New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-12-02
AN ABSTRACT OF THE LETTER.

AN ABSTRACT OF THE Lei
THE suARP COMMENTS OF GENERAL SHERIDAN AND
GENERAL SHERMAN or THE REMOVAL.
DEPARTMENT OF TIE INTERIOR.
SECRETARYs OFFICE, Nov. ~, 1900
SIR: have the honor to acknowledge the re-
cept of your letter Of the 23d ins transmitting muorse
ments of Lieutenant General Sheridan ana Genera ono
man on a communication addressed by me 10 Tue oeoio
tary of War; under date OF october z, 1873 ms coe
spOndence, the necessity OF winch sihooioi' eN'
grew out of the following facts; .
On Aueust Of 1873 p b. Hunt. United States Indiah
AGENT informed General Pope that on septenoer
l. the Kiowa and COmanche Agencies wouu 10 oono0ii
dated with the Wichita Agency, and maze the reqe'
that company Of cavalry should be staUOueu "V 'u
Wichita Agency keep the more turbulent lhulahs III
place" and added that by such an arraheeWen' VI.
officers stationed there make all inspections OF oeei
and aonr thereby avoiding the weekly ride from Fort
sui 10 the Wichita Agency, heretofore" Genera'
Pope forwarded this request ACKNOWLEDGEMENT sher
idap with his disapprOva and ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 0n''
idan nut upon 1t the following Endorsement:
fully indOrse the views of General FOpe, anu o."
we'll satisfied after an experience OF more thai MI
years that the principal objection 10 tI9ulS 80, "I
agencies and the removal OF indian a. H cheat
military posts has its main moIlVe uoso W S
and defIaud the l. dians by avoiding ,nS ptGse"'' "
officers who would naturally see ana reportl''
AGAINST this Endorsement l demonstrated III leler
IN the War Department under date of October y Io'o
and now Leutenant-GeDera Sheridan ana U'uo''
Sherman stale in their Endorsements uahsmlVeu W "
November 49, that they have been on the spo' 'nein
selves and that the water and soil at Fort Sill arc eA
celent and the buildings good as the Wch'a Aseno!
that the saving OF money to be accomplished py .no
consolidation of the agencies will be lew huhdreu
dollars ouy while the removal OF the mlil'"IS posV
from Fort sill 10 the Wichita Agency "nieh "ou'"
follow the consolidation would cost SlOOOoo ana 'a'
"tbe President in giving the order for the conso"d
ton and the Secretary OF the Interior ana In' CoIl
missioner of Indian Affairs in advising II, must nave
been deceived by an lndiah aSent oroi noin+s in the
Without taking notice OF the personal pYIhSS - the
two Inducements beg leave TO say in reply tnat tuS
present Indian agent at inc had a6souieiy
nothing 10 do with the consolidation eu3r ny 5
OF otherwise, since be was appointed aitr ie vas
ordered not as General sherman anu lA Ivu,
General sheridan seem 70 suppose o me v business is
done I'm this Departments III fact ii has been unoer con
sideratOn for years.
THE REMOVAL NOT NEW IDEA.
rThe Secretary then quotes from number OF letters
70 show that change Of the agency so as TO gel IL away
from the fort was recommended in 1872 by Captain
Henry E. AIvord. Commissioner to the Kiowas' ana by
superintendent Hoag and 10 1873 by Lawrence Ia'um
who was one of first and wOrhest agents appointed
under the peace policy. He continues J.:
ouote these statements not without certain dill
donce would attach some weight to them, did not
remember that casual remark made in conversation III
the presence OF several high military officers by the
present Commissioner OF Indian Affairs, alludlng 10 re-
ports about similar things at another agency caltd
forth from those military officers volumnous reports
accompanied by Endorsements eouched ID the seVerest
inyeetyes against the Commissioner and promptly pub
shed in the newspapers all intending to vindcae the
remarkable chastity of the private soldiers In the Reg
lar Army of the United States as compared with
civilians.
The question whether the removal Of the Kiowa and
Comanche Agency from Fort sill would be desirable en-
gagged also the attention of the Board OF Indian Com
missioners a board composed of gentlemen OF high
and
with supervisory powers. This board sent out ls own
AGENTS TO examine the condition of the Indian tribes in
The Indian Terrtory and received advice from them in
favor OF the consolidation. They also addressed re-
quest to Agent Haworh at that time in charge OF the
Klowa ana COmanche Agency, but who afterwards re-
signed TO express his opinion on the subject anu re-
why this gency should have change OF LOCATION and
none that know OF why IL shonid NOT. ,oD ,,boro
Quoted The suggestions makes are hat the agency
buildings were scattered over wide area; the cOIlIls
sares were decayed and tang 10 pscesj suc d
was then only nights ride from the Texas hne and
very easy OF access stock thieves the consolidation
wo1ld remove the agency thriyfOur miles north and
leave the fort between it and the Texas line; and the
citles of the vicinity An Improvement with respect
to land and climate would also be enected oy enage'
The agency buildings characterized as shantles,
eaky unsafe The whlskey shop at the ior was III
full blast. The Secretary then says:
REPLIES TO SEVERAL STATEMENTS.
The case then stands thus General Sheridan asserts
that the buildings at the KIowa and COmanche Agency
are as good as those the Wichita Agency the fact
that the main buildings may be expected to fall down
at any moment sss II the agency were to remain
there they would necessarily have TO be replaced by
others least safe enough for the accommodation OF
persons and the protection Of stores and supplies.
seeondly-As to the water General Sheridan lays
great stress on Medicine Bluff Creek the largest
stream of pure water in that country, ana adds
on It when he was last there" The trouble IS
only that "the largest number OF the INDIAN"
SIN after 1t has drained the military post What Cen
era Sheridan of the pure wafer OF that creek is
the military encampment but the creek 10 not so pure
whenit flows ont Of IT, The soldiers receive that water
in its purity for with keen appreciation OF the case
the military the reports here quoted state 90 not
permit Indian semgnas on hov bun n osr
An large numbers below Fort Sill 10 receive their
ration obliged to take the water OF that creek, with
the additions it has received IN the military encamp-
ment. WHAT Is said in the reports about Cache
Creek on the subject of chs aud OF maaral diseases
Third The land near Fort Sill may be as good as
as the reports state that the consumption
of and grass and hay, and the use made Of the
water by the military, well the circumstance that
the country Fort sill is much more exposed
to drough,s than the country nearer the wichita
10 contain land OF superior quality IN an agricultural
point view, render the settlement OF the KiOwas and
C0manehes IN that ocahty ana nearer 10 the vienna
Agency decidedly desirable II these Indians are To have
permanent homes to become working ana .efSup
porting people under iaVOraDIe auspices, 49,
General Sherman expresses the opinion that the con-
thinks that the Wchras should be moved 10 Fort Sill,
pnd the Kowas and Comanehes III the direction of
the Wichita Agency This would appear 10 me very
unwise the following reason, addition 10
those already stated The Wchitas ana affiliated tribes
satisfactorily settled, have large tracts OF land under
cultivation, have many horses generally doing and
feeling well, aud are rapidly improving from year TO
year. The Kiowas ana Comanches are in all these
respects far behind them. To Teak the settlements
of the Wichitas would be TO destroy very hopeful be-
ginning Of civilized hfe and to force them to begin over
under uni avOrable and discOuraging circumstances.
beg leave further 10 that am far from
ing TO impugn OF the two distinguished
Generals the character OF the country Fort
Sill The difference between only TO he thai
they look at things from point OF view most favorable
10 the accommodation of the military while this
meutl oks at the same Things from point OF view most