Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1877-10-04
The Indians insWashington.

The Indians have had a council at
Washington with the "Great Father"
At the last talk, Oct. /, they were
dressed like the whites. Spotted Tail
took seat beside President Hayes
and said he had decided to have his
agencyion Wounded Knee creek, and
he wanted provisions and clothing
sent there. He wanted his Great
Father to agree to this. Said he:
"We don't wan. to move just now. We
want some time to sell what property We have
at our present homes. We win move in the
Spring or at any time after that. We want
our provisions moved to the agency that
have named. You told us that your nation
increases. We want to increase TOO, in prop
erty and in numbers. You said YOU wished us
to live like white men, and so we are here to-
day, dressed in white mems clothes. I want
the kind of cattle the white men have-short-
horns. I want everything in writing before I
go home, so that there be no mistake. We
want teachers of English. We want Catholic
priests to teach us. We should like saw and
grist,mills, and agricultural implements, and
seeds. We want five or six stores; then we
could buy cheaper at one than at another. |
am very well dressed, and so are the others.
They want $40 apiece to buy things for their
women and children and they would like to
have a trunk apiece to carry their clothes in.
As the weather is getting to be a little cold,
we should like to have an overcoat apiece.
We see you wearing overcoats, and We should
like to have them"
That is cunning speech. If Spot
ted Tail invented it he is smart man.
1t made the Great Father say che
was glad" several times. There are
those who know how to s'come 1t"
over the Great Father. We are all
interested in the multiplication of In
dams. We must give them an over.
coat apiece,a trunk apiece, $40 apiece,
five or six stores, seeds, plows and
reapers, saw-mills and grist-mills,
teachers, priests and short-horns. Let
us all go to work, get all we can and
send out for the comfort and propaga-
ton of the red devils. When Spot
ted Tail was through Red Cloud
spoke. He said /:
He had roamed the country where he now
lived for fifty-six years, and should like to
have his agency at White Clay creek; that
the ground he could not give up. IL they
should be sent to the Missouri river, the long
tailed rats there would get into the boxes and
in rU
and looked at our people, water would come
into your eyes. l am poorer than any of
them. Army officers took my horses, and
other horses have been stolen from me and
my crops destroyed. The injuryis at least
$4,000. / want half of this in money, and
the remainder in other things.
Poor cuss! He is the poorest of
all of them, and has lost $4,000 I!
But he is willing to take half of it in
money and the other half in coats,
trunks, stores, plows, priests and
short-horns. Poor Lo!
This whole scheme of feeding,
clothing and trading with the dirty
savages though it originated an age
or two ago is d evice of plunderers
and in this enlightened age ought to
be wholly abolished. A thousand
millions a year invested in Indians
would not DO them dollars worth of
good. They are only the vessels
of exchange through which to pass
the peoples money into the pockets
of our own rascals.