Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1876-11-09


perturbed Indian, but did not appear
in the face of Lincoln.
Soon, White Bear rose to his feet,
went at it again, and after a fashion
got through with what he wanted to
say, at which there was murmur of
applause. = {
The burden of their speeches was
the same. They had all come such a
long distance, and SO quickly, that they
felt as if they were birds. To see the
Great Father had been the wish of
their lives. They were poor, and re-
quired help. They had always re
spected their treaties, and were the
friends of the white man. They
wanted to be prosperous and rich like
their white brother. Big Wolf, par
ticularly, enlarged on this theme. He
said that he would like to have horses
and carriages, sausages such as he ate
in the hotel in Washington, and fine
wigWam-''like this added he, as he
designated the highly ornamental
apartment in which he stood. At this,
the President could not restrain the
desire to share in the general smile.
3 Red Fox was the attorney and ora
tor of the delegation. He dwelton the
qualification he experienced at seeing
the Great Father. 1t was the proudest
and most important event of his ex-
istence. Had he been familiar with
the Neapolitan proyerb: "See Naples
and then die" he would doubtless
have paraphrased it to suit the oc-
casiOn. There was, however, a cloud
in the otherwise clear sky of his en-
joyment. He had an apprehen-
sion that when he returned to his
people in the Far West they might
not believe that he had seen the Great
Father and talked to him face to face
as it was his great privilege to do then
and there. Hence he would like to re-
turn to his people laden down with
presents -" shining all over like a
looking-glass' prove to them the
friendly relations which existed be-
tween himself and the Great Father.
There was no resisting this, and
there was some good-humored laugh
ing, but the faces of all the Indians re-
manned serious and reserved.
"Mr. President" said the interpre-
ter, 'the chiefs would be glad to hear
you talk #""<
To which Lincoln intimated that he
would endeavOr to do so. .nl-a
my red BRETHREN" said Lincoln.
are anxious to be prosperous and
have horses and carriages like the pale
faces. / propose to tell them how they
may get them
At this the dusky men were all at
tention, and manifested their satisfac-
ton by the usual Indian gutteral
sounds. at -a. ~ .esr
''The plan is simple one, said the
President, as the interpreter turned
his words into the tongue of the red
men. Their curiosity was fully
aroused. Even the. spectators looked
inquiringly at Lincoln, to know how
he was going to provide horses and
carriages for those. who thus bluntly
asked for them. .5.5 Tttf.t a.s.
"You all have land,'' said Lincoln.
(" We will furnish you with agricul-
tural implements, with which you will
turn up the soil, by hand if you have
not the means to buy an OK, but I
think with the aid which you receive
from the Government, you might at
least purchase one OK to do the ploW-
ing for several. You will plant corn,
wheat and potatoes, and with. the
money for which you will sell these
you will be able each to. buy an OK for
himself at the end of the first year.
At the end of the second year, you
viii each be able to buy perhaps two
oxen and some sheep and pigs. Atthe-
end of the third, you will probably be
in condition to buy a horse, and in
the course of a few years you will
thus be the possessor of horses and
carriages like ourselves" Lst lea"..
This plan for becoming proprietors of
horses and carriages was not relished,
for it meant work, and the faces of
the, Indians bsre a disappointed ex-
preston as the President unfolded it.
81 do not know any other way to
get these things added Lincoln.
" 1t is the plan we have pursued-at
least those of us who have them. You
cannot pick them off the trees, and
they do not fall from the Clouds
Had it not been for the respect which
they owed to the speaker as the Great
Father, it was plain that they would
have exclaimed against his words with
the untutored energy of their Indian
nature. As he was well acquainted
with that nature, having served as
Captain in the aTippecanoe war and
spent his early life on the frontier, a
suspicion entered my mind that he was
blending with the advice little chaff-
ing. To change the subject and re-