Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1878-12-02


| additional legislation is imperative to relieve
ard prevent the delay Of justice. and possible
oppression TO SuitoTS, which Is thus OccaSioned.
| The encumbered condition OF these docSetS Is
| presented anew in the report OF the Attorney
| General. and the remedy suggested is earnestly
| urged for congressional action. The creation of
| additional circuit Judges, as proposed, would
| afford complete remedy. and would involve an
| eXrenSe-at the present rate Of SliarieS-Of net
more than 100000 a year.
| Tie annual reports of the Secretary of the
Interior ard OF the Commissioner OF Indian
Affairs present an elaborate account OF the
| present condition of the Indian tribes, and Of
that branch Of the public service which minis
| tiers TO their interests. While the conduct OF
| the Indians, generally, has been orderly, and
their relations with their neighb0rS friendly
| and peaceful, two local disturbances have OC-
| CURED, which were deplOrable in their charac-
| ter, but remained, happily, confined 10 a com
paratlNely small number OF Indians. The dis
| content among the Bannocks. which led first 10
SGme acts Of violence on the part of some mem
bers OF tie tribe and finally TO the outbreak, APP
PEARS 10 have been caused by an inSufliciency of
fOod on the reservation. and this inSufficiency
| tC have been owing to the inadeguacy OF the
| appropriations, made by Congress, to the wants
OF the lndlanS at Il time When the Indians were
prevented from supplying the deficiency by
| hunting. After an arttuOuS pursuit by the
| troops OF the United States, and several engage
! ments, the hostile Indians were reduced to sub
| Jection, and the larger part of them sur
rendered themselves as prisoners Ia this
connection. desire to call attention to the rec
OMlnendat10n made by the Secretary Of the In
| terror. that Il sufficient fund be placed at the
| disposal of the Executive, To be used. with
proper accountability. at the discretion in sud
den emergencies OF The Indian service.
| Tie other case of disturbance was that of n
band OF Northern CheyenneS who suddenly lcft
Their reservation in the Indian Territory and
| marched rapidly through the states of Kansas
| ana Nebraska in the direction OF their old hunt
| lhg-groufdS. committing murders and other
| crimes On their way. From documents accom-
pary ing the report Of the Secretary OF the Inte-
! r.Or ii appears that this diSorderly band was as
iUlly supplied with The necessaries of life Us the
tour thousand seven hundred other Indians who
| renamed quietly on the reservation and that
| ire disturbance was caused by men of rest less
| and m1Schlev0uS disposition among the Indians
! themselves. Almost the whole of this band
| nave surrendered 10 tie military authorities
| ard 1t is a gratifying fact that. when some of
| tEem had taken refuge in the camp OF the Red
| Cloud Sioux, with whom they had been in
| friendly relations, the Sioux held them as prls-
| oners and readily gave them up to the officers
! oI lhe tmted states, thus giving new proof
| of the loyal spirit which, alarming rlImor, n
the contrary notwithstanding. they have uni
| folmly shown ever since the wishes they eX-
| pressed at the council OF September, 1877, had
| Been complied with
Both the Secretary OF the Interior and the
| Secretary OF War unite in the recommendation
| that provision be made by Congress for the Or
ganZatiOn OF a corps OF mounted Indian aux
| lIialieS,' TO be under the control of the army
and TO be used for the purpose OF keeping the
| Indians Oh their reservations and dpreyenting or
| repreSSlng disturbance on their part | ear
neStly concur in this recommendation. II is
| believed that the organization of such body of
/ indian cavalry. receiving q moderate nav from
tie Government, would considerably weaken
the restless element among the Indians bv
Withdrawing from it number of young mpa
! ard giving them c0ngenial employment under
| the government, il being q matter of experience
| thau Indians in cur service almost without eX-
| ception are faithful in the performance of the
! duties assigned to them. Such an organization
would materially aid the army in the accom-
i pshment Of a task for which its numerical
/ strength is sometimes found insufficient
But, While the employment of force for the
prevention or repression OF Indian troubles is OF
! occasional necessity, and wise preparation
/ should be made to that end, greater reliance
| must Ge placed on humane and ciyiliZing aoe1-
cieS lor tie ultimate solution OF what is called
| the Indian problem. Ii may be very difficult.
