The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1879-01-30
Washington Letter

From our regular correspondent.l
Washington, d. c., January 25, 1879
The Indian question has attracted its
full share of attention here at the Cap
ital lately, for in addition to the agita-
ton of the subject in Congress, and
the interesting correspondence
tween General Sheridan and Secretary
Schurz, we have had and still have
delegations of real live Indians here
to speak for themselves. SO many
representatives of the red men have
visited Washington within the past
few years, that they would scarcely
seem to be rarity now, yet somehow
the populace still manifests interested
curiosity, and puts itself out of the way
to see live Indian about as the boys
run after the elephant in o circus pro-
cession. The Ute chiefs who were
lately here came on business pertaining
to land trade with the Government,
and after being feasted and feated and
toted about from pillar to post for two
weeks gave out and departed. Strange
as it may seem they went rather the
dissipation do not agree with the den
izen of the forrest, who at home goes
to roost with the chickens. Late
hours and gas light are out of his line.
But 1.-THE boys" as agent Kelly calls
them, took it pleasantly, made little
speeches whenever called upon, and
before starting for home gave grand
| banquet at the fremont House.
Among the guests were Chief Joseph
and Yellow Bull, of the Nez Perces,
now here. The former is magnii-
cent specimen of the noble red man.
He is tall, handsome and intellectual,
and when the history of his splendid
military achievements is remembered,
nobody will object to the term noble
red man as applied to him. His mas
terly retreat when sorely pressed by
| Howard, and twice surrounded, in
which he carried off his women and
children, and conducted his fight upon
the most humane principles, would
have done credit to the best general
alive. If we may accept his story of
the wrongs of his people at the hands
of the whites, it is civilizations turn
to blush for shame.
There is little possibility that any
action will be taken this session on the
proposition to transfer the Indian
Bureau to the War Department. 1t is
one of the most important questions
: Ting it the point should not be wheth-
er the military or civilization shall
have "the picking" but the welfare OF
the picked should have some weight
, for the sake of justice and humanity.
Lo has "movcd up" and 'gOne vest
at the command of his white brethren,
, and given up reservation after reserva.
ton, until now he has scarcely any
3 where to go. The money government
, appropriates for his benefit, as 6
/ recompense, is more than half stolen, OF
9 absorbed by the civilized and enter
= prising christians through whom it il
1 disbursed, and then we display oul
/. virtuous indignation when the out
I ragged savage takes scalp or two. The
e Joint commission which has been in
S vestigating the subject, have prepared
s an elaborate report, and it is just ISSUED
: from the government printing Office IL
b book form. Except the reports o
territorial surveys, it is one of the mos
=, interesting volumes that has recent,
d passed through the government press
|. There are one hundred and eighty
). eight tribes in this country, with
d total population of 25l ,435, of whom
p about 12 900 are children at school. Ii
the Indian territory alone there ar
e about 5000, of which number $500
n compose the original five nations
= Choctaws, Chickasaws, Cherokees
c Creeks and Seminoles. 1t is fact nc
n generally known that in the populou
e State of New York there are som
1t 5000 Indians, while in the new bu
d rapidly growing State of Nebrask
/ there are but 5000, where only fey
20 years since the pale face had not ye
pitched his tent. The Sioux numbe
10 about $1,000, and are really to-day tn
ct only tribe that could give any grea
te trouble to our much abused army.
v The proposed cipher dispatch lnve
rs the administration, and the variou
" senatorial elections have furnishe
10 exciting subjects enough to talk abol
,e the past week, though aside from tt
v. rush to hear General Butler speal
" there has been no activity here. III
te Democrats propose to bring out ii
,r, true inwardness of the ciphers and
90 yindicate Uncle Sammy. And whi
this is going on, Senator Conkling pr
is poses to vindicate his friends Arth'
IT. and Cornell, of the New York Custo
in House, and defeat the confirmation
,is their successors. He is bitter again
he he the occupant of the White House, al
m said the other day in executive sessio
he wished it understood that when
ts- spoke of "Mr. Hayes" he did not rel
ar ia the President of the United Stat'
lie No Democrat could be more sarcasl
IN than that.
ed A poultry show is one of the thin
M we are entertained with now, ana IL
a SUCCESS. The game chickens ~