Bozeman avant courier. [volume] (Bozeman, Mont.) 1872-1882, 1878-12-19
TyEKAN MATTERS.
why n Transfer is Undesirable. Elk.
pcrisnoe Of Army Officers
MS Agents.

Congress. none. perhaps. will appe
10 be OF greater importance or more dill
cult Of satisfactory solution than the
dian problem. The Indian wars whic
during tie past few years, have 50 serio,l
~ ANNOYED aud disturbed the sparse n,
unprotected settlements of the No.l
western Territories and almost bafiicd Il
skill and power OF the army 10 snppres
have served 10 awaken in the public mil,
an interest in tie subject seldom. if eve
felt before.
Congress, ut lis last session. sero,lsl
entertained the proposition TO transfer til
Indian Bureau 10 the War Department i
the only probable cXpedent ont of IN al
parent dilCn,l. but deferred action for full
vr and more reliable testimony in rp~nr
30 the matter. Consequently. a cOmmittc
was appointed with authority 10 visit tn
fnan Territories. reservations and a"cn
cicS. take eviit and make Il thorough
Investigation of Ill matters bearin" on Tin
question Of the proposed transfer.
Tie committee in the DISCHARGE Of it,
duty has Travelled upwards OF twelve thoI
IL
es arI taken volumnous amount OF les
limony.
As Montana contains no less than tire,
Indiln reservations. tiyc are cieS. and iii:
teen thousand live Indians: besides. hay
ing been the principal theatre of war dur
ing the past three Years. il is somewhat re-
markahle that the committee did not viSi,
our Territory in the discharge of its i'm
portant duties. a vast amount of infor-
nation might have been CLEAN Il, here and
valuable opinions obtained from Montana
Journalists. sufficient in and of themselves
perhaps. 10 have determined the committee
on 4 unanimous recommendation in favor
of the transtpr Failing in this. il is now
intimatcd that tie committee is probably
unanimously opposed 70 the proposed
change and will so report to Congress.
As reflrcin" in some degree the senti-
mrnt of the people Of Eastern Montana
we fail 10 see any really good reasons for
the irnsf; +: for notwithstanding tie con
slant grUmlin" and growing Tie repeat
ed and reiterated charges of gross mis-
management. corruption and fraud. during
the past eight years. at least all the In-
dans ot Montana that properly belong 10
agencies have been 50 well managed and
efltctuHlly controlled That not Il single
tribe or band has broken ont in actual hos
tilities. Since the adoption OF tie present
policy of The Government towards the In !
dial. but one single instance has occurred
in fhis Territory where the army WAS
cal1,,, ont for tie purpose of chaslising I'M
ruly agency Indians. and this necessity has |
generally been considered more apparent |
than ic;il.
Is il not & remarkable fact that the only
milan wars we have hll in Montana fOl
the past eight years have been either with
n0n-trtaiy In;lians or with Indians from
adjoining Territories? Whatever may lie
asserted Ia the contrary. it Is a fact Sis
cepfabic of tie strongest proof that Sit
ting Bull and his followers never entered
into treaty stipulItionS with the Govern
mcnt. Whether rigitttully or not. we do
NOT pretend TO say. but those Indians =,
claimed tie Yellowstone and Powder river /
country as their own and rcsolntely re-
fused to surrender The finest hunting .
grounds in the world and take in lieu
thereof :: small pift;nce from the Govern
mont IL, rnnnity rood, ....H '.tiu.,.. ,",s-
ar ciilnlte. Il poorer country and one III q
most destitute %. ,:ime. Yet. ,-iirn the !
of those Indians was invaded by
he United States troops. and il was found i
hat its original. if not riy'ifnl. owners +
offered Il fOrnid bile resiS,an e and fought h
With DESPERATION tor their rich pls- 9
ure lands and their homes. a tempest Of I
mpyec:iiion and invectve was hurled =
'glinst the ''pcace policy" Indi, n MS. u
mi 'ile churches for Rising such inh as Il
% do such naughty things. Then "a he "
he popular damor demanding tr tn-frr II
# the Indian Bureau 10 the War ID part q
nent.anl nobody appears TO know why or :,
yherpior. except il WIS asSerte!in general
eglns that tie peace policy WIS Il failure. el
rapiors and commissioners were al Il set II
# knavrs or fools or both. and that the d,
niians coHll not possibly be controlled or ~
ept from breaking ont in open hoStiiiiies g,
n,ler such management. That army Off a.
ers were necessarily more capable and in
onest and honorable than civilians. etc. in
In orr WAY of thinking. there is little or .,
othing to Justify Ill this rlamor and fault b,
nding; this eXaltalion Of army officers II
0 far above the average citizen. As the in
INK and file of the army emanates from n,
le people. we cannot see how a stream r.
IN rise 50 very far about its source. Ar ye
~ officers. rs rule. have the same weak
esses and temptations TO contend against s,
: civilians and il is not clear by any -,
,eans that they are either more efficient in in
vii positions or more exempt from the n,
,ngue OF calumny than other men. tr
We may refer 90 Il case or two in point ID
he first agent of the Crow Indians was n,
army ot1cei. lie was gentleman OF fe;
lcellent reputation. of good morals and.
it'll al. strictly temperate. The aprro-
ration for the Crow Indian during his
was nearly. if not quite.
100000 ana vet we have heard it asserted ne
ne and again. that the Indians did not re-
i've in annuity goods and rations the D.
noun, of $4,000 worth. all told. In "a;
ed. il is "A maitcr Of doubt whether they
MD have received much more than that
mount. basing estimates on Transports y,
IN and apparent bulk Of freight. Yet
, one knows but that the gentleman hon
ily distributed every dollars worth that al
me into his hands. or. for that matter. o''
1T the Crow appropriation. except the VI
Mount conveyed back into the L. 5.
.casury us nnexpended balance. was not Gel
opeIly and honestly disbur~ed. faI
The second agent OF the Crow lnlt,ns ar.
rs also .litary officer. but Il different :
Vie of man. in many important particle pc,
3 from the first. 1t was TN Ter his adj pm
nistration that the old Crow Agency the
rs located and partly built. and TO show
rs even military men will sometimes err t,,e
judgment and lacl, in necessary q,ElliIi- go,
tons for IN Indian agent. it was almost c,r