Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-01-02
The Lieut.. General in Defense of His An
nual Report Grounds for His Criticism

the secretary took exception to certain conclu-
sions arrived at and stated IN my annual re-
port of this year. The general quotes the con-
illusions mentioned and says:
Inc object l had in view on my annual re-
port was to show that Indian wars came from
two causes (see report), but that while the first
war could not be avoided by the government,
the second was clearly within its control. and
resulted from bad management of Indian af-
fairs. made no charges against the then sec
rotary OF the interior. / made no charge
against any one. desired simply to call the
attention of my superior officers to the causes
that produced discomfort and outbreaks. and
that from the inadequacyot our military force,
resulted in the massacre of officers soldiers and
| citizens, and the horrible and uncomfortable
barbarities perpetrated on women and children
and to state my belief that these disasters
might have been averted by better organiza-
ton, a more complete system, and more integ-
rity in agents employed.
The secretary of the interior saw fit to take
this up, and by disigeniously saying that had
made chaIges as to corruptions at every agency
in the limits of this military division. chal-
lenges me for facts to prove charge he ha
are not warranted by the language of the re
port but in support of what I did say re
spectfully submit the data accompanying thi
supplemental report. The question of justic
and right to the Indian is past and canno
be recalled: We have occupied hi
lordly domain destroyed, his herds of gam
gone, and himself penned upon reservation
and reduced to poverty for humanity's sake
Then let US give him enough to eat and integ--
rity in agents over him. 8
To show how inconsiderate the honorablee
secretary of the interior was in his first andt
second letters of Nov. is and Nov. 20, respects
ively it is only necessary for to call the ats
tention of the general of the army to the facte
that since 1874 | have carefully retained copiess
OF Indian reports coming to my Office, briefs.
of which are herewith enclosed, and it was On
information that my report made.
Surely the honorable secretary of the in
terror cannot inlpute untruthfulnoss to officers
making these reports They were on the
ground generally as official inspectors for the
| and are among the best in the SERVICE the most
of them personally known to the general Of
the army and many of them to the country
My object was to call attention to, and, if pos
| sible, prevent the calamities occurring to from
| tier settlers, to the officers and men in the
of Lieut.. Lee, giving an exact
| position of Indian management at Spotted
Tail agency was obtained since the date of my
| annual report, but the facts as related were
we'll known to me. In fact, was instrumental
| to some extent in the detection of McCann's
frauds. His report is submitted first for the
| reason tha- it gives fair and comprehensive
| idea of Indian management, and, I believe,
may be assumed as a fair explanation Of what
| has occurred at many other agencies, and which
produced the hunger and discomfort
| also call attention to briefs of correspond
ence from Dr. Dougherty, relative to the at
tempt to force upon him since he has been act
| ing agent at Grow Creek, employees of bad
| character, and of the loose and criminal man
ner in which Indian goods were shipped with
out bills of lading or invoices. This is true
also for the Cheyenne and Brule agencies on
The Missouri river, as we'll as Crow Creek
whose agent, DR.. Livingston, has recently been
| indicted on about l24 charges. and as many
| more that were thrown out under the statute
Of limitation.
| The attention of the general of the army is
| expressly called to the report on Standing Rock
agency, under the arrangements Of Agents
| Benkes and Hughes. Then look at the Man
| dams, Arickaree. eros Ventres. Assinaboines,
Pigeons and Crows in Montana Territory. At
the latter agency fraud has been ram
pant, although to the best of my recollection
agents have been changed at least five or six
| times in the last seven years. Then come down
to the Shoshones. Bannock, Northern and
Southern Cheyennes, Wapahoes, Kiowas and
| Commanches Utes and Southern Apaches, and
ask them why they have gone to war, or have
| been hostile or turbulent for the last six or
seven years. The answer will be insufiiciency
of food, irregularity in its supply and broken
| promises.
l
less honest. He has discharged a number of
agents for malfeasance in office. Commissioners
| Smith, who preceded him, was an honest man
also, SO far as know, and likewise the COM
missioner of Indian affairs before him, and so
on back. They all did we'll as they knew
| how, but [ fear with all of the presentations of
honesty, that the system and manner of ae-
couutability are too loose for the government
of people who cannot read or write and SO pc
cnliar and primitive in their habits as the In
dian.
It will be seen by extracts from reports to
the board of Indian commissioners, as well as
to the commissioners of Indian affairs here
with attached, they too support me in this con-
clusion. Then, with these facts before us and
to the best of my belief in possession of the
Indian bureau, what the object
of challenging the conclusions in my report
and giving the letter to the public before it
had been sent to the secretary of war, to whom
1T was addressed. Surely, officers who guard
agencies and who are neld responsible for the
protection of the lives aud property of settlers,
should have tight to report to their superiors
the cause of trouble without danger of being
lectured into silence by the honorable secretary
| of the interior.
| Let us now come down to the matter of the
Red Cloud and Spotted Tail Indians and their
return to points further west last fall. In
against the Indian bureau. l simply stated
had hoped that the agencies of these Indians,
| Red Cloud and Spotted Tail, would have been
retained on the Missouri river. where they
could have been fed and looked after at com
paratively small expense. But this
would not have suited the traders
and contractors who, I fear, labored
systematically last summer and fall to work up
the result which has been explained, and now
these Indians are on worse ground than the
Missouri river bottom, and located at points
| beyond river lines of transportation. For in
stance, Red Clouds band. where the expense of
feeding will probably be five times as great as
on the Missouri river.
In addition, these Indians are now located
near the line of travel to the Black Hills and
are on the extreme western limit of their reser-
walton and where contact with the whites is
liable to frequently occur, and I doubt if in
the present frame Of mind Of the Red Cloud
Indians the two races can live SO closely to-
gether without fighting.
This does not charge anything on the Indian
bureau, so that it will be seen that again the
honorable secretary puts a charge into my
mouth which never made, and gives them to
the public in the same way.
The general urges again. as in his annual re-
| port, that the removal of these Indians was un-
wise, quotes letters from General Crook in sup
port OF his views, and continues: 1 did not
say that the Indian bureau had anything to do
with it, and utterly disclaim any intention of
criticising the actions of the President. In nv
report only expressed nv regret at what had