The Leavenworth weekly times. [volume] (Leavenworth, Kan.) 1870-1880, 1875-11-04
LErTrE FROM WICHITA AGENCY

WICHITA AGENCY, l. T., Oct. %, 1875.
EDITOR rIMS:-The affiliated bands in
charge Of the agency are now gathering
their crops of corn and vegetables, and
otherwise preparing for the coming winter.
Quite demand has sprung up among
them for the strong and handsome wagons
Of your Kansas Manufacturing Company,
the product thereof ha wing become so pop
ular, that the first order of ten wagons has
already been disposed. Two years ago these
Indians did all their transportation with
ponies, now each must have his wagon fof
hauling corn and material generally-as
we'll as for family exercise. All is now
quiet at the three pricipal southwestern
agencies generally known as the Cheyenne,
Wichita and Kiowa Agencies, the agents
of each being conscientious in the discharge
of their onerous and responsible duties.
And in this connection it may not be i'm
pertinent to remark-in a general way
that when charges are brought against In
dian agents, it may be just as we'll for good
citizens to note what manner of man it Is
who brings such charges, and by what
manner Of testimony such charges are at
tempted to be sustained, to the end that the
trouble and expense of an investigation
may be avoided. And it is specially i'm
portant 10 note whether the party making
the most noise is not himself a hungry ap-
plicant for the very place he seeks to va
cate? So far rs appears, the agencies in
the Indian Territory are working smoothly
and harmoniously, and the Indians are
causing As little trouble and expense as At
any former period in the history of
our government. We can scarcely point
with pride" at the history of our wars
with the Cherokees Creeks, Seminoles and
Others in long past years; for though such
may be fully "subdued," after the waste of
many years of time and millions of treas
ure, yet none of these parties concerned are
advanced one step as thristians, nor even
as civilized beings. As a business transac-
ton, the fighting against Indians has never
been success-perhaps because the red
man has no use for red tape. The last and
only trouble in this vicinity was caused by
the attempt of q military force under Gen.
Davidson to arrest Kiowa Chief, who had
come into this neighborhood from his res
ervation near Fort Sill. During an incum-
bency Of more than Eve years, Agent Rich
ardson, of this Wichita Agency, has had no
trouble, BY reason of aay hostility on the
part Of any Indians belonging to his own
reservation and it is a fact-to which ev-
cry Agent in the Indian Territory will tes-
tify-that one-half-perhaps nearly all the
difficulty they experience in The discharge
of their duties, arises from the depredations
of white men upon the Indiana, and in such
q variety of ways; the most common be-
ing, Of course, the introduction of spirit
nous liquor, and the stealing Of stock T!
Daily complaints are being made that this
or that one has lost one or more horses
And, to those familiar with this fact, the
wonder is that We do not often hear Of retail
iation and revenge. The turning over Of
all Indian affairs to the War Department
can scarcely bring about any improvement
in the condition Of things in the Indian
Territory, when it ID 50 well known that
any disturbance-be il ever 70 triHing-is
always multiplied from ten to one-hundred
fold. And it is not easy for the most
thoughtful observer TO discover wherein
any change for the better can at this time
be made. VISITOR.