National Republican., 1875-05-28
An OFFICIAL RTEaVrEw YESTERDAY.
THE PosITrJN OF THE GOVERNMENT.
EXPLICIT STATEMENT BY SECRETARY DELANO
WHITE MEN NEED THEBLAOK HILLS
The IHd3Tus Must RemOVe 10 the In
dian COantry-HOW the Proposition
Was ReceiVed-SpOttedT Tail asa
BipIomat-HIs Valuation or
BaffalOes They Must be
Let Alone, &C., sc.

The qong-deIayed interview between the Indian
! chiefs and the Secretary Of the Interior tool
| place yesterday. After the party had arrived al
| the exterior Department, and had been intro
| duced to the Secretary, the Commissioner o
| Indian Affairs said to them: "You called upon
| the Great Father yesterday, and he directed you
| to go to the Secretary Of the Interior He Is
| have already shaken hands with him, aRd he is
now ready to speak to you respecting the object
| ,Of'your visit to Washington"
| The Secretary then addressed them as follows:
! LtBefOre / say anything to the delegation OF
Indians wish to say to the Interpreters that il
| any inaccuracies occur at any time wish them
to report such Inaccuracies at once. Ny OBJECT is
| to obtain correct account of what is said.
''Chiefs and head men of the Sioux, ana glad to
| see You here to-day. You have been invited here
! on the part Of the Government and your Great
! Father and the object OF this conference is for
your welfare and that OF the white people OF the
| United States. want you to remember and un-
| derstand all shall say to you. Before 1855 the
! Great Father and yourselves had no friendly re-
| lations, except with the Saute and 1anktons,
| DIm beriDg about three thousand. All the other
Sioux were living in their native condition, and
the result was war, bIoodshed and death both to
you and the whites. Men ought not to kill each
other They ought to live in friendship and peace.
| In 1858 you entered into treaty with the Great
| That treaty was signed by Generals Sherman,
Augur and Terry on the part Of the Great Father,
| and on the part Of the Sioux by Spotted Tail,
Swift Bear, Red Cloud and great many other
chiefs unnecessary to name. BY the 10th article
Of the treaty the Great Father agreed to provide
clothing for you for thirty years. He also agreed
SIOper head for each person who came under the
treaty for
THE PERIOD OF THIRTY YEARS.
He also agreed to provide for each of you a GER
tain amount Of provisions, meat; -four, and so
forth, for four years. Since that time the Gov.
eminent, in pursuance Of the treaty, has furnished
you with all agreed to furnish, and great deal
more. am glad 10 be able to say that you have
lived at peace, ana substantially kept the treaty
like good Indians. l want you now to see how
%geh of an1 how much
made, and you had lived at war and on hard
terms with the Government l want to say how
many lives have been spared, and how much
more happy they have been because OF that treaty
and the way It has been kept.
~ want you to tOremenber that this treaty oflS6S
set of large tract OF country for your occupation
lying in the northern part of the United States
away west. 1t provides that you may hunt in
all the country north of the Platte and west OF
the mountains, and on the Smoky Hill side OF the
Republican river as long hunting may be pro.
titable. That was nearly seven years ago.
Now the
BUFFALO ARE NOT FOUND
on the Smoky Hill side OF the Republican so as to
Justify the chase, and buffalo north OF the Platte
have been driven away to such an extent that you
cannot hnd large quantities there. The white
people are pressing the Government to permit
them to settle in that country. We cannot stop
them from going out there, especially as the buff
IalO are gone so as reQQeT IL undesirable for
to remain there. Now, the Government as more
children than you have. You are the children OF
the Great Father; SO are the white people, and he
must do the best be can for all.
~ want you toconsider these things, that you
may do the best for yourselves and what is best
for the other children of the Great Father.
The country that was set OFF for you to live IN is
cold and barren, and no. good for agriculture,
but 1t is your country by treaty, and the Govern
nent will protect your rights as long as you re-
main in 1t. We do not intend to force you to
leave your own country without your consent,
but We want you TO consider all these other things
and 10 believe us when we tell you that we want
to do that which will be best for You and your
children. Besides being cold and barren. and
rot Mt for agriculture, the country is supposed to
contain gold and silver. do not know whether
1t contains
GOLD AND SILVER
or pot, but white people think it does, an this
makes them very anxious to go there. and you
don't know how much trouble the President. the
Commissioner and l have to keep them from
going. We have done the best for you, aud shall
continue to do so. What we fear is lat the
anxiety Of white people to go into your country
trouble TO keep them out will increase until there
will be blood shed over country which is too
cold and barren for you. Now, to show you the
faith Of the Government, want to remind YOU
that, although the four years have gone by in
which food was to have been provided for you,
the Government has continued 10 provide for you
al an expense Of one II illiOn two hundred thou
sand Collars year. What fear is If we cannot
make some satisfactory arrangement that Con
gTess may refuse to continue this appropriation.
