| 829 favored me with a note addressed to him from the Rev. H. H. Spaulding, missionary to this tribe, stating as follows:
"The Indians in this vicinity are remarkably quiet this winter, and are highly pleased with the laws recommended by Dr. White, which were unanimously adopted by the chiefs and people in council assembled.
"The visit of Dr. White and assistants to this upper country will evidently prove an incalculable blessing to this people.
"The school now numbers 224 in daily attendance, embracing most of the chiefs and principle men of the nation."
Laws of the Nez Perces.
Article 1.-Whoever wilfully [willfully] takes life, shall be hung.
Article 2.-Whoever burns a dwelling shall be hung.
Article 3.-Whoever burns an outbuilding, shall be imprisoned six months, receive fifty lashes, and pay all damages.
Article 4.-Whoever carelessly burns a house or any property, shall pay damages.
Article 5.-If any one enter a dwelling without permission of the occupant, the chiefs shall punish him as they think proper. Public rooms are excepted.
Article 6.-If any one steal he shall pay back two-fold; and if it be the value of a beaver skin, he shall pay back two-fold, and receive fifty lashes.
Article 7.-If any one enter a field and injure the crops, or throw down the fence, so that cattle or horses go in and do damage, he shall pay all damages, and receive twenty-five lashes for every offence [offense].
Article 8.-Those only may keep dogs, who travel, or live among the game. If a dog kills a lamb, calf, or any domestic animal, the owner of the dog shall pay the damage, and kill the dog.
Article 9.-If an Indian break these laws, he shall be punished by his chief. If a white man break them, he shall be reported to the agent, and punished at his instance.
Article 10.-If an Indian raise a gun or other weapon against a white man, it shall be reported to the chiefs, and they shall punish him. If a white man do the same to an Indian, it shall be reported to the agent, and he shall punish or redress it.
E. WHITE.
Having quoted enough to show the saints that Government, money and missionaries, cannot perform what God has declared by the mouth of his prophets, he will do himself, let us proceed to bring together a few ideas relating to this great people and great work. For the prophet Isaiah says: "And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea."
There is a mistaken notion got into the heads of the clergy of these last days; they suppose, or make believe that God wants them to do his business and have the government pay for it. It makes fat livings for priest and plenty of taxes for the people, but as to any signal good to the country, the past and the present know nothing of it, and we have strong doubts whether the future will.
The United States' Government puts on a smiling face, and paints the sepulchres [sepulchers] of the dead, and for a pretence [pretense], boasts of charity and benevolence to the Indians; and hires missionaries, school masters, farmers, mechanics, and agents, and at the same time keeps shoving these Lords of the soil 'further west;' and now forsooth, as the case has ever been since, the 'old thirteen United States,' were strong enough to go alone, whenever the whites are numerous enough to take care of themselves a new Territory is ordained; and then 'obedience is better than sacrifice.'
The new territories of Nebraska, and Oregon winds up the 'poor Indians' hope' of a glorious hereafter, so far as our Government is concerned in dealing out the destinies of man. The bounty to white families, before a foot of it is purchased, is six hundred and forty acres to each actual settling family!
This has some resemblance of that auspicious day when satan took our Savior upon an exceeding high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the earth, and the glory of them; all these will I give thee if thou wilt worship me.
As to what the missionaries do for the Indians, they have their reward; they are hirelings:-All they have done, and all they will do, will be as a drop in the bucket. Jeremiah told the story when he exclaimed: 'Hear the word of the Lord, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock. For the Lord hath redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand of him that was a stronger than he.'
It will be seen that God, and not man, has the power to bring Jacob to his glory again. -The book of Mormon in 12th chapter of the 2d Book of Nephi says: "And now I would prophecy
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