The New York herald., 1877-09-21
SPOTTED TAIL & CO.
The Sioux Delegation En- Route
to Washington.
OBJECT OF THEIR VISIT.
Why Our Indian Trea ties
Have Been Failures.
a Resume Of Treaty Making With The Sioux
Blunders OF the Business.
OBJECT OF THEIR VISIT.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 20, 1877.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 90, 1871
The arrival here OF Spotted Tail and number OF
other chiefs and Of the Sioux tribe Is looked
for between tomorrow and next Monday. The object
Of their visit the authorities not specially Defined
except that It is prompted and recommended by Gen.
eral Crook, whether to make q treaty to surrender
their proprietary rights to the Black Hills country or
have further stalk" about the country lying be-
tween the Nobarra and Republican rivers about winch
the treaty was made last summer by aspociai commits
sion. is not known They come here, as is believed,
partly at their own request and partly at the sug-
gestion of the army authorities.
II may be well to review some OF the former visits
Of these Sioux Indians, SO that conclusions can be
drawn to tho probable result OF the present visit.
Lust spring year ago quite number Of Sioux chiefs
including the present intractabe Sitting Bull, who
supposed be roaming the frontier between the
British Possessions and the adjacent territory OF
the United States, and whose actua whereabouts is
about ndelnite AS Is tho positive location Of the
almost ubiquitous Joseph, OF the Nez Perces, and
other chiefs OF less distinction, including Spotted TAIL
Red Cloud, the now dead Crazy Horse and quite
number OF others, came to Washington by invitation
to make treaty reiinqushing their right 10 the
lands between Nobarra ana Republican rivers, and
not relinqush any right they may possess 10 the
Back Hills country. hey positively refused to enter
any proposition to surrender their rights to the
BLACK Hills intry unless they were indemnhed TO
the amount OF $6,0ooo0 QUA most ISbulous price, as
then thought
This iueu was then abandoned and 1t thought
best treat with them for the lands their possessoy
rights TO them, between the Niobarru and Republican
rivers, and all the ands adjacent 70 which tney LAID
claim treaty was Drawn up and was ready for sig
nature, put at the last moment they all, or nearly
all, refused to sign NJ the ostensiok cause was that
they did not fully understand The meaning OF tue
treaty; the real cause was Decausevthey considered
they were treated very meanly by nrst, being
peled, against their wi to be entertained AZ noel
which they all had positive aversion 10 they were
house tney did not IKE, Instead OF pelng sent
10 the hotel they had always been ia the nuDt OF be-
Ing tor aud second because they could not have
the nerpi eters TO explain as they wanted what they
wished tO convey TO the authorities This visit, whlcn
was positive failure cost the government over
$4,000. Ihey went oack to their country and by an
actI OF Congress u commission was formed who went
to make further anu iuil treaty with them. in
this they partly succeeded and the treaty was rti
by the senate last winter.
There q dispute about the posssssory rights TO
these Indians OF the country caimsd by them, the
Arrapahocs and other tribes laying clam inucn OF
the land that supposed 10 beiong TO the Souxa dis
pute that IL IS almost Impossible to equubly SETTLE
In this connection Is well TO understand tnat II 1t is
intended by the Interior Departmen TO make treaty
for the surrender OF the gold bearing Black Hills Will
be necessary all parties Interest TO be parties 10
the treaty, Otherwise there will be repetition o the
Nez Perces war AZ no very distant day. US it Is well
known that the cause primarily OF The Nez Perces'
disanection was the loolish and bunderlng treaty
made with rortion OF the trite IN 1868. from winch
Joseph Big Thunder, Eagle oil the Llgh. ana ali the
most powerful and influential bands cxcluued tncm-
selves. leaving The most numerous, and yet least
the country the present Intellectual and almost
iarccal hunt ior Joseph and his allies, who, no
makes treaty with the Sioux, VINO Will Dc here
In u lew days, the best way TO nave 1t rigdiy aud
faithfully observed by them Is to make the Oenincia
treaty responsible, that the balance OF tho
Sioux nation snail be compelled, withou, tue inter.
venton OF the government, 10 observe Inc true ana
explicit terms the treaty.
there be the Same antagonlsm between the
War and Interior departments IN regard to Indian
affairs that has prevailed SO long here each seems
10 careless indifferent 70 the responsibilities Of
offensive allusion To either. In bringing these
Indians here and In treating with them there
seems to DO great misunderstanding ABOUT
their true position Thy are treated us
Indians especially the Sioux, Ncz Perces and other
.InaIau natiuns, know pretty well what - wnat be-
gues, Whenever there Is treaty made with them ON
their ground lherc always present delegations
tribes IndIan nations of the whole back
bone vi the American continent This specially
the treaty pade with the Nez Perces IN 1863 aud
at the supposed treaty MADE win Sioux 1916
which lhcre were lndians can all speak sort Of
pd0is Mexlcan anu VINO thoroughly and iully under
stand All that Is going on and can by their runners
communicate intelligence almost last we can by
telegraph The report extensively circulated by the
press the Nez Pcrces ana Sioux are az variance
nrd not friendly Is ali nonsense, they the
coAndentlaliy allied friends OF any Two Indian
bands nations there are on the North American con-
tnent lhe B.ackeet are. vi course, opposed u tho
Sioux per Sc and the Nez Perces time Of
war; wncn they believe and think extermnalion
the OBJECT the government Will nd they are the most
taithlu ana nexlng gusnable friends ana allies.
When The project OF sending these Sioux chiefs TO
washington was nrSt startcu, al the Suggestion anu
insguLlon OF General Crook, some nve or Six weeks
ago, opposed, as Is well kuown by the Secretary
OF the Interior Finally he yiedeu TO tue SUGGESTION
although there was no appropriation TO cover the ex
peuses BY divertng a contingent iund, with hope
and expectation thai would b; made up by appropr
alton by The Incoming Congress, he consented TO the
suggestion. AS soon as IL was Known out West there
med effort to have only certain chiefs ana
head lnen and certain interpreters to come on with
them. This created much unploasantncss and hard
feeling, SO much 80 ,nat number OF the chieIs
positively refused TO come unless they had
their Interpreters TO accompany them. When
this became known at the department some further
DO ISSUED, that
Interpreters that were wished by tno Sioux should
come along tuem. spotted TAN, one OF tho org
Chiefs, IN absence OF Sitting Bull positively re-
fused to come ON, unless Boncnay, the Interpreter,
in whom he could place the most implicit reliance,
was allowed to accompany them This interpreter
B0nchay Is white man, and brother-inaw OF Spotted
Tan, and Is q who well known IN the Indian
country as square aud reliable man and one IN
whom all the Indians have the most implicit comb
dence. 1t 1t SHOULD SO happen that Sitting Bull should
In Washington Ueiore the negotiations with the
other chiefs competed IL Is doubtful II his
presence will be very acceptable az, when they were
here before, there deadly animosity between
these chiefs, the others regard him now coward
aud potroon, to desert them ana foe for refuge TO
British territory.