The New York herald., 1875-09-22
PASTEBOARD MONEY.
Blank Vouchers, Cottonwood Hay, False Meas
urGmeRtS and Iniquity in General.
THE DEPARTMENT CONVICTED.

with peculiar gravity They had heard the white mans
promises before when they learned that they were
TO be under Christian management that their children
read and write like the children of the pale
faces, they thought of Father De Smet and wondered
ifths really not their friend and protector
They discovered however that he was no better
than the other agent whom he denounced They said
that Tappan defrauded the government at Washing
ton he gave them to eat than Sperry and in few
months they put little faith in anything he said. find
that the white men who worked for him even more
bitter than the Indians, especially his friends and
relatives whom he brought from the East.
THE ''soUAw MEN,
Mr. Sperry has much to say his letters East about
NE who live with squaws If he makes blank
vouchers and they discovered he says is because
Bquaw allowed the agency. In fact he at
tributes all Of his troubles to these whom he has
Eainly tries to drive away One man, whose name
have keeps squaw and told that he could stay
)ong he pleased, but he had signed blank voucher
and Sperry afraid of him.
The truth is that the squaw attached to the
agency and, rule, they peaceable and honest
Jar more so than the average agent or trader
Many Of them Of French extraction and they
Ste for sects preachers They neither
worse than ordinary frontier who chop wood, cut
hay and team for living Some of the hunters are
bazy and shiftess but their ideas Of honesty
far in advance of the agents that a comparison
would be cruel When these squaw men expostuate
with sperry for his 'rregularities he threatens TO
drive them from the reservation. am not fayoring
Rmalgamation, but do say that the white men who
have Indian wives here misrepresented by Mr..
Sperry and his friends
He says that they do respect the marriage
nony; that they live with the for few years
pnd then take others This is true in many
and in others it is not When the boat landed Stand
Ing Rock beautiful girl board and greeted
by officers wives and their daughters with kiss They
Invited her TO accompany them the trip down the
river 'For Heavens sake tell who is that graceful
rreatureH" asked passenger of the captain 'The
daughter Off Minneapolis merchant " said he-''a half
breed, just from school in ST. LOUIS The answer was
SURPRISE for thought her the daughter of full
booded Sioux According Brother sperry's
creed she is the child Of sim and her father totally
10 testify against white mans husband who steals
The squaw this reservation kind TO the In
nans They give them good advice and stand by them
In fact they about the only friends they trust
They the 'rnodel" representative of Christian
ciety and great government making away with their
blankets and food the one hand, and the other
They the squaw men, who profess creed rebuking
Ihs representative for his wickedness Who blamo
Lhem for wanting their friends to stay? that
their presence alone has prevented much fraud
INDUsTRIAL NOTES.
The most satisfactory feature OF Mr.. sperry's ad-
nnisraton is his farming, rather the farming which
The Indians do yet their crops were famous before ne
Under Tappan, the old agent, they raised corn
and potatoes in abundance
Last winter they about IL 900 cords OF wood and
put up large quantities Of hay Outside Of their agency
work they mined $50 tons Of coal from the miserable
Thin along the river Last year 1000 bushels
corn and 500 bushels Of potatoes raised besides
large quantities Of squashes beans and pumpkins The
latter are their chief articles food 1t should be
dersood that this is the greatest grasshopper county
the West have seen clouds OF them flying up toward
Alaska that actually bid the These Indians are
ahe most civilized and friendly disposed of any on the
river and the Rees are far superior the
Sioux in battle The one great complaint
(which they make against Sperry, in addition
TO the charges of selling their goods, is that
he hires them to work and pays them in goods which
already belong them. There is a feeling Of much in
dignation about IT, think that he does them great
service getting them follow any kind of industrial
pursuits The why the Berthold Indians have
good a name is because they work. They can fight
like tigers swing scythe, plough corn, or build
house. saw promising young buck painting one Of
the agency buildings, and he did it well; but
doubt If he could equal sperry in preparing blank
voucher.
THE OBJECTIONABLE FEATURE
in Mr. sperrys agricultural management is the high
prices that he charges the Indians for their pro-
visions For instance, he asks twenty-five cents a
pound for sugar which costs ten cents; twenty-five
cents for pork which nine and half cents thirty
three and a third for coffee which costs twenty
one cents 81 pound for tea which costs forty
six cents and for -four IS hundred, which costs
only SO, all Of which is outrage Of the most
Infamous character Really the Indian who works
dolid nlt NJ
for dollar And yet the Ring howls about the blood
thirsty savage Permit such extortions In New York,
and the city would bo swept by mob in twenty-four
hours
In the army all government merchandise is sold 70
The soldiers at cost, transportation not included.
But does not belong the soldiers the hrst place,
while the Indians buy little that the government has
mot already given them II is bad enough to sell the
Indians their own property actual cost but such
reform would be death 10 the trader, and were he
partner Of the agent domestic paac would be sure
10 follow.
Mr. sperry sells fourlpounds Of Black wolrs sugar to
his wife for a dollar that friend Raymond may not be
forced TO reduce his prices Now solemnly claimed
by sperry and Raymond that they interested in
each others sales but the agents scale prices is
proof TO the contrary Then, in buying Of the Indians
he pays them post trader prices When the rcd man
trades his potatoes for sugar there double pront for
the buyer And when sperrSis not that fortunate in
dividual Mr. Raymond is
A NEW WAY or BUYING BEEF HIDES.
This spring the Indians had occasion 70 sen 10y o
beef hides speny Raymond 4 Co. decided iha' 'hes
were worth 81 a piece Really they welo wor'l
from s3 20 s5 each Two hundred anu 'hrl
of the hides were delivered at the store, an'
,bccks gven in return These checks Ike our natona
.curreIey. are Of paper only Of heayeE aaalsI ~