The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1873-04-29
HEADQUARTERS \
ARMY OF THE UNITED STATES.

'S"u wan 'hV ssSPe'e ih'ui0oe " tue pres
ent moment: t.fe Es. ff Eua
HEADQUARTERS
ARMY OF THE UNITED STATES,
WASHINGTON, d. c., April II, 1873.
DEAR SIR: / have your letter of this
date, and an unwilling in private letter
to express my opinions ON all the CUES
tons you make. ll3
The army has no "policy" about Indians
or anything else. It:has no voice in Con-
gress, but accepts the law as enacted and
the Interpretation thereof by the proper
officials, and executes them with as much
intelligence, fidelity and humanity as any
other body of citizens. From the organi-
cation of the government up to 1860 the
Indians and Indian bureau were under the
war departmsnt,so that nearly all the DIV
ilizstion aud christianizatien Of the Indi-
aus thus far accomplished, occurred under
army supervision. " q g." V
To-day, in case an Indian suffers a
wrong, | believe he will be more likely 20
appeal TO- the commanding officer of the
nearest military pest than to his own
agent; for in the one he sees with his eyes
the evidence Of force to compel obedi-
ence, whereas In the other nothing of the
kind. In like manner believe the an
nuities to treaty Indians would reach the
parties in interest quite as surely through
army officers as through civilians. And
when Indians have committed depreda
TONS as is very sommon--snd the annui-
ties are chargeable with the amount of
damages, such stoppages could more safely
made by commanding officer having SOL
ders at his back, than by an agent afraid
Of his life--as too many Of them are and
have reason to be. The present Indian
agents, as class, are very good men; but
they lack the force, the power, which saw
ages alsAe respect.
The existing policy, usually called the
peace policy, is to gradually assemble the
wandering tribes on reservations, with
boundaries clearly defined, and then,
through civilians, to instruct them in az =.
riculture and the ruder arts, and educate
them as far rs possible. To this think
no army officer objects. And, further, when
the Indians leave their reservations to
steal, murder and plunder, they fall ander
the Jurisdiction of the army. This is the
theoretical condition Of things, but it
would require ten times our present army
to make Gordon around the reservations,
SO that murders are done, the stealing Of
cattle, horses, &c., perpstrated, and the
Indians quickly escape to their rsserva.
tons, where the troops cannot follow them;
so that in fact these reservations help
thA N lhatr l,,or tsva hrs
| am safe in saying that half the horses
and mules now owned by the Kiowas, Co.
manches, Cheyennes, Arapahoes, Sioux,
&c.--.all treaty Indians, all at peace, with
agencies and annuities-havo been stolen
from the United States or from citizens
l have myself seen, at the Kiowa and CO.
manche agency, and at several of the
Sioux agencies, horses and mules BRANDED
"U. s." led up to be packed with annuity
goods, and | never heard Of an agent de-
manding the restoration of one for that
reason; and though murders are of 70 fire.
quent occurrence, do not hear Of the
nurdcrers being surrendered, as is re-
CURED by the treaties. Again, though the
Sioux and CheyeRnes are ct peace, the ar
my has to send escorts with ell trains and
parties Of surveyors who 60 rightfully to
work within the borders of such States as
Kansas and Nebraska, as though actual
war existed. ~ tuet
All will venture to assert is, that the
army has much more difficult task now
than if we were actually at war. and
could anticipate depredstions and follsw
the perpetrators to their very camps, as I
did in tho case Of the Kiowss two years
ago. Then the Texas people we're con-
SANITY complaining that the treaty In
dams were depredating on their property,
killing their people and taking refuge ON
their reservations. would not believe 1t
until went in person, and was actually
near by when Ssntanta killed seven poor
teamstersin Texas, one Of whom was found
burned, tied at the wagon-whse and
few days after he came to the agency at
Fort Sill, boasting Of the deed. With the
approval Of the agent, Mr.. Tatun, I ar
rested him and tive others and sent them
To Texas for trial. Now l am told that
6antAnta is to be turned loose again, al
though believe he has committed fifty
murders, and has VIGOROUSLY violated
every promise hitherto made.
No general rule will answer for the
govsrnmsntIof every tribe, but each must
DO treated according to their conduct, and,
think, the army officers are better quail
fed to Judge than the average of citizens