The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1871-08-26
THE SITUATION on TIE
EEDyYIEI;.

The accounts of the recent ravngcs Of the
Indians teiOw Benton and int" 'hr Gmll"'in
valley having bcen telcgraplcd i" the press
d:sps.cl,es. We notice nnm'sr q" journals
have received the impression" that The M"n'
ians bOrder Is red with war. and the In.
dians all on the war path. While the stu
alton 10 not satisfactory. and serious tr"u'
bles are imminent. the facts of the case do
not seem understood. Having always pr"
nounced the preservation policy" Ut pla'ing.
pscifying and civilizing the Indians IN i'm
practical theory. and ytt holding the SHINE
views, We are still not unwilling I" con-
cede any good results We zee In 1t, and
would cl,ecrfulIy conccde our erUr IT peace
for term 1T years, under the reservation
policy, shonld demonstrate II. 1t 10 but
right, then. to say that these dcpre.a,i"ns
have not been committed by reservation III.
dams. and 10 show wherein the trouble To
Montana 10 imminent, and the duty Of the
supcrintendcnt and administration in this
matter.
Il 10 known fact that for several y srs
y,xst the buffalo OF the great northern plains
have been moving north west that they
have almost wholly disappeared from the
old range down toward Wyoming. Dak"'"
and Nebraska, and arc now ranging in i'm.
mense herds in the northern and uns. tiled
portion of Montana. and IN the British PMS
ali rl,H. H,.ro..ut ssNss in.
tractallc Indians Of the c"untry-tlnsc VIII"
have refused all councils. terms AMI treaties
-subsist upon and follow W. these Immense
buffalo herds. The result has been that
within the pnst year there has lHrn Vast
Influx of Indians into Montana. and that
their numbers are now Tor more than in any
other Territory Of the United States. OF
these there came last fall over 800 lodges ri
6antee Sioux. and 500 1T YsnctOns, Cut
heads and others, under Medicine Bear and
Ssanding Buffalo. They camped on Milk
river. and for time threatened trs'uble. but
under treaty made with them last spring,
by special agent, A. J. Simmons, whereby
they were accorded and received supplies If
provisions, they have l'een peaccml'le I" the
present time with the whites and rcM:rvs
ton Indians. IN view Of Red Clouds dis.
position for peace. and the great influence
he cxcrted over The Sioux. superintendent
Wall lmlievcd the danger was Obvinicd l,y
this treaty. and its s'ipula,i"ns have been
faithfully and promptly observed in every
particular.
This summer. however, another compli
cation has endangered the frontier. and il
II from that the present dcpre.ls,ions arise.
Red Cloud, chief 1T the most formidable
tribes on the continent. last winter entered
into treaty stipulS,ions. and fsr wonder,
has since been peaces''Ie. by It he kDs'
prestige with his warriors: . row snsse~s,
end sissi"y Duil, the biggest devil IN moe
casins. was choscn lender Of the war SIOUX
These bands are now ranging through, Mon.
tsns from the Powder river south IL Mus
eleshell and Milk rivers north. the principal
camp bcing on the Yellowstone. Their
camp 10 reported Ivy whites and friendly
Indians, who saw II frOm tie mountains. tn
contain about loo lt'dSes. estimated III
10000 people They receive supplies ot
ammunition from renegade half breed. wl,.
prucure It IN the British Possessions, bu,
sre not ~ well armed ~ lt~s hostile Indians
They wage indiscriminaie war on whites.
reservation and ptrcesblc Indians. have ~.
fused al OvSrturcs for intercourse or treaty
and ore guilty Of the most barbxrous s'roci
ties. Messengers sent to them have never
rturned, md are supposed 10 liz murdered.
They possess immense herds Of horses. have
. large proportion Of warriors. and should
they make concerted movement on sny
at the eastern scttlcments, there xre not sui.
Accent trtols I" protect them. It was from
this encampmsnt tho war party recent,
Taided into the Gallxtin. One Ut the w0rs,
features 1T tho q ustiOn Il that the bulk III
them 10 Immediately on the proposed line oi
the N. p. r. r.. precluding the survey oI
that line from the mouth Ut the Yellow
s'ons almost 10 Galls.in vslIcy-an ex,cu,
Of several hundred miles. Civilization want,
that line, and BarlMrbsrism must stand
aside. Our citizens want peace and safety
and the menace Ut war NJ their doors mus
be removed. How II IL To be done IL ,
question sOOn to be solved. Supsrinten
dent Vixll. Governor Potts and Gen. Glib
b'n, commander If the District, srv acting
in accord. Solicitation has hecn male fOl
authority from The Department u send ,
commission, Of which General Wall or NJ
Simmons would pr'l'sbly In the head. u
hold council with sitting Bull, pr0ffcrinl
provisions and . reservation further No, 4
hetwesn the lO4th aud jO6lh degrees I"
west longitude, where buffalo sr~ sbunsisn,
where there II not = white resident, ant
where other reservations intervene bc,wec,
them and the sc..l,mcn,a This Il the peace
able solution sought. Il b earnestly a.lvo
Gated at Washington. and h the best II !
can 10 accomplished. II It fails and tn
hos.ilitics are continued. . winter visitation
. u Baker, will be necessary and prUbsbl!
sesortcd 10 u rid the border Of this danger
eus foc, and open up The rOuts Of The North
srn Pacific.
The peace policy Of the adminisaraii0'
70 fas. In connecltu with well u,esites
ehas.isemsut like that visited upon ths Pie
cans, he's resulted l'estsr than 4Ontamisn
.fs~.A~A ~ Sssses,.~ Ges,ll l. .sslsNsS -, q I,