ana require iGuch patient effort, 10 curb the un-
fuly spirit Of the savage Indian TO the rest SlraintS
OF civilized life, bal experience shows that it is
! not impossible. Many OF the tribes which are
| now quiet and orderly and Seif-SuppOrting Were
once as savage as any tnat 1T present roam over
! the plains Or IN the mountains OF the TAR west
! ard were then considered inaccessible TO ciyil;Z-
| ing influences. II may be impossible TO raise
Ll-em fully up 10 the level OF the white popula-
tlon OF The United states; but We should not fOI-
! get that they are the ab0rigineS of the coun-
! Try, and called The soil their eWn on which
| Our people have grown rich, powerful, and
| happy. We owe il to them as moral duty to
help them in attaining at least that degree of
| clV1llZatlon which they may be able to reach
Ii IS not only our dGty-t is also our interest to
90 SO: Indians who have become agriculturists
| or neTCSlnen, ana feel an interest IN property,
Will thenceforth cease TO be a warlike and dis
tubing element. 1t is also a aWell-authenticated
| fact that Indians are apt to be peaceable and
| quiet when their children are at school, and
am gratified TO know, from the expressions OF
INDIANS themselves and from many concur
ring reports, that there is steadily increaS-
ing desire, even among Indians belonging to
comparatively wild tribes, to have their chill
dren educated. l invite, attention to the
| the commissioner Of Indian Affairs touching
| the experiment recently inaugurated, in taking
iilty Indian children, boys and girls, from dif-
fpt1ln fIn Mo- Al
tufal Institute, in Virginia, where they are to
receive an elementary English education and
training In agriculture and other useful work,
10 be returned to their tribes after the COM
pleted course. as interpreters, instructors, and
examples. 1t IS reported that the officer charged
with the selection OF those children might have
h&d thousands OF young Indians sent with him
had it been possible TO make provision for them
agree with the secretary of the Interior in
saying that 1.-The result of this interesting eX-
pertinent, II favorable. may be destined to be
cone an important factor in the advancement
OF civilization among The Indians"
Tie question. Whejhef a change ia the con
tlcl OF the Indian service should be made was
at the last session OF Congress referred To
committee for inquiry and report. Without de-
sling To anticipate that report venture to
express the hone that III The decision OF so i'm
poitant question, he views expressed above
may not be lost sight OF. and that the decision
Whatever II may De- viii arrest further agita-
ton OF this subject, such agitation being apt to
produce disturbing effect upon the service as
well as on the Indians themselves.
In the enrolment of the bill making appro-
tionS for sundfy civil expenses, at the last seS-
sion OF Congress- that portion which provided
for the continuation OF the Hot Springs COM
sion was omitted. AS the commission had
completed the work OF taking testimony on
The many conflicting claims, the suspension of
their laboIs, before determining the rights OF
claimants, threatened, for time, to embarrass
the interests, not only of the Government,
but also OF large number Of the citizens of
Hot Springs, who were waiting for final ac-
ton On their claims before beginning contem-
plated improvements. In order to prevent Sc
riouS difficulties, which were apprehended
and at the solicitation of many leading cti-
ZeGS OF Hot Springs, and others interested in
tie welfare OF the town. the Secretary OF the
Interior was authorized TO request the late
commissioners to take charge OF the records OF
their proceedings, and TO perform such work as
could properly be done by them under such cir
cumStanceS, TO facilitate the future adudca-
ton Of the claims at an early day, and to pre-
serve the status OF the claimants until their
rights should be finally determined The Late
commissioners complied with that request and
rel OFT that the testimony, in all the cases ha;
been written out, examined briefed and so ar
ranged as to facilitate an early settlement when
authorized by law. Ii is recommended that the
requisite authority be given at as early day in
the session as possible, and that fair CON-
pensation be allowed the late commissioners for
the expense incurred and the labor performed
by them since the 25th of June last.
invite the attention of Congress to the rr-
concentrations made by the Secretary OF the