Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 8.djvu/248

 240 T. W. DAVENPORT. and civilizing the heatheji. Of course it would not sound well for the agencies under the supervision of the Methodist church to show inferior results. Such an outcome must not be haz- arded even if it required the dismissal of an otherwise fault- less officer. Howard lost no opportunity of impressing this view upon his influential brethren, and it gave Palmer about all the trouble he had while he remained at the head of the Siletz agency. The government at an Indian agency is sup- posed to be lodged in the person of the agent, and while it is so nominally, as a matter of fact he is subject to many lets and hindrances of an extra-legal nature, for the reason that his appointees are recommended by officers of the general gov- ernment, United States Senators, Representatives, and influ- ential politicians to whom he owes his own office, and are therefore not of his own choosing. Under such conditions, the accepted emploj^ees do not regard their nominal head as the source of their advancement arid are looking for still further favors from the power behind the throne, which under our political system is seldom harmonious. Any one can pre- dict, from such antecedents, the existence and growth of jeal- ousy and intrigue among agent's so-called appointees, from the beginning. Human beings love power and are in a con- tinual struggle to gain or keep places which afford it, and even when the agent is under no restraint in the appointment of his assistants, courtiers are still to be found. At the Siletz Agent Palmer had a mixed cabinet, viewed with reference to the sources of their appointment. While all were Republicans, part came from political considerations and part from religious or sectarian influences superadded. Whatever may be said of either, the combination was not a good one for the chief. The agent's son was superintendent of farming and quite competent to manage that department and protect his father's interests of a financial nature. Major Magone and Richard Duvall were liberals in religious matters and were there from personal and political reasons. Others were appointed from sectarian influence. I believe Howard was mustered as school teacher, but his most effective work