The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-11-20
TIE NEW INDIAN WAR.
SHARP REPLY OF sEgRETAF srEFUmy
no CERTAIN CRITICISMS OF MS
DEPARTMENT.
The Management af the savnges-A Hsy
Fmana which Should Ese Promptly Net
Generals sheridan and asibtsnn RE-

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WAsH1ut4ToN Nov 10 Senrptarv Snhurz
In his letter to the Seeretarv If War sFtar
quoting thai norton nj (fnn Sheriinu'c "a
port referring tn the Indian Darartrnnnt
| says: These statements. as far as they retlnnf
upon the conduct Of the Indian sprviee. are II
| @ sweeping and somewhat vague nature. hft
! 1t must be- assumed that Gen. Sheridan wo1,d
not have permitted them to become public
had he not In his possession epeeifjG infprn1a-
tlon concerning certain agencies and certain
branches Of the Indian service TO which these
statements may be Individually anpind
Gen. Sheridan in an official document gives it
as his opinion that with wise management the
| amounts appropriated by Congress ought tn
be sufficient, if practically applied to effect
! the purposes specified but that the reports Of
| the department commanders would fndnate
| O different result. except in the case Of the
| Red Cloud and Spotted Tall bands Of giouy.
| He would certainly not have expressed IN
| opinion without being acuuaiuted In detail
with the appropriations made hv fJouprass
| and the especificpurposes for which they were
intended It IS also to be supposed that
before making the sweeping charges
| above quoted he was nogIzart Of enefife
| cases in which these AUTHORIZATIONS were
| either notappled at eli or diverted from the
purposes Intended by Congress
| You will greatly oblige me by requesting
Ten. Sheridan to communicate to me such
facts as may be in his possession, giving name
OF agents, dates, and other circumstances
which Warianta charge which Includes all the
Indian agencies in the Military Division of the
Missouri, eKoept those IT the Red Cloud and
Spotted Tail Sioux. lthas been my constant
and earnest aim. ever siuch entered l1pnn nv
present duties, to correct all abuses in the IN
dian service that came to my knowledge, and
Gen Sheridan. by furnishing such specific in
toFtnat,Gn, would thereby render greater ser
tn his-f5
dlans, than by mere general statements. As
ne has put forth sweeping charge, the speci-
fications may justly be called for.
| make this request with particular urgnn-
officers seem Of late to have fallen into the
habit Of lndulging officially and publicly in
general reflections on the Indian Bureau
without taking the, trouble nf substantiating
them with such statements In detail as would
facilitate the discovery and correction IF the
abuses. don't deprecate criticism at ali
rather invite it-but when It Is officially put
forth there is. 1t seems to me, g certain fair
ness dIs from one branch Of the public ser
vice to another. | should, for Instance, not
leeln any officer of this department justified
IN blaming IN general the army for its failure
to intercept the runaway Indians on their
march OF several hundred miles, through
Kansas and Nebraska and across the Union
Pacific Railroad, without being able to point
out certain Instances Of rnismanagenent or
neglect. II such Instances had come to the
knowledge OF the department, which they
have not, should have considered it due to
the army that they be specifically ascertained
and settled before induging in n general ar-
ra1Ennent. | think It Is not asking too much !
III the interest OF theipubliC service, thatsuch |
q rule be observed by the officers Of the army
likewise.
[ beg leave to make the request that spe- |
Cltic Information be given in regard to the |
report Of Gen. Gibbon, recently published |
which contains the statement that there Is an |
entire absence Of responsibility In tbs Indian |
service. IT Gen. Gibbon in writing his re-
port, was cognizant Of specific wrong -dpngs
he would havs obliged this department by re-
porting them. and II. after such report |
charges thus made had not been inquired
into and the guilty persons held to their per
sonal responsibility, the sweeping statement