The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1867-08-26
TIE INDIAN COMMISSION.
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENCE or THE HERALD.

|
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENCE or THE HERALD.
| Progress or tho Comsuissioners-Report Of
| General Augur on the state Of the Indians
In his District-Slender Chance of a Peace"
full Segtlement-Tho Settlements tho
Omaha Observation-Disclosures Half Civil
| lied aud Their Children Speaking aud Read
STEAMER ST. JoHN,
NEAR Sioux CRY, Missouri river,
August 10, 1857 }
The progress Of the Indian Peace Commission its
way TO the bead Of the Missouri meet the hos
tile tribes and select land for reservations has not been
thus far very rapid attended With any very interest
Ing or exciting events In consequence Of tho low stage
Of water and numbsriess soags with which the river
| Ia filed We are unable TO run mp at night, but 'ts
up" convenient tree and await the coming Of
daylight before proceeding our journey. 1t my
impression that few people travel the Missouri at this
Of the year for pleasure During the day tho
thermometer ranges from ninsty-nve TO one hundred
and Eve degrees In the shade and when the sun has dis
appeared that enjoy little cool breeze We are
! attacked by millions Of mosquitoes, vhD render
| anything like sleep or comfort an utter i'm
| possibility. Aside from these small annoy nces
everything thus far has passed of pleasantly The time
Is passed In reading, writing, card playing, &C., and
often in the evening the battles Of the las, war are
fought again by the distinguished military heroes
General barney entertained an admiring crowd with
incidents Of hs Indian fights and experiences
with various chiefs during bis long service the
frontier
We are now within q few hours' ride or Sioux City
the last place from which mail letters until
at the military posts hundreds Of miles above.
We make about hundred miles per day, which viii
bring Fort Rice in about ten days. On Friday, the
10th, we reached Omaha and stopped for few hours
order take the testimony Brevet Major General
c. C. Ahr, commanding the Department. Of the Platte,
which embraces nearly all tho country inhabited by the
northern hostile Indians HIS report was made in
writing, but many important facts were elected by
Senator Henderson during the examination.
General Augur stated that to make successful war
against the Indians would require force OF
dred thousand soldiers, and then 1t would take long
time 70 wipe them out He is In favor Of making peace
with them, II possible but II not Of waging war so
vigorously to make them respect The poser OF the
government for all time to come. In regard 10 the
causes which have led TO the outbreak among the
Indians and the continuance Of the same, he says
From all l can learn the present increased state Of
hostility the frontier 10 due TO the location Of tho
Of travel-rairoad and stage routoswithout in
the frat instance having made satisfactory arrange
ment with the tribes claiming tho country through
which they pass They see a. all must, tina, the
successful ADJUSTMENT Of all the routes claimed
as public would entirely unit the country for
settlers and tue game be entirely destroyed Or driven
Heretofore. when this state OF affairs existed, there
was behind Indian other country which he could
fee and live. Such is not now the case The pushing
Of settlements from the Pacific coast eastward cuts
of their range beyond the Rocky Mountains The
various railroad, stage and emsrant routes now laid
out pass through all their desirable country this sde
and they the successful accomplishment Of tho
latter only their own rum.
Within this Department the most Objectionable rout
is the from the Platte country to Montana.
This Is the country they are lighting for, aud which
they say they wiz never give up az long an Indian
their destruction as people, and they might as well
die fighting. This is undoubtedly the tone and feeling
OF the northern Sioux Their In this country
for the past year have embodened them, and with
their present feelings doubt II the really influential
chiefs can gotten for negot alton; much less
will IL be possible induce them 10 move to another
country \ reservation.
For want OF troops in this Department ths year NIL
iary operations been confined entrey 60 protect
ing railroad, stage and telegraph Ines and no hostile
demonstrations have been made against them except
when attacked TO repel depredatons; 50 that hls
present hostile attitude is duo entirely to our occupation
OF the Powder river country. have never heard Of
their obsctng to the Unon Pacific Railroad A 10 the
cause hostility OF the southern Chey ennes have
means OF knowing but have heard they do object TO
the railroad along the Smoky Hill route.
AS plan To put stop TO this Indian war, there IL
no end 10 the number suggested The only objection
to most of them is that the Indians VIII not agree to
them, and II tho object is to sop tho war any plan TO
effect must of course have tne consent The only
plan meet The Oh lefs and influential men, and
learn what will satisfy them, and then determine
whether the government can afford TO yield 10 their
terms II not they will have 10 be whipped into SUBJ
jcetion--an alternative involving much time, much
money and n good many than Is
generally supposed necessary; for In addition %
their general inclination ana capacity for war, they
gard themselves in the 'iasl ditch" and will
hght with the tenacIy OF desperation.
On yesterday Sunday afternoon We reached the nrst
Indian settlement the Missouri siluased about one
hundred and seventy miles above Omaha and Eityhve
miles below Sioux City. Here Is located the Omaha Re-
seryalion and MISSION established some twelve or four
years ago by the government for This Eibs OF In
dams The original grant consisted Of eighteen by thirty
square miles; but since then about third has
been OF gwen tho winnebagoes The country
Ia mostly level re, and capable OF cultivation with
out any irrigation Some six hundred acres are now
| under cultivation-two hundred W tn corn.
The Omaha tribe consists of thirteen bands, with ten
chiefs They have been peaceful for many years. aud
most OF them have become partially civilized and self
large portion OF the band arc nov on, upon hunt
ting excursion for the purpose o. laying in their winter
supply OF bunalo meat The hides Of buffalo killed al
this OF the they only use for making tents
Late IN ss fall they start ss,S and XII to, sns sooe.
curions many hundred miles, and are generally accom-
panied by their squaws TO do the work
On high blum about half . mile from The river n
situated the mission ecbopl Here We saw some Any
children between the ages OF i've and ffseen All Of
read a. well as the average Of white children same
age They were oil neatly dreesed and appeared 70
henderson ana General sanborn hoard several Of the
children read and then the whole school sans several
hymns for our edlac.hcu. r.sy have generally good
under the charge o. Rev. O. s Lee bus he ~ shortly o.
b relieved BY the Rev. Nj. Hamilton.
Mr.. lee ststss that the Indian children ~ general
rule dull In mathematical, but In tue other common
English branches as bright the generally OF white
children. In reply to question - 70 their general
moral procvitics no said they had natural ten
dency for vice, resulting chiefly from their want OF sta
bity OF charscerthat when tempted they could not
nay no. Very many ~ the children are afflicted with
scrofula and other constitutional diseases verifying the
passage of sctpore thai the Of the fa.hsr shall DO
visited upon the children, tor
TIE tribe numbers present about 900 souls.
and the wnneossoes, located few miles above them,
ABOUT !, 200.
The success that has thus far attended the Efforts
towards cviizng thete INDIAN dsmonsialee thai the
widest Indians the fans capable OF becoming
in time and ~ penevering aud continued edort both
civilized aud Cnrstanizcd Rnd verify OF e1ercslng all
the rights OF born American ci,izsna large
Der OF are fully capable ana worthy
of exercising The gh Of franchise the negroes OF the
South.
NEWS FRQT SAN FRANCESCA