Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1868-12-28

with the Cheyennes and Arapahoes, and
the Kiowas. Comanehes and Apaehes,
made at Medicine Lodge creek in l0cto-
Der, 1867, it failed to take any action ON
the chief proposition of the Peace Com
mission, viz: that which grelatedDto the
setting apart of reservations fon these
Indians. The Secretary of War repeats.
the same thing in his report, and in my
former articles to the Gazette not being
able to find the treaties,i stated upon,
the authority ofGen5 ,Sherman's report
that such was thee fact. q Isrnowo have
the treaties before me, and find that
the reservations are designated IN them
with particularity, byimetestand bounds
and the treaties being ratified on the
25th of, Jnly, o 1S6S,d and proclaimed
August 10Th and 25th, 1865 -theyrswere
from that day the law of the land. While
this fact goes to show the utter ipdiffer-
ence of the highest officers of the army
to matters pertaining to the Indians, it
does not relieve General Sherman from
just!criticism for his lconductin ordering
General Sheridan to,lcommences often
sive operations against the Indians, be-
cause, first, at the time he.did so Com
gress had not, bsfore the troops Were put
into the field, supplied funds to meet the
obligations of the United States to- the
Indianss under the treaties; and because,
second, his conduct, afterward Endorsed
by his military colleagues on the Peace
Commission, was in hagrant violation of
the very treaties they had made with
these Indians. f ysn -f a-. .,s.+.,,,r,
By the first article of each treaty it is
stipulated that if bad men among the
whites do injury to the Indians in their
persons or property, the United States
will, upon proper proof, cause the often
der or offenders, to be arrested and pun
ished according to the laws of the United
States, and if bad men among the In
dians do wrong or injury to the person
or property of any one, white, black, or
Indian, subject to the laws of the United
States, and at peace Herewith, the tribe
will, on proof made to their agent, and
notice given, deliver up the wrongdoer
to the United States, to be be, tried and
punished according to its laws. IN,
Now, here is an agreement, reciprocal
in its nature, and it is the law of the
land, and provides how wrong-doers shall
be brought to justice. This law. is def
antly set aside by General Sherman, and
in its stead he resorts to force. Again
by the treaties, the United States agrees,
at it's own expense, to construct, at some
place near the center of each reservation,
where timber and water may be conven-
lent, warehouse, store room, agency
house, physicians house, five other build
ings for carpenter, farmer, blacksmith,
miller and engineer, also school house
and mission building, steam circular
saw mill, with grist mill and shingIe
machine attached and then the follow
ing language is Inserted in the treaties viz:
"The tribes herein named agree WHEN
the agency house and other buildings
shall be constructed on tile reservation
named, they win regard and make said
reservation their permanent home, and
they will make no permanent settlement
elsewhere, but they shall hare the right to
hunt on the lands south Of the Arkdnsas
riuer, formerly called theirs. = ~ Sc
long as the buffalo may range thereon in
such numbers as to Justify the chase
and no a0hate settlements shall be permitec
on any part oftAe lands contained IN TIE
old reservation as defined by the treaty
made between the United States and
the Chey enne, Arapahoe and Apache
tribes of Indians, at the mouth of Little
Arkansas, under date 81 of October IA
1868, acithiin three gears from this date
| October, 1867
20 With this covenant in the treaties
guaranteeing to the Indians a valuable
privilege, which they had an undoubted
right to enjoy undisturbed, staring hin
in the face, and knowing the building;
had not been erected, General Sherman
orders General Sheridan to forcibly re
move them TO their reservation south Q
the State of Kansas, as though they
were guilty of high crime. After sucl
gross violation of the law and the obi
cations of the United States towart
IL ese Indians, it is effrontery ineffabl
for General Sherman to ask Congress t.
give to him and his colleagues, the charg
, of the Indians. Justice to the denizen
| of the mountains and plains would, in
stead thereof, require court martial
with the consequences to follow to hin
: and his colleagues. This may be re
garded as. strong language, but
can not be considered as unjust, whe
: we reflect what has occurred, and tn
! manner in which those Indians hav
: been treated by Gen. Sherman and Ger
Sheridan. On the first visit of the LAT
! ter to the military posts in his distric
: after he took command in the spring {
| 1865, he says, in an official report t
f the former, that he found about Fol-
| Dodge, Kansas, many Indians, Ell
5 bracing Comanches, Kiowas, Ara
d pahoes and Cheyennes. "They ask
: ed me-" says Sheridan, "to talk wit
: them, which 1 declined, Stain
: to them that was simply visitin
= the military posts to learn their cond
e ton and that of the soldiers" He the
r recites what he learned at Fort Dodg
: from officers and others in disparagemer
e of the Indians, and continues thus: :"
: am of the belief these Indians require
: be soundly whipped and the ringleader
), in the present troubles hung, their ponie
1 killed, and such destruction of their prop
/ erty made as will render them yer,
l poor" Now, to be in the region of Fol
f Dodge was no offrnse on the part of tn
r Indians, and to be encamped in tn
] neighborhood of military pos
1 no evidence of hostility. The
? had right to go off {
1 the reservation, and being there in tn
t neighborhood of the fort was evidence {
pacific disposition. They were dissat
, ished, no doubt, and wanted talk t
e make known their grievances, and
civilIv trpated as thew should have beer