Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1877-11-13
THE PoNCAs.

A delegation Of Ponca chiefs are now in
Warrington and from the following inter.
view which the telegraph reports with the
president it is quite certain that the Indians
are not satisfied with their new home in the
Indian territory. In an interview on the
10th the president said:
Ny Friends: I have carefully considered
what you have said to me. l know you
have always been good friends to the white
people. There is none Of their blood on
your hands. You have always listened to
have said to you and You have done what
my sincere and hearty sympathy and l will
do all ] can to help you. You were moved
from your old reservation to guard you
from collision with other Indians who we're
unfriendly to you. l desire you should live
in peace and security, and for this reason
you were taken away from the Missouri
river, and for the same reason l think it
would no be good for your own welfare that
you should travel back 40 great a distance
to the sam place. Your people are in the
Indian territory, together with other Indian
tribes who are friendly to you and with
whom you can live in peace. You COM
plain that OF the land you now occupy you
are exposed to much annoyance from bad
men who steal your ponies and demoralize
your people with whisky. Mindful of your
conduct, l desire to consult your wishes.
There is much good land in the Indian ter
ritory further away from the white settle
ments where you will not be exposed tosuch
annoyances. For the land which you left
on the Missouri river you shall have a tract
as large and as fertile with plenty of timber
and many water courses. l will permit you
to send out ONE of your chiefs to make a
selection for your people of lands which
still belong to the government in the Indian
territory. The lands 80 selected you shall
have and cultivate it and raise crops and
cattle for yourselves and your children.
know you left behind you on the Missouri
river log cabins aud agricultural implements
l shall see to it that on the lands you are to
occupy houses shall be built for you as good
as those you had on the Missouri river, and
you shall yourselves be employed in build
ing them and paid for the work you do. ]
shall also ascertain what agricultural i'm
plements you left behind you, and you shall
be supplied with a like quantity, and also
with cattle, so that you shall lose nothing
1 will try to see to it that you have schools
for your children to give them knowledge
Of many things that are good for them anc
bring them up in industrious habits.
know that the first settlement in a new
country il attended with much hardship anc
I sympathise with yen, but if you go t.
work with a good heart, making good use
of your time in planting fields and raising
crops, your condition will soon be better anc
you will be prosperous and contented al
many thousand Indians are who settled
there before you. Imean to be a good
friend to you as you have been to the white
people. / have been glad to see you here
and my best wishes will be with you in youl
new homes.
When the presidents address was con
cluded, the Indians all expressed a desire te
confer further with him next week, saying
they had additional complaints to make
Standing Buffalo said he was only afraid o
the whites in his present location, not Of tn
Indians.
Before closing the interview the presi
dent said: / van to say a few words mor'
to my good friends. l understand they d,
not quite know whether they may 20 bacl
to old Ponca agency that they came from
That land has been given up to other peopl
so they cannot have it again, but I want t
give them as good land as the government
has in the Indian territory.