Nebraska palladium. [volume] (Bellevieu City, Neb.) 1854-1855, 1855-03-07

oItHlgi' OF ntdHS ul lallH S VIZ lpl b'
future, and hat if they have twice as much
they need. given them at once, one-hulf al
least would be wasted, il not converted
to uses ten-fold worse than waste itself.
From what has been said, it will be
Inferred, that the tH-timci annuity Of I'm
Gle Sam, TO which we have now alluded
was Of very little use, aud might about as
well not have been given at all, as to have
been given at he inc and in the circwn-
stances in which 1t was given. But this
is not all. Instead Of giving them fresh
and wholes ONE provisions, nearly one-hulr
Of the meat was given in a state of putri-
faction, and either battered away for a
rifle or given TO the dogs. We know
several viii c men who obtained several
barrels Of this meat, in trade, all of which
proved 10 be a total loss. Several bar
rels bought for side meat, proved to be
nothing but pigs feet, shanks and back
huuvs.
We know not what excuse may be
brought mp for the hardness Of Uncle Sam
in the payment of this annuity, much less
can we c%oncei,e Of any plausible excuse
for The addition Of insult to the gross in.
jury inflicted by The delay. We should
suppose that it was bad enough TO compel
half-famished Indians TO wait four or five
months for a few thousand dollars worth
of provisions, without having TO be paid
off in installmenls Of sinking meat, pigs
feet, jaw-bones end shanks.
A portion Of the meat proved to be good.
some Of which was sold 10 traders in Iowa
and retailed by them at the rate Of thirty
dollars a barrel. The same meat, as well
as the shanks and backbones, cost the In
dams nearly, if not quite, sixteen dollars
a barrel.
The sum of the whole transaction is this:
Government procured those provisions for
the Indians, because it thought them nee
essary, and better adapted to their wants,
than money. 1t entrusted its business 10
agents who either did not know or did
not care what the Indians wanted. or TO
those who intended 10 swIndle them, and
succeeded in doing so.
We have no doubt but that the failure
Of the Government in promp,itude, as well
as in furnishing a good article Of provis-
ions, was owing either TO the mismanage-
ment or dishonesty Of some one stonding
between the Government at Washington
and The Agency 1t this place. We be-
lieve Maj. Hepner had no agency in the
transaction, beyond the delivery Of the
goods. One thing is certain, the Indians
were badly swindled in this instance
Had they been paid in money, they could
have preserved it against a time Of need.
while they could not preserve provisions.
In fact, money is about The only thing they
can preserve and make available in time
Of need.
The instance now related, is one only,
of many, which we might produce, show
ing the injustice practiced upon the In
dams, by the payment of goods at an unrea-
scnable time and Of a qlaliy not adapted
to tEeir wants.
a few years ago, the Iowa Indians were
paid an annuityof flour taken from a sunk
en- steamboat. The amt Of hammering re-
in preparing it for cooking, was
eqaal to that required in the manufacture
of hominy.
About the same time, Government pur-
one hundred COWS for the Sacs
which were delivered them at high pri-
ces,all Of which were sold the same day 10
he whites for one-half the amount Of
cost.
The facts now presented, are sufficient
10 prove the utter worthlessness Of the
Of furnishing Indians with goods,
upon the supposiiion hat they will an
swer the purpose intended, better than
money. Indians viii not make good use
Of what they don't want, and will not
what they can keep without incon-
yenience.