The Andrew County Republican. [volume] (Savannah, Mo.) 1871-1876, 1875-12-17
Gen. Sheridan's Annual Report.

WASHINGTON. Nov. 29.-FollOWin~ i the
concluding portion of the annual report of
/ Lieut. ten. ShCrldan:
III HLlCk HILLS.
| earnestly recommend some action which
will settle this Black Hills question. and re-
Ii"Hc U> from an exceedingly di>a@rccablc
and embarrassing duty. | feel quite >ati>-
fled that all the country south of the Yellow
stone River. from the Black Hills Of the
Cheyenne ~ far west H. the Isl" Horn Valley.
and prFhap>a H. far west a Clark Fork of the
Yellowstone, i @"ld-brarin@. but a. 10 the
amount of "old deposit | cannot say: it may
hr Great. or il may he small. This area i
also. AT many places. we'll timbcrcd, has
many beautiful valleys of rather high alii-
tudc. with good soil and abundance of run
ming water. Nearly the whole of II i well
adapted I" grazing purposes. the grass being
principally bunch grass. with 80 little rain
i'm the fall and winter Il 10 let the grass cure
on the ground and make better hay on the
stalk than if cut and cured in the USUAL man
n"r. Tn winters are. | have every reason
I" believe. very cold. but the temperature
i uniform: the cold weather j. found to be-
les injurious to stock. where there i no
shelter. than 4 mildcr climate where cattle
are subjected TO the changes of alternate
freezing and thaWin@. and where
the rains rot the grass. | MAKE this state
mcnt from havin" studied this country for Il
lon@ time, and in order that my >upcrior>,
who will. before long. have to deal with the
question of the Black Hills. may be able To
better appreciate the interests of all con-
ccrncd, be they white or red. The Sioux
Indians. numbering about - 900. o hold
this extensive and perhaps very valuable
country, and, in addition, the belt eastward
from the base of the Black Hills of the
Cheyenne To the Missouri River. which
would make about 10 .WD acres of land for
the head of each family. and perhaps much
more, without one single acre being cult
waited, while the maximum amount given by
the Government to an adult white settler is
only 100 acres. on which he has to live. build
Il hut, put up fences, till the ground. and
pay taxes. Hence much of the trouble of
protecting Indian reservations: the hardy
pioneer having very little consideration for
the red man who has So much and Is still 50
idle and worthless.
THE INDIAN PROBLEM.
II would have been better if the Indians
had been considered a part of the population
of the United STATES. and dealt with gcner-
olSly: and when forced on reservations
which isalwayS the case-lett them be reason
able in size, subject to especial rule and gov
eminent. until they are fitted to obey the
ordinary laws of the country for the control
of all our people. But. ut present, we see
the ridiculous anomaly of having the most
stringent laws. municipal, State. and Fed
eral. with penalties such IL Imprisonment in
pcnitcntiarieS. and even the g~allowS, for the
government of intelligent white people,
while we are attempting to govern
these poor. wild Savage>, without any power
over them, or any laws N all. The nbServa-
ton of many wears in my WI command,
and throughout most of the Indian cOun-
try for the last twenty years, has left the
impression that this system of civiliZing
the wild portion of our Indian in
habitant> has not met with Il success which
gives a fair equivalent for the expense,
trouble. and blood>hcd which has attend
ed il. | believe there i true humanity in
making the reservations reasonably small,