Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1877-10-03
THE BIG TALK.
The President and Poor Lo.


sion. There were present President
Hayes, members of the cabinet, COM
missioner of Indian affairs, Gen. Crook
and others. The Indians were in full
costume. The president said he was
ready to hear the chiefs if they wished
to speak further.
After a pause
SPOTTED TAIL SPOKE
urging that lands now occupied by his
people be secured to them. Swift Bear,
Red Bear, Touch-the-Cloud and White
Tail applauded the words.
Red Cloud said at the foot of the hills
IS a good place to put my agency. [
did not come here to beg anything
The Black Hills were mine. | gave
them to the corners and suppose you
are going to decide what you are going
to give us for the hills and I have come
to get it.
The other Indians having spoken,
Gen. Crook advocated their claims and
the president was presented with the
PIPE OF PEACE.
The president said: My good friends,
you have desired to take counsel with
me and [ have permitted you to come.
I am glad to see you. [ have attentive
~ listened to what you have said. [
have also heard Mr.. VIM. Welsh and
Gen. Crook. who spoke for YOU as
your friends, and who have my conf
dence. | have we'll considered all that
was said Now listen to
MY ANSWER
[ have your welfare sincerely at heart
| will be good friend to you The
wishes you express, [ shall be glad to
crafty when it is in my power and for
your own good There is an under
standing between you and the white
people which [ want to have carried
out by both That understanding is
that you should
GO TO YOUR RESERVATION
and occupy it; that the lands should be
yours | have removed the Poncas to
the Indian Territory to give you more
room. | have promised to procure for
you food for your people to eat. The
great council of the nation, the congress
of the United States, resolved and your
chiefs and head men agreed, that sup
plies to be furnished to you should be
delivered to you near the Missouri
river. This is what [ was told; this is
what the great council of my nation be-
lieved [ have fulfilled that promise.
Your supplies have been carried to the
Missouri river and there they are now,
according to our promise. You say you
do not like to go to the Missouri river
but your supplies cannot be taken to
any other place before the people will
need them and before the cold days of
winter come. If you do not go near
the place where your supplies are, your
people
WILL BE HUNGRY.
and [ shall not be able to give them
food. [ desire to do all for you that [
can and therefore want you to be IN the
place this winter where my helping
hand can reach you, but do not mean
you and your people shall stay near the
Missouri river always. I mean you shall
stay there this winter When spring
comes you shall select for your perma-
nent abode such land on your reserva-
ton as you like best. My agents will
aid you la making selection. Your
country IS large, and there is much
land where you can cultivate the soil
and raise crops, and where cattle can be
fed. That land is to be distributed
among you. 1t is to be surveyed and
allotted to each family to be its home
stead. There your people can
BUILD CABINS AND MAKE HOMES
for their families to dwell in. When
that land is surveyed and allotted, and
your families have taken possession of
it, | shall ask the great council of my
nation to give you COWS and oxen and
tools with which to till the soil, that you
may be able to provide for your own
necessities. [ desire you to have schools
for your children, SO they may be edu-
Gated to take care of themselves and be-
come industrious and prosperous like
the children of my people. I also wish
your people to have churches where
they can worship. | shall speak good
words for you to-the great council of
my nation, that it may grant your peo-
pie those benefits. If you are wise you
will hold this advice.
GAME IS FAST DISAPPEARING
from your country, and you cannot al
ways live as hunters; neither can we for
all time provide for your wants. and
feed your people and their children. If
you want to live In security, you must
do as white people do. You must work
and learn to produce that which you
need. Cattle, hoes and ploughs will be
more useful to you than ponies and guns.
To be educated SO as to know how to
work and how to make their own living,
by raising cattle and filling the soil, will
be better for the children than hunting
buffalo and dancing the war dance.
When you look around you will see that
white deople are great multitude
which you cannot count. Every year
their numbers increase by far more than
the number of red men In this great
land. They cannot be kept away from
the western country, and year after
year more of them 90 there. IF you
live roaming about without homes they
will
SWEEP OVER YOU LIKE A GREAT FLOOD