Bozeman avant courier. [volume] (Bozeman, Mont.) 1872-1882, 1876-08-25
our WASHINGTON LETTER
Special Correspondence of Courier.
WAsHrsGTox, D. @.
AUG. 9, 1876.

Special Correspondence of Courier.
WAsHrxGFoN, D. 9. /
AUa. Q. 1876. !
The chief enquiries to be heard upon
the street for the past day or two is,
What do you think of T'lden and Hen
Idr,ck's letter." and :. When will Congress
adjourns'' With regard to the first, there
srr. of course, variety OF opinions gen
orally termed BY the politicsI procivities
of the author. The Democrats holding
them to be Sfatesman-like documents.
and the Republicansscstecming them any
thing else. Asto tue eecoud interroga
tory. when will Congress ADJOURN" i
lis generally answered by that expressive
stare and shruRof the shoulders by which
. Frenchnan informs you that he does moi
know without opening his mouth.
The Senate met yesterday NJ II .. m
with less than half quorum preseot. an
went On with the regular order Of bus'
ness, nothing of striking interest being
transacted.
The campaign may now Re said to havt
begun in good earnest, and doubtless
many Senators and Representatives would
prefer being ut home attending to illel'
own denominations or elections inste d Of
spending their time here discussing mat
tiers of no immediate importance while
waiting for the Conference Committees
to come to some definite conclusion, or the
Appropriation Bills. The dead lock-
remaining as firm Us it did the day it orig.
mated first, no prospect of sp. edy termi
nation, Yesterday afternoon the i"dica-
tons we're that they had agreed to d'sa
gree. the Senate side having delivered
their ultima UNI and left it, the House
side to say whether they would acc pit II
Or not When or how this state Of affairs
question should Congress adjourn vii b.
out coming 10 any conclusion the Presl
dent will. of course, call 40 extra session
Immediately and the same thing will be
gone over again.
The prospect is that in my next letter
| shall have to give you an account of an
othrr terrible fight with the Indians. The
Providence, r. l. Journal has dispa' oh
from an urmy officer dated at the mouth
Of the Rosebud river. Aug. 9Th, which
saws: 1.-THE reinforcencnts are nearly al
up, and we will probably move against
the Sioux on the 9th or 10Th inst" This
Indian War seems tOassume much more
serious aspect than WIS anticipated. The
Idaho StstesmaI,a paper that is c0nsid
cred good authority, makes this statement:
Father Meaplie who is we'll posted on
the Indian tribes, gives the following esti
mate of their Numbers: He puts The
Sioux down at sixty thousand, the Crows
at fifteen thousand. Blackfeet twenty
Thousand, Ut2s or Utahs thir,y-five thous
and, and in addition there are the Brule
Ogalala, MinneconjGus, Yanktons, Tn
|capars ard Two Kittles. Some of thu
Grows and some others who live around
the reservations are friendly. but many
who pretend friendship will gather arms
arms and amuni tion for their tribes" H
says they are strong in their alliance with
each other to carry Oh this war, althoux b
when they haye no common enemy they
fight each other; but now they are unitei
against what they term a common enemy
and will turn out all Of their warriors,
numbering in the aggregate at least fifty
thoueand, and the Father says it is likely
to be the most formidable and bloody In
dian War in the history OF our govern
ngnt 10 the death whenever they are cor
nered. Ii this be true and we have no
reason to doubt It, Sitting Bull has accom-
plished what Tecunlseh lost his life in
trying to achieve. the u"ion or combina-
ton of all the Indisn tribes against the
whites. There can BE- no doubt that somr
is felt il regard to the safety
IF Cen. Crook and his command which is
not lessened by the report from Cheyenne
hat Sitting Bull is fully prepared and is
fully confident Of his ability to whip our
confined forces.
The strong probability is that the In
1isDs will not be drawr into any general
bat will divide their force.
nto small bands and attack our troops
wherever an opportunity is afforded, Of
'ering them decided advantage. In this
way the war may be prolonged without
my decisive results for several years. or
It least, until their ammunition is COM
'letely exhausted and they are starved
nto submission by destroying their vii !
ages and what eyer crops they may at
empt to cultivate.
e SAXON.