New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-07-26
BY TELEG RAPH.
WASHINGTON. w
Indian Affair. at the CnpitaI.

lndian Affairs at tho Capital.
WAsHINGroN, d. c., July 25-rhe cores
nondence upon Indian matters between the
INFERIOR anu war departments, and Gen
erals Sherman and Sheridan, shows that
perfect harmony exists in all official
quarters relative to the subject Of dealing h.
with hostile Indians.
The following correspondence shows that
harmony exists between the interior and
the War Department on the subject of pun
ishing the hostile Indians. On the fifteenth
instant General Sherman sent a telegram
to General Sheridan saying:
Don't you think it would be we'll
to order the Sixth and Tenth Cavalry
to converge on Fort Sill and settle
this matter at once, and prevent
the Indians from turning towards
Texas, as they naturally will to get even,
especially if they have got the worst of it
SO far.
"Each detachment could follow some fresh
trail and word could be sent the friendly
Indians in advance to collect for safety at
Fort Sill The hostile Indians should be
stripped of all horses, mules, etc. Unless
something is done now the rascals will
merely rest and start afresh."
In transmitting AL official COPY of this
telegram to the Secretary of War General
Sherman indOrsed it as follows: -
"Respecttully forwarded to the Secretary
OF War, inviting his special attention and
asking the positive cOmmittal of the Sec
retary of the Interior to the necessity now
of following these raiding parties Of Indians
back into the reservation and there punish
ing the guilty parties.
''If these Indians may on every provOca-
tion. real or assumed, sally forth and kill
and steal from the exposed frontiersmen,
we can never expect peace. Defensively
it will require 10000 cavalry to give even q
partial protection, but Extensively 1000
cavalry can follow them and punish them
as they surely merit"
Under date of the sixteenth instant the
Secretary Of War forwarded these COM
| munications to the Secretary of the Interior,
saying that he cOncurred in the views of
General Sherman, and asking tine early
reply Of the Secretary if the action which
was recommended met with his reoommen-
datiOn.
These communications were referred by
General COwan, Acting Secretary of the
Interior, to Commissioner Smith of the In
dian Bureau, who says in his reply:
II have the honor to refer to my official
letter of May H. in which recommended
that the reservation lines be no such barrier
to the pursuit by the military of marauding
Indians as to hinder the forces from strik-
ing these Indians and Furnishing them be-
fore they should reach the main body of
| the tribe.
~ also called attention to the necessity of
exercising great care in such use of the
military when invading reservations, to pre-
vent indiscriminate slaughter of the inno-
cent with the guilty, and proposed to throw
the responsibility of such care in each case
upon the commanding officer. Strict meas
| ures should be Immediately taken to keep
| the friendly Indians from the others, and
| permission should be offered to others who
are friendly and have not had the oppor-
tunity to join them to come in. Then all who
persist in hostility or have been guilty Of
| murder should be pursued and punished.
ut Is proper in this connection that men,
ton should be made of the prominent
causes which led to the present state Of
| things. First-The failure to punish the
| Camanches, according to promise, for their
| repeated and persistent raids and murders
| IN Texas; second, the failure of the gov
ernment to protect the reservation Indians
and whisky traders, who have swarmed
| over this Indian country during the past
winter, slaughteriDg the buffllo by tho
| thousands for their bldes and driving of
large numbers of Indian ponies to Kansas.
81 only wish it were possible under the
law for the Secretary OF War to send forces
to the homes of these marauders to compel
justice from them as well as from the In-
| dians."
In transmitting the commissioners wcs.
sage to the Secretary of War, General b.
r. Cowan, Acting Secretary of the Iateror,
cOncurred in the recommendation of the
commissioner, and advised action according
to his suggestions. On the twentieth in
slant, the Secretary of War wrote to the
Secretary of the Interior acknowledging the
receipt OF his communication, and saying
that General Sherman had directed the
hostile Indians to be struck either on or off
their reservations, and that great care would
be taken not to injure friendly ones.
Commissioner Smith has forwarded tele-
grams to Superintendent Hoag, and the
| agents in the Indian Territory, informing
them of the determination of the interior
Department regarding hostile Indians in
the Territory mentioned, and asking them
| to cooperate in the protection Of the innO-
| cent and the punishment of the guilty. He
also informed them that friendly Indians
must come i'll at once and be enrolled, and
must he required to answer roll call daily.
| Counterfeit S5 Notes.
A dangerous counterfeit on the s. notes
of the Traders National Bank OF Chicago
having appeared. The Treasury offers one
half per cent premium for the return of the
genuine s. notes of that bank to the de-
! partment for destruction. The notes should
be strapped separately, and may be in
cluded in packages of national bank notes
returned to the Treasurer for redemption,
and may be returned at the expense of the
government.
All genuine s. notes of this bank should
hereafter be refused, and the notes of that
denomination will thus be driven out of
| circulation. No more of these notes will be
issued by the Controller of the Currency
TO that bank.
| The attention of bank officers is specially
called to the necessity of promptly retiring
these notes, which will entirely prevent the
| circulation of counterfeits.