Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1878-11-27

SCHURz AND SHERIDAN


The Secretary Of the interior Goes
for the Lieut.. Cen. for Rejecting
| on the indian Service.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 19.-The Secre-
tary of War has received aud refer
red to General Sherman letter from
the Secretary Of the Interior, sharply
replying to certain statements BY
General Sheridan In the latter's an
nual report.
Secretary Schurz says these state
ments as far as they reflect upon the
conduct Of the Indian service are of q
sweeping and somewhat vague ma
ture, but it must be assumed that
General Sheridan would not have
made them and permitted them to be-
come public had he not in his possess
sion specific information concerning
certain agencies and certain branches
Of the Indian service to which these
statements may be individually ap-
piled. General Sheridan In his off,
cial report gives it a. his opinion that
with wise management the amounts
appropriated by Congress ought to
be sufficient, If practically applied to
the exact purposes specified, but that
the reports Of department comman.
ders would indicate different result.
except in the case Of the Red Cloud
and Spotted Tail bands of Sioux
You will greatly oblige me by re-
questing General Sheridan to COM
municato such facts as may be in his
possession, giving the names Of agent,
dates and other circumstances which
warrant the charge, which includes
all Indian agencies In the military
division of the Missouri, except those
Of the Red Clou, and Spotted Tail
Sioux. 1t has been my constant and
earnest endeavor, since I entered up
on my present duties, to correct all
the abuses in the Indian service that
came to my knowledge, and General
Sheridan, by furnishing such specific
Information would thereby render .
greater service to this department
as well as to the Indians, than by such
mere general statements a. he has
put forth. In such . charge specifi-
cations may be called for, and make
this request with particular urgency
in view Of the fact that certain mill
tary officers seem Of late to have fall
len into habit of indulging, official-
ly and probably in general, Of casting
reflections upon the Indian service,
without taking the trouble of SUBJ
stantiating them with such statements
in detail as would facilitate the dis
cOvery and correction of abuses. I /
do not deprecate criticiem at all, l
rather invite ii, but when it is offic-
tally put forth, there is, it seems to
me, q certain fairness due from one
branch OF the public service to anoth-
er.
General Sheridan's intimation that
the Red Cloud and Spotted Tail
Sioux were allowed to select their
present locations owing to syste m
attic working up of the case by trad
ers and eoatractors, is also made the
subject Of emphatic comment by Sec
retary S.hurz. He states that this
policy was adopted by the department
on the earnest advice of the distin.
guished Indian fighter and manager
General Crook, who, as q result OF
his long experience with the Sioux,
opposed any policy that would force
the Sioux, against their unanimous
and determined protest, to stay on
the Missouri river as seriously en-
dangering our peaceful relations With
those powerful tribes, and the secre-
tary adds that 90 far, at least, their
loyal conduct seems to have justified
the course adopted. Secretary
Schurz challenges General Sheridan
to produce evidence in support Of
his imputations, and meanwhile re- j
marks that it would not be asking too
much of him to inform himself . lit
tie better Of the circumstances before
publishing his assertion in I'm official
document.