You must remember that the President has no
money, have no money, the Commissioner has
no money. We have to depend upon Congress
fer money, and while Congress is the
FRIEND OF THE INDIAN
it is also the friend OF the white people, and IL
they think you 90 not do what is right, they may
refuse TO give US this money, and we cannot help
it. All these things want you to think over,
and help me and the Great Father to do that
which will beneht yourselves and your children
after you. You must not forget what l said be-
have " lad vnn hara 20 for
but 10 reason with you like men. l am going TO
tell you what, in my opinion is best for you to do
want you to consider what l am going to pro-
pose TO you, and want you to do it Of your own
free will. There is a tract Of country west of the
Mississippi, south Of Kansas and west of Arkan-
sas, called the Indian Territory.
THE Indian name for it is Uplaham the home
OF the Indian. 1t was set apart long time ago
by Congress as a home for all the Indians 1t is
warm and genial climate. 1t is the opinion Of
all true friends of the Indians that it is the best
place for them TO settle in and make their homes
We can keep the white people out of that coun-
try, AID prevent Them from coming into IL, be-
cause treaties and laws have created # a home
fer the Indians. There We can tea :h the Indians
to lake care of themselves ami live like white
people, and when the IniiaTs are there there
will be no danger Of war and bIOOdshed occurring
between them and the wb'te people We can
give you country there where your children
will learn to live like white people, where they
will be
COMFORTABLE AND HAPPY,
and soon learn to become independent II you
think faTOrably OF this proposition WewIIl send
themselves, and we will give you as good loca-
tion as can be found there. IfyOu should consent
l am sure Congress will continue to give the
President money for your subsistence and cloth
ing until you are able to live like white people
ard take care of yourselves. In this way we shall
avoid all the trouble about the Black Hills coun-
try between you and the whites, and you Will get
a country In exchange for it a great deal better
than me one you now have, aud where you and
children will he ado hap har
be in the cold country you now occupy. we have
not called you here to force you to do this. We
want you TO settle this proposition, and TO con-
slider the reasons for 1t candidly like good men.
''li you are not prepared to answer now. consult
among yourselves aAd let me know what your
conclusions may be. H. alter fully considering
the matter, you are unwilling to accept this we
will talk about some other way, that we may
avoid these threatened difficulties about the
Black Hills country II you do not agreo witb
rs as to what you had better do, want you 20
remember that
We ARE YOUR FRIENDS,
and are striving to do what is best for yoI. We
do not want TO make Ou unhappy, bat want to
make you more happy. can very we'll under
stand how you may not wish TO 20 away from
your native homes. We all get attached to our
homes, white people and Indians But white
people move away from their homes and make
themselves happy, and 1t is often better for peo-
pie to 60 to another place.
"l nave been telling you truthful things about
the troubles we have had over your country for
the purpose OF having you think with me, If you
can that IL Is Detter Tor you to 20 to the Indian
Territory. want you to take this subject up
and consider 1t among yourselves, with the rea.
sons have given you, aud then tell me what you
have to say in answer"
At the close of the Secretaryis address Commiy-
sioner Smith made some remarks, after which
Spotted Tail said:
SPOTTED TAILS ANSWER.
"My Father: L have considered all the Great
Father told me, and have come here to give Won
an answer. When people have fully Considered
subject their conclusion ought to be a good one
made the treaty with Generals Sherman and
Harpey In 1865, and have not broken it. came
here TO shake hands and make q new treaty. /
came here to ask for great deal. 1 want GOOD
clothes, such as you (pointing to Secretary
DeIano and Commissioner Smith) both wear
Howl When was here before the President
gave me my country, and put my stake down In
good place, and there want TO stay. know
my country is q good country, because 1 put
things IN the ground and they grow up. have
asked for q saW-nill, q pillow and other things TO
farm with. My Father, one thing displeases me-
Your surveyors have come and pat down stakes
and don't Ike 1t, and want them removed
Howl "
RESPECT THE TREATY,
but the white men who come In our country do
not. You speak OF another country but II Is uot
my country; It does not concern me. and 1 want
nothing to do with II. was not born there but
II II is such good country you ought TO send the
white men now in our country there and let us
alOnR THOHf Hnw How hv ha doTo