Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1868-12-15
DECEMBER z Is, s. 1861 3,
0gios;gtatesulat,
81 tnsa From the Cincinnati G.ssstfsi iqi.9f
Our Indian Complications--No. 8,
COLUMBUS. Dec. 5.

Our Indian COmplicatioRs--No. g.
siGt 10 :4sa , CoLUMBUs, Dec. S.
Before proceeding with the thread of
my remarks on our Indian complications,
desire to correct an error into which
/ was inadvertently led in my last arti-
Gle, wherein I stated that all the funds
for the benefit of the Cheyennes and
their ,confederates under the treaties of
Medicine Lodge Creek, were, by the act
of Congress, turned over to General
Sherman. was led into this error from
the statement in his report that he had
turned over to Gen. Hazen 50,O00 of
the amount received for use on the So
called reservation of these. Indians
The appropriation bill turned over to
General Sherman $700, 900, of which
100000 was to be expended in fulfill
ing the provisions of the treaties made
by the Peace Commission, not then rat
flied, and 100000 to be iexpendedlfor
the Navajoe Indians NJ Special appro-
priations were made for fulfilling the
treaties executed by the Commission
with the, Cheyennes, Arapahoes, Kiowas,
Comanches, &C., but at so late a date
that the Indian Bureau could then take
no, steps to expend these funds for the
benefit of these Indians, since before it
was possible to do so.s General ShSri-
dan had commenced his war, and win
the approval of General Sherman, had,
by his military order, forbidden all per,
sons from holding any intercourse with,
or giving any assistance to, the Indians.
OF the same date of this order, August
"a, telegraphic dispatch from Law
renee, Kansas, said {: "Gen. Sheridan's IS
order meets with an enthusiastic in
dorsement by all the people of Kansas.
On Saturday, Gov. Crawford telegraph
ed the President that action be taken
to carry the order into effect" As the
Indians, therefore, did not and could
not, in the existing state of affairs, get
the benefit of any of the provisions OF
the treaties in their favor, the Govern
ment was, as stated in my former artil
Gle, in default, and had not carried any
of the provisions of the treaties referred
to into effect. Tsm --t -aa T!-s.
And now permit me to state the case:
In October, 1867, the Peace Commits
sion made treaties with the Apache, Ar.
apahoe, Cheyenne, Comanche and Kio.
wa Indians. By the terms of these
treaties it is agreed substantially that a
reservation is to be set apart for, and
confirmed to, them by Congress, upon
which they are to reside, with the priv
ilege of going out upon certain condi
tions into the buffalo range to hunt
They are to live in peace, not depredatt
on the whites, surrender any of theil
number guilty of violations of the treaty
on demand, &C., and their attention is tt
beturned gradually to pursuits of civ
ilized life, &c, -''7 p ,-lt' ~, p,
7 The Government, on its part, is tt
Furnish them homes on the proposed res
ervation, supply them with food, cloth
ing, tools, farming utensils, stock; also
to build agency houses, warehouses ant
storerooms, and residences for physi
clans, with many other beneficial pro
visions. .ar t
After these treaties were made, tn,
Indians retired to their villages, and M
disturbance occurs that we hear of unit
in midsummer, 1865, notwithstanding
the Indians from necessity went out int,
the buffalo range in the spring, soon at
ter the grass began to grow. What wa
the United States doing in the mean
time2 As stated, Congress did not un
til the 9th day of July, 1868, appro
pirate one cent of money to fulfill ;
single stipulation in the treaties. Th
government was under every legal an,
moral obligation to supply these Indian
promptly, in the spring of 1865, with foo
and clothing, and to commence then an
without delay to provide them wit
everything stipulated to be given ther
by the treaties-to build the agenc,
houses, ware and store houses, &c. an
as necessary to discharge all of thes
obligations, and preceding them, to cor
firm to the Indians the reservation {
land contemplated by the treaties, whic
vital matter Congress neglected to do
and to-day the Indians are without
home. '.
AS between civilized parties in cor
troversy presenting a like state of facts
the one standing in the attitude of th
United States would be condemned b
the universal judgment of the peopl
Are we justified in establishing differ
ent code of denying our moral and leg;
obligation, because we are dealing wit
weak, helpless and unlettered people
/ What an "inhuman farce" it is to Sc
the military part of the Peace Commi
sion, at the Chicago meeting-Gener,
Sheridan having previously, by order
General Sherman, issued his order 20 th
same effect--resolving that the militar
force should be used to compel the r,
moval, at once, of those Indians into til
reservations secured to them in Octobe
1867, at Medicine Lodge Greek, wher
! in point of fact, no such reservation
were secured, and no such reservation
4 existed What scandalous, nay, inf;
j nous conduct. And how the good nam
i of the United States is compromise
thereby 1t appears to me that thes
officers could not be guilty of NOR
grave military offense than this outrag
against law, justice and truth. y
: Now, while the Government was thu
in default, there is no pretense, from an
quarter, that the Indians committed an
wrongful act until summer. They wer
in Western Kansas, and General Sher
dan understood they were discontentet
but they committed no depreciation,
1t was no violation of the treaties fc
the Indians to be put into the Buffal
range. Indeed, they were allowed S
i to do by the treaties. And they were
in point of fact, quiet until General Shel
4 idan got his troops after them. Geners
Sherman, however, casts all the blame o