The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-08-01
FIGHT RATHER THAN STARVE.


FIGHT RATHER THAN STARVE.
IMroRTANr INTERVIEW WITH GENERAL CROOK
THE BANNocKs DRIVEN TO WAR BY Hun
GER--sTARvED TO DEATH ON THEIR REsER-
vATIoNs SHAMEFUL INDIAN POLICY.
From the Omaha Herald, July ISL
General Crook having returned from his visit to the
BannocIs. the Herald sought to OBTAIN from him
such facts as would be OF interest TO tho pubic, TO-
gether with his views upon the present status o! In
dian Affairs
QUEsTIoN--To what place did you 60?
General CRoOK-I went 10 Fort Hall.
q Is that on The Bannock reservation?
General CRooK-Yes; tho reservation lies around
In that bend OF the mountains tpointing to mail
Q Did you see any OF the lndians2
General CRooK-Yes l them and talked with
them about tho troubles.
O. How many are there?
General cRooK-rhcre are about l, 500 Of Bannocks
and Snoshones.
O. How many OF them are of the reservation on
the war pain?
General CRooK--Noi more than $50 warriors, and
those who went took their families with them.
q What caused Them To 60 on The war path2
General CROOK very earnestlyl-Hnnger. Nothing
but hunger. here were not 10 exceed 100 lighting
men from the Bann0cks and Shosh0Des Who went
away, many OF them poorly armed. Inc whole In
dian situation III changed since the advent OF the
power, and before thev Will submit 10 starvation they
are determined 10 avengo themselves There is proo
from upqnesti enable authority that there have been
cases wuere Indians have actually starved 10 death
on thcir reservations within the last few years.
The proof oil this is ncontcstblc Spotted Tail told
me mself once tEat he knew OF some Of his Indians
who had died OF Starvation.
@ Why canuot tho Indians support themselves as
they used 10 do?
General CKooK--The whites have come In and occu-
pied about all the grounds tho Indians derived
living from. They are left almost entirely destitute
a n an NINA Thnrn
game; there Is scarcely a Jack rabbit LOFT their
rcssrvations. The disappearance OF The game winch
TO them it Is their all, ana he mast DO a very con-
tempnbs being who would not agn. for MS lie.
q. VINO 10 responsible Tor this state of anairsY
General CRoox-It Is our policy aud NOS the present
head OF Inc Interior Department, for believe that
and try to their best for the Indians, but We have
swindlsd them from The days Of William Penn until
now.
q. WHAT should our policy bcY
General CRooK-We should be honest and just TO
the Indians-punish them when they misbchav and
protect them when they right. This is policy
OF the English government ana they have trouble
O. II is charged that the frontiers mcn are bao N en-
anu are responsible tor most oil INC wrongs perpe-
trated on the lndians2
General CRooK.-l tniuk this Is a mistake. Ny ex-
perience Is that men about the every
These lroatlersmen came originally from the East,
and II they are rascas hero they were hypocritcs
there. Much harm Is done BY those people out
from the Fast commissioners, who know moth ing
abo tho indian and m srspresent him. Many Of the
OutrakeS are committed unuer the garD Of religion.
believe Ia religion IL is what raised US from bar
barism TO civilization. Who're you hnd one wrong
thing done by religious mea you Will dnd many good
things; anu when We consider what good has been
accomplished by ", while II has had to carry the
odium OF the wrongs committed by men proiesscdiy
religious, we must acknowledge that there is wo
derIul power in 1t. There have been many wrongs
committed against Tho Indians under the garb Of
religion
q. Do The Indians comprehend their present situa
tion, that the game Is gone aud they must chan q
| their mode OF hie2
| General CRooK-Ccr,anly they do. The Bannocks
whom have just visited have done their best cul
tvate the SOIL They Lave managed to put IN 300
aud will raise 5000 bushels oil whcat and about NIT
acres Of potatoes
q Do the Indians uader spotted Tail and Roo Clou,
| manifest u desire to learn agricutures
General CRook-They are very ANXIOUS to learn
planted 10 considerable extent, although Il wa
thought then they would DC removed from there.
Q. How long would II take them TO become self sus
tainingr
General CRooK-rhey would become sell suslai nina
IN Jour or i've years II they had proper assistance
! some 10 take an interest ID Them snd nus NC
them. But they are In great measure Ike CHI idren
They must learn little by litle. You cannot bring
man from parbarism to civilization In day. The!
know that their lunds gone and the gamo has
| appeared aud they are very ANXIOUS 10 become indc
pendent and seli-sustaining. Then If they wero Get
tied upon lands which were their own aud every maj
Ind hts little farm ana could that he provided
for IN the future would break up these tribal rea
| tions. Ii an Indian nad lit;o farm Of bis anl
could see that he could make a living or OF II 70
himself and bis family ne would care very little abou
what Sho chief said. This Is the only these triba
| relations will ever be broken up One might vel
try disperso flock sheep by order brcal
| up an Indian tribe with one.
T. The Indians, then, are now on reservations wher
there rs no game and must be ted by tho government
| or starveY
| General CRooK--Yes, sir. That Is IT. Their land
have been taken IRON them and they tirely de
pendent on the government, and thoy should DO sup
pied so that they may live until they can learn new
mode oil life, Thing which they arc very anxious u
40. IL cannot be expected that they will stay
ervatons where there no possible way TO get foo'
ana see their wives and children starve and di
around them. We have taken their lands, deprived
them OF every means OF living anu u is only RICH
that they should be supported until thcy learn |,
support themselves
q II is strange that this state Of affairs has novel
become pubic.
General CRooK-I have embodied these facts IN ny
reports for years, but never have heard any tn I'M
from them. We will continue To have these out
breaks like the present one OF tho Bannocks loni
as the present system prevailS The Indians have
never mad any redress for wrongs committed against
them have known Of squaws De,ng ridden down
lassocd and outraged, and II an Indian would have
said wo.d he would have been shot II crimes arc
not punished they viii DO committed anywhere. No
white man was ever convicted CT punished Tor q
crime committed against the Indians.