The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1875-06-29
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The starving Indians,

The Starving Indians 49,
Mai. Gen: Pope, comm ander IF the De:
partment of the Missouri, writes from
Fort Leavenworth, KANSAS, under date of
Nav 18th. to Col. Dunn; Assistant ,Adju-,
tant General at Chicago, transmitting the
reports of the commencing officers at the
Wachita and Cheyenne and ~Arapahoe
Agencies. Gen. Pope says these reports
are to the same effect as that rsof Lieut..
Col. Hatch OF the Fourth Cavalry, which
was previously forwarded, and show as
bad if not worse condition Of things at
those agencies than set forth by Hatch
regarding the agencies at Fort Sill, Gen.
Ropes letter then continues: ,.a,.re'-. ;
''Whilst have received nothing off.
cial on the subject, / see from dispatches
in newspapers that the Interior Depart,
ment, while not denying the facts, has
been misled INTO attributing them to
the failure of contractors tocY get
forward supplies for the Indians on
account of bad roads and bad weather. If
the scarcity of food had been confined to
the four or five months of bad roads, this
explanation might be moderately salts.
factory so far as relates to supphes which
must be hauled in wagons, such as -four,
sugar, coffee. etc., but of course not sat
isfactory as to their quality and condi.
ton. Least Of all could such explana-
ton cover the case of the beef cattle,
which could have been readily driven any.
where at any time Of the year, and in al
most any weather which is likely to pre-
vail in a region so far south, The fact
is, however, as reported by all these off,
GERS, that this scarcity of food has existed
nearly ever since the beginning Of the ifs.
cal year, namely, July l, 1874. How
much longer this condition of affairs has
existed is not stated. During the whole
summer and autu nnCf 1874 the roads
were in excellent order, and at no time
during the past winter have we had any
difficulty in supplying the troops at the
Cheyenne and Arapahoe Agency, as we'll
as the Indians who surrendered there at
various times during the winter, with all
they wanted. Indeed we could as readily
have sent five times as much. It does
not appear at all likely that the
officers who make. the in
closed reports can, have any
purpose in stating the facts other than to
perform their duty. The facts they do
State are true, or.they are not true. IF
true, it is certainly the interest Of the
interior Department to accept and act
upon them at once, and vigorously. II
not true, some steps should be taken so
to prove, in order that the officers who
report them may be held to accountable
ty. In the face of the reports Of these
military officers on the ground, and whose
great apprehension is that, under the
pressure Of hunger and suffering, the In
dians may again 60 off and depredate, l
cannot entertain doubt that they have
reported truly, and have rather under
stated than overstatcd the facts. l send
forward these reports, having no doubt
whatever of their truth, in order that the
authorities in Washington may know the
facts, and take immediate meas.
ures to protect the honor and
good faith of the Government, and
save these unfortunate Indians from
wrong and suffering revolving to humanity.
Who can blame them IL, rather. than
starve to death and see their women and
children suffering the; pangs Of hunger
and in slow process of starvation, they
break away and get food for them in any
manner as soon as they can. l had sup
posed, of course, that all such facts
would be gratefully received by that De-
partment Of the Government which has
the Indians in charge, and that that De
partmcnt would be as Indignant as the
witnesses to such transactions, and use
prompt and vigorous measures to redress
the wrong and bring the wrong-doer to
punishment. If | may be permitted to
Judge from what is set forth in the news
paper reports and dispatches, however, as
an explanation from the Interior Depart
ment, it would seem that am mistaken
in this view. and that any one who re-
ports such things, even although 1t be a
duty to do so, is looked upon by that
department with feeling which cannot
be called gratitude. L myself certainly
do not wish to attack any department of
the government, nor any official person
age connected Herewith A state of
facts seriously involving the honor and
good faith of the United States, endan.
gering important public interests, and
working shocking inhumanity to thou
sands Of human beings, exists. No man
is justified in Withholding these facts
from the knowledge of the government
least of all, has an army officer, respon.
sible for the results of such transactions
both to the government and the frontier
settlers, and having any sense whatever
Of his obligations as an officer or as a
human being. the right to keep silence in
the knowledge of such facts, or even by
indirection, permit the highest officer of
the government to remain in ignorance
of transactions dishonoring to the nation
and abhorrent to humanity