The New York herald., 1879-07-13
THE SIOUX INDIANS.

ROSY PICTURE OF SITTING BULL AND HIS
BAND-MAJoR WALSH, OF THE CANADIAN
POLICE, ON OUR INDIAN POLICY.
Major Walsh. of the Canadian mounted police
force, has been giving his views in regard to the
Sioux to u correspondent of the Chicago Tribune. He
says :-'I have found them the most noble. moral.
hospitable. truthful and tractable red men l ever
in contact with. The character of their
women would be q credit to any nation. AS peo-
pie they affectionate, and family ties among
them are stronger than they among white
people,
"Do you believe them to be thoroughly honest?'
81 certainly do 1 sincerely believe them to be
people of stern integrity"
''1hen you believe they are really no worse than
other Indians and that something may yet be done
with themY'
Il certainly do. think if your government
would take them, inspire them with confidence and
then take care of them it would speedily find an end
to your Indian difficulties. As long these people
the plains your frontier will be in hot water
They may not attack your people, but the settlers OF
Montana will live in constant fear Of them Forts
will be necessary, and the maintenance Of q large
force the Northwestern rivers cannot well be dis
pensed with IF you want to make your settlers feel
secure. All this will entail great expense. which
might readily DO done away with were your people
the Indians to come to some understanding
which would be satisfactory and mutually bene-
fcial.'
.Then you think the Indian policy of the Ameri-
can government all wrong?
.On the contrary. think the policy of the United
States cannot be improved on except in some minor
details. The system of agencies is the best yet
adopted, and the government OF the reservation In
dams shows the utmost wisdom and foretnought on
the part of those who originated 1t. But think it
error to fetter the Indian to agency. His
tUre objects to such restraint His desire is to feel
that he is free to 90 and come when he peases and
the system that compels him to secure pass before
he can wander away to visit his friends will make
him discontented as long as 1t prevails. To this
attribute the restlessness you have told me about.
In the Northwest territory do not treat them half
as well as you do-that is, do not
feed clothe them; but we give them
the utmost freedom and liberty to roam at will.
Occasionally an Indian will overstep the bounds
of propriety; and what is the result? We not
compelled to punish him. We merely threaten to
put him in the guard house, and. God bless your
soul. that one threat will brace a whole camp IN.
tell you this just to illustrate the Indians fear of
losing his liberty. Now. ut the agencies in your
country they perpetual prisoners and if they be-
have as well as they do under restraint that is alb
horrent to them what would they be if encouraged
the agencies are established for their own good and
happinessy The Indian is not so much of a savage
as to feel tnat one man can riShuliy exercise such
u control over another. In their own camps their
own chiefs have no such power. and you cannot
reconcile red man to the faith that he ought to
patiently submit to such authority when exerted
by those whom he was born to believe his hereditary
foes"
els that the only change you would suggest as
beneficial to the Indians?"
IL am not suggesting any changes. am merely
giving opinions based on my observation, on what
the Indians have told me and what believe would
be to their best interests have conceived the i'm
preston, what have learned from conversations
with the red that something should be done to
inspire them with more confidence in and respect
tor the agents In the first place men should be en-
poyed agents who interested in the work and
who arc willing to remain at their posts. think it
q mistake to change the agents every few years. 1t
is very seldom that you will find two men whose
views IDENTICAL; and every new man feels 1t in
cumbent him TO make some alterations in the
plans of his predecessor. however excellent those
plans may have been. This leads to confusion in
the mind of the Indian, and he does not know how
to act He gets the idea that no two white men are
of the same opinion. and therefore they must be
fools"
WILL THEY RETURN?
Have you talked with the Indians about
their return to the United Statesr
II have. repeatedly. j have pointed out to thcm
that the buffalo becoming more and more scarce
every year. have told them that they had nothing
to expect this side of the line when the buffalo
were gone. over and again have described to them
the difference between the Indian policies of the
nations; shown them that the day must come when
they will have to farm in order to support their fam
tiles. have told them that, If the White Mother
does anything, she will only set apart q little
land for them. give them few implements
and then leave them to their own devices;
ground for them, and teach them how to
plant and raise their crops In short, 1 have
neser tSs Inaians mnd M that he will be- happier pG in
his own country than he can be here have
labored to convince him that the white man does
him live and enjoy his lite, and have told him
often that 1t for tins that the Americans wanted
to place him on q reservation.
'What has been the effect OF this talky
Just this--it has in measure reconciled great
many them to the idea of a reservation. but the
one thing that staggers them is the idea of giving
up their horses and arms.
"But you propose to move them back out OF the
buffalo country. What do they want OF gunsT
'.They merely want the same privilege of the
other Indians OF the white men on the frontier.
They would want to kill tho small game around tho
hen
buffalo i'm the buffalo season, Tor the Indian will
hunt the buffalo. say what you will. Why. our Sal
tcaux Indians come from 800 miles north of here,
hunt their meat dry it, and 20 back to their