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151

"Brewer Citizen" Pub. by Union Publishing Co. Bangor. Feb. 1889 Edited by Frank H. Nickerson

[Newspaper clipping laid in on three quarters of the page:]

HON. JOSEPH NICOLA. _______ SOMETHING ABOUT THE PENOBSCOT'S REPRESENTATIVE AND HIS WORK. _______ And About the Rod He has in Pickle for an Aroostook Member - Do We Owe the Indians $400,000? - He Makes Maine an Offer - And Wants the Seat of Government Moved to Oldtown. _______ From time to time there has appeared in portions of the press of Maine, references to Joseph Nicola, an Indian and a member of the present House of Representatives, who represents the Penobscot tribe, the last one referring to his strong and manly face. But previous to this, some of these papers have made him say that he should remain at Augusta a couple of weeks or so, and then go home, drawing however, his salary for the whole term. Of course Mr. Nicola read these, and on Monday last he called on us, and told us there was no truth in these stories, and that he had numerous duties to perform, to which he should give the same attention as did his white brethren to theirs.

In the first place we desire to state to the funny paragraphers, that Mr. Nicola is a thorough gentleman, and, although he is an Indian, yet he has such an education as would enable him to spell down quite a batch of the present House, should that body go into a spelling school session. At figures, as will be seen before we conclude this article, he is no novice, and he writes a better hand than does some of the reporters who poke fun at him. When to this is added the fact that he is a temperance man, quiet and correct in his speech and a good judge of men, it will be seen at once that the Penobscots have no reason to be ashamed of their legislator.

Mr. Nicola came in, on Monday, being on his way to Augusta, after having spent the Sabbath at home. Of course we did not lose such an opportunity to gain an Indian's idea of our Legislature and the men there, and in a long and interesting talk, he said in substance the following:

The big building at Augusta is a busy place In it there is a slow and careful machine having three branches: the Senate, the House and the Governor's Council The House watches the Senate; the Senate watches the House; the Governor and Council watch both branches and the newspaper men watch the whole lot. But after all, sometimes bad bills slip through unnoticed, and the next morning the newspaper chaps tell them about it, and then they are reconsidered and sometimes thrown out. Even after this, many laws come back to be amended.

Perhaps some ambitious man will come in with a big scheme, others object and then there is a big pow-wow, which costs the tax payers a great deal. Take the Bangor Boom fight! It made me laugh. Some of the lawyers who came over there and talked, never stood on a floating log in their lives, yet they strutted up and down and claimed that "WE have privileges" and all that. One man said that one time he let three hundred logs into a boom and took out seven, and as near as I could make it out, he claimed the boom people took the two hundred and ninety-three logs, in payment for the care of the seven.

There was another fight over the division of Boothbay. Some of the people said they had no representation in town affairs and wanted to be set apart. Why in my tribe we all get equal representation and we would think it a horrid thing to divide the people.

"No, I have never seen any wampum used, and I don't think men are bought." They are not solemn in opening the council talk. We smoke the calumet and are very solemn before the big talk begins but over there they are giddy. Everything is done in writing.

Think Robie in the House is the most sound man there, and I like him best, but I tell you Joe Manly is pretty handy, and he can fit himself to any place pretty quick. Talbot of East Machias is a great watchman. He watches everything and he asks about everything. Great fellow to ask. They are a temperance set. Have no fault to find with anyone, no even with the new member from Aroostook who is on the committee on Indian affairs, and who would not do justice to us. He forgets this land is rightfully ours, but say he has been kind, for he set me hunting up the account between the tribe and the State, and I find there is due us just $459,924, and I am going to ask him to pay it. He says he wants to give us just what we deserve and nothing more.