincoln, was retained. To all of the em- ployees this message was delivered : ' ' Gentlemen, we are here to work in earnest, to carry into effect the promises made to these people. Whether the Government was right or wrong in supposing it possible or practicable to civilize them, no one will ever know until the proposition has had a fair and vigor- ous trial. If there is any one of you who is not willing to co- operate with me in this effort, and drop his other avocations to do so, let him make it known now, and surrender the place to which he has been appointed. ' ' All were willing to go for- ward in the new departure. As the harvest was over, John S. White was granted leave of absence to go to Portland, on his private business. The place of blacksmith being vacant and there being urgent need of one to repair the tools and implements, a requisition was made upon Superintendent Rector, who sent Thomas Weston, a former employee at the Siletz Reservation. Only one day passed until Mr. Flippin, the sutler, said to me: "You made a mistake in thirning off Dr. Teal; the In- dians are grumbling and likely you will have to recall him." Mr. F. spoke the Walla Walla language fluently and was withal influential among the red men, so I requested him to tell them that I did not turn Dr. Teal off; the Doctor turned himself off. Mr. F. suggested that such information would