The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1876-02-25
THE BLACK HILLS.
A War About the Coveted Territory I'm.
minent.

A War About the Coveted Territory Inn
minent.
There is no doubt, says the Chicago
Tribune, that the ordering of Gen. Gus
ter to Fort Lincoln is precautionary
measure suggested by the apprehensions
of serious trouble with the Indians in
the neighborhood of the Black Hills.
The history of the negotiations with the
Indian tribes for this territory and their
reception of the Governments overtures
warrant the apprehensions that are felt.
A commission was appointed and went
in person to make the Indians an offer
for their rights of reservation granted by
the Government. The terms proposed
by the Indians for cession of their
rights were simply preposterous. They
demanded something like 5000, 600, 600,
which was at least one hundred times as
much as their rights are worth, leaving
out the fact that they were in the first
instance mere gratuity from the Gov
eminent. This demand was evidently
prompted by the Indian traders and
rascally agents, with the expectation and
purpose of swindling the red men out of
the Government country. OF course
sentatives of the Government to pursue
the negotiations any further, and as the
result proved, they were glad to escape
from the conference with their lives. A
conspiracy was Matched among certain of
the tribes to massacre the Government
Commission, and it would probably have
succeeded had it not been for the loyalty
and bravery of one or two chiefs.
AT this point the Government policy
with regard to the Black Hills was prac-
tically changed, though the change was
not formally announced. There had
been before a serious effort to protect
the Indian reservation from the invasion
of miners and spectators. But it was
remembered that those Indians, claiming
their rights under the reservation, had
enjoyed the bounty and actually lived
upon the support of the Government
long beyond the time when they had
stipulated to become self-supporting.
The fact also confronted the Government
that there was territory supposed to be
rich with mineral wealth, and certainly
possessing luxurious forests and fine
grazing land, which the Indians would
neither use for their own advantage nor
part with for any reasonable sum, though
they were already abusing the the Gov
eminent favor. Under those circum-
stances and with the increased wish of
emigrants from all parts of the country,
it is not surprising that the Government
should have relaxed its vigilance in
keeping the whites out of the reserva-
ton.
1t is now estimated That there will be
from 5000 to 10000 white persons in
and about the Black Hills by next sum-
mer. Emigrants are fiocking there, I'M
der the continued rumors of gold, by two
routes. Some go to Yankton and from
there follow the course of the Missouri
River to Fort Sully, when they
make an entrance to the Hills; others
go to some point on the Union Pacific
Railroad like Julesburg or Bushnell,
and from there start for the Hills on foot.
The men who undertake these perilous
journeys do not go unarmed, and they
are of character to make q most des-
perate defense of their lives. The In
dams, there is every reason to believe,
have determined to resent their pres
ence, and are now forming combina-
ton of tribes TO hem in and massacre
the emigrants. The Government has
evidently decided to protect these white
people to the best of its ability. Gen.
Custer, at Fort Lincoln, will be in po-
sition to draw from the various forts OF
the Territory and concentrate the availa-
BILE troops at the shortest notice. The
location has been chosen apparently
with the design of forcing what lighting
is to be done either to the north or the
west of the Black Hills. If the Indians
were able to confine it to the Hills them
selves, the warfare might be as long,
bloody and discouraging as the Modoc
war in tho lava-beds. In any event,
however, it is the duty of the Govern