The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-06-14

Address of Secretary Cox and Reply of
Red Cloud-What the Indians De-
sire.
The grand council between the Indian dele
cations, the Secretary Of the Interior, and
Commissioner Parker, was held at the Indian
office in Washington, on Tuesday morning last.
Several gentlemen holding official positions
under the government, having relations with
the Indian tribes, were present The red men
took their seats il the council chamber about
IL o'clock, and the conference lasted until ].
They were arrayed In full Indian costume, and
were evidently much impressed with the'im-
portance of the occasion. After the usual for
malities of hand-shaking, the commissioner
announced to the chiefs that what Red Cloud
had spoken to them had been thought over,
and the Secretary Of the Interior would now
reply. His words were the words Of the Pre-
sident, on the subject OF Red Clouds speech.
The Secretary then addressed the Indians at
considerable length, in relation to the requests
they had made, and the feeling of the govern
ment concerning them.
He explained to them that when our people
grew 30 fast as to crowd upon the plains. we
wanted to find place for the Sioux to live,
where they would not be disturbed. For that
reason, our great soldier, General Sherman,)
made the treaty to give them the country
which they now have, and to take our own
people out of it, so they might live there alone
Lately, some Of our young people wanted 10
go there again to look for the gold In The hills,
but the President refused to let them GO, say
ing it had been promised to the Sioux, and
they must keep IL. They may be sure, there
fore, that the President will do what he said,
and they shall not be disturbed while they are
in peace in that territory. The government
will send Mr. Bruno, (whose presence at the
council was indicated 10 the Indians, this sum-
mer to see them, and to gee that they get the
rations which will be sent to them. When he
goes he will ask which is the best thing we
can do for them. He will ask If anybody has
done them any wrong, and they can tell him
when he comes back. We will try 10 90 what
he SAYS they need to have done. The great
thing we want to say to them Is, that If they
will keep peace We Will try 10 40 everything
they ask that is right.
After the Secretary of the Interior General
Cox had concluded, there was long pause,
then Red Cloud, who, during the secretary's
speech, had been sitting in the corner of
sofa. BY the side of one ofhs people, rose sud-
denly, and quickly strobe across the room to
the table at which sat the Secretary and the
Commissioner OF Indian Affairs. He shook
hands, saying, "Ho,o," as he did so, with Gen.
erals Cox and Parker and the other white
men who were present, and then, seating
himself upon the floor, delivered his speech.
The chief is apparently about forty years OF
age, fully six feet In height, with presence dig
a 10 bno 10 1p-
veloped, forehead high and prominent, his eye
dark and piercing, his nose straight, not aqul-
line, with the high cheek bones of his race. His
shoulders are broad, but his frame is light and
sinewy, and he walked across the floor Of the
council chamber with cat-like step, display
ing all the muscular motion of practced
athlete. His hands and feet are remarkably
small; his complexion is not copper-colored, as
is that of many Of the Northern Indians, but
rather Asiatic In color, with decidedly red
dish tint, actually realizing the name of red
man. He was dressed partially in Indian
costume, wore buckskin leggings and mocca-
sins, a blue striped cotton shirt, with dark
woolen blanket bound around his waist. On
his breast was large silver medal, and In his
ears huge earrings of the same metal. His
language is soft, sounding at times like Span
ish. He spoke quickly aud fluently, with en-
phasis and animation, gesticulating much.
His. sentences were very short. He said as
follows, pausing after two or three sentences
to allow the interpreter time to translate:
have come from where the sun sets to see
Eot
people l offered my prayer to the Great
Spirit. He brought me safe to the land Of the
white man. am now In my Great Fathers
house. Look at me. My people once lived
where the sun rises; come from where he
sets. When you speak you sit upon chairs;
when talk will sit upon the ground. The
Great Spirit raised me In this way; he raised
me naked. The red man, who uses the bow
and arrow, and the white man, live together
in this land, but whose voice was first heard
here? 1t was the voice Of the red man. We
were then great and powcrtul; you were few
and weak. You came among us as strangers;
your faces were white; we were red. How
did we treat you? We let you live with us;
we shared our land with you; we made no war
E3npon the white man; we were strong; we
could have driven yOn back into the great
waters from whence you came.
The Great Spirit smiled upon the white man;
your people were like the blades OF grass In
spring when summer is coming; the red man
melted away like the snow on the hill Side
when the sun is warm. The white man grew
strong in numbers; the red man grew Weak.
Do YOU treat lis as We treated you? You say
the Great Father of the white man Is good and
kind to us. but don't see it. We gave YOU
our lands in the EaSs; we went to where the
sun sets In the West. The Great Father sent
his people after US: they came from the East,
from the North. from the South-even from
the West. The white man has driven us upon
an island; they are around us on every side
Have YOU children? Do you love them? Do
YOU want them to grow up around you!
have children, too; my people have children
whom they love. We ask our Great Father to
let us alone upon the island where he has
driven us. Leave us that. where we can raise
our children III our own way.
The white man comes to our country and
there is blood split upon the grass. That blood
Is the blood of the rcd man. The red
man has come from the West to the land OF
the white man. He has come here into his
Great Fathers house. He will 90 back again
to his peopIe. He will leave no blood of the
white man behind him. The Great Father
SAYS he wants peace. The rcd man wants
peace, too; but the white man makes war upon
MS; the white man goes through our country;
he kills our game; he shoots at the red man.
1t is the fault Of the Great Father. You are the
people who should keep peace. was born at
the forks of the Platte River; my father and my
mother told Inc the land was mine. don't
like the land you have given us; the country
does not suit my people; my children die there
like sheen. but we will remain and be peace
able il the Great Father will remove the tort