Sioux City register. [volume] (Sioux City, Iowa) 1858-1871, 1862-11-29
THE CAUSE OF THE INDIAN OUT.
BREAK.

The nation has been told 20 often BY
interested parties that the Indians had
lent themselves to the Southern rebellion,
| and that the massscres we're the fruits of
the intrigues Of rebel agents that We had
almost ccme to believe it, and l am ex-
tremely sorry to have to contradict the
plausible theory. wish for the sake of
the officers of the Federal Govern ment, it
we're so, and that no other cause existed
than savage sympathy with rebellion. But
alas, find upon close scrutiny that the
foundation for the trouble lies upon far
differen. kind Of political form alton, and
the Southern rebellion has just about Ms
much to do with the Indian war as the
mud at the State Fair grounds At Chicago,
last fall, had to do with the price Of putty
in Boston.
Wba,,' you ask, "then is the cause ?"
| will answer in as few words as possible,
d,shonesty-the most bare faced and unmit.
'gated dishoaesty-on the part Of tie In
dian agents IN the transaction Of their bus.
iness affairs. This | know, is o sweeping
charge, but l will prove i, to the sa,isfac-
ton OF the mos, doubling Thomas in
Christendom. You may be aware tha. the
Sioux Indians, as well as the Northwest
ern tribes. have treaty with the Govern.
ment by which the Great Father" Sam.
uel agrees to pay them, on the first of June,
OF each year, certain sums of money,
called snnuities )" and further, the great
Father Samuel agrees to pay these snnui.
ties ii. silver and gold. The great father,
Uncle Samuel, has always sent some oe
his white children with The spondolicks
promptly to the usual places of payment,
to keep his faith with his red children
Indeed he did so this year.
The Indian agents received their gold
aud silver coin during the first week in
June, while there was not the least pros
pect of an outbreak. But just then, "le.
gal tenders went down aud gold wen, up,
and the delectable agents with On eye to
the main chance, conceived the happy
thought Of selling the yellow boys" aud
red skins both at the same time The
gold was battered off for greenbscks,"
with which they sought to make the pay.
ments. Bat the dodge didn't work with
the a5orignes. They knew the difference
between white and yellow, aud big and
little. and between light and heavy; but
as between demsud' sni legal tender
safety fund.- and wild cat" they were
as ignorant as female tropieanians are OF
the art of fashionable dressmsking. They
had some ideas OF uses Of metals, but to
them oil paper was alike, aud only fit for
gun wads. OF course they refused to be
paid in anything else than lha. which was
properly their due. The agents argued
with them, explained to them, and finally
threatened them. but it was of nc use
Johnny Indians optics were closed, and
be could Eot Discern the locality.
The Indians hunting season was coming
on, the pra;ries would soon be teeming
with bison and buffalo; the woods would
soon be filled with bears, deer and dog.
and streams with animals of finer fin
but of what use were all these to him p
He had not the means with which to tran
the one, or the arms or ammunition with
which to kill the other. He could buy
nothing OF the trader without the money,
and he could get no money from the agents.
Starvation stared him in the face, and As
q last resort, he siezed upon the Indians
only mode of redress, revenge. The first
few minor thef's and roberries were COB.
bed up by the guilty agents, and made
excuses TO still further defer the pay mel nts.
Exaggerated reports of the outrages were
forwarded to the authorities and protec.
ton sought from Government. Startling
stories of "rebel emmisaries being at
work,' were herAlded all over the North
but not one word was uttered abou. the
attempt 10 palm off the "greenbacks,"
and the final result was
TERRIBLE INDIAN WAR,
In which over one thousand Of the settlers
upon the frontier have been killed, pro.
perty to the amount OF at least FIVE million
dollars destroyed, and the State set back
at least five years in its prosperity; and
the war has only been put down at an ex
pense already to the general Government
Of over three millions OF dollars. besides
drawing away from active service in more
important fields At least ten regiments of
unpafol.d troops.
But Gen. sibley has conquered peace.
He has taken all the HUSTLE red skins,
and they will be made examples of to
deter others from ever protesting against