Morning journal and courier., 1880-12-22
s5ourItaI all0 Courier.
EDITED AND PUBLISHED BY CARRTNGTON & CO.

EDITED AND PUBLISHED BY
 HARRINGTON & CO.,,
 No. 400 State Street, Courier Building.
 JOHN B. oARRINeroN.
 EDWARD T. cARRrNeToN. JOHN B. cARRreToN, JR. ----------- ------
 Wednesday Morning, Dec. 22, 1880.
 SECRETARY SCHURZ ANSWERED..
 The Ponca controversy has received an in teresting addition in the shape of aletter from Governor Long and Mir. William H. Lincoln, in behalf of the Boston committee, in reply to Secretary Schurz's letter to Gov ernor Long In this 1etter Secre- tary Schurz's action in the Ponca case and his defense of it are criticised cour- teously and sharply. It is pointed out that the alleged consent of the Poucas to their re- moval to the Indian Territory was fiction, and that this fact was fully made known to MT. Schurz before the removal was effected by letters from disinterested persons of the highest character, who assured him that a great wrong was about to be consummated, and begged for delay until full inquiry could be made to satisfy him of the truth of their assertion, and these persons were not eastern sentimentalists, but eastern men iv- ing in the neighborhood where the facts were notorious and undisputed, and among them were lawyers and bankers, hard headed, ,prac- tical men, as well as missionaries. The com mittee prove also that the Sioux treaty, by which the Ponca lands were given to that tribe, assigned by Mir. Schurx as the reason why the removal of the Poncas became nec- essary and their restoration inexpedient, has been adjudged void, and that the Siouz never occupied the Ponca lands willingly, but were persuaded to go there for a few months for the convenience of certain contractors, and were returned to their former place the next summer. The committee prove by the evil dence of MT. Pollock Indian inspector, that the condition of the Poncas in the Indian Territory was grossly misrepresented by Sec retary Schurz, and was in fact much more deplorable than he was ever willing to allow. As to the pretense that the Poncas do not now wish to return to Dakota the committee say:
 But you say they are now contented and willing to remain. It is too late, Mir Secre- tary, after three years, to say that present content on their part even if it exists, justi fies or in any way excuses your department for the original wrong. It is very much as if, after robbing the man who went down to Jericho, plea had been entered against making restitution of the money taken on the ground that the unfortunate victim was better off in the hands of the good Samari- tan, and ought not to be deprived of the de- light of living on charity at comfortable inn, and of having oil poured into his wounds this, but as we understand you, ,-if it should appear to you even now that these Indians really desire to go back to their homes their own homes, remember-you would use every ''argument"-and that means good deal from the head of a department at whose mercy they are-to prevent them. Can 1t surprise you that we are indignant at this :? If you saw a poor man robbed of his child how long would your own blood endure the robbers apology that he was sorry and would like to make pecuniary compensation provi- ded he could raise the money, if all the while he still defantly refused to restore the little one to its parents the pretense that he could give it more luxurious home than theirs, or because he had wronged and terri fled them into the acquiescence of despair, or because he had been in the business of kidnapping so long that restitution in any case would disturb his whole ''policy?''
 The committee, moreover, express doubt that the Poncas are willing to sign away their rights, and give evidence from the testimony of several chiefs, taken last spring to justify their disbelief. Other points made by the Secretary are effectively answered, and in the following he is very forcibly and pointedly arraigned:
 We recognize the difficulties of your posi- ton and the evils of the system that existed when you entered upon your duties. We acknowledge, as we have said, your interest Sr, haha Of a1y1 of Indians but you seem to overlook the fact that liberty should accompany, if not precede, education Vain the effort to edu- cate a people kept in bondage. Words, however ingeniously interwoven, apologies, however apparent their candor, the baIan- cing of expediencies. the just boasts of wor- thy achievements in other things, all these fail to meet the plain issue that is embraced in these three questions. First-Did you commit cruel and unlawful outrage upon the Ponca Indians in robbing them of their homes? To which you have already an- swered yes. Second-Have you lifted fin ger for all these three years, during which you say you have so sincerely repented your error, to restore them to their homes, to which you have already answered ao. Third-Win you not even at this last moment, for the sake of the credit of the ad- ministration and the country, ascertain by men in whom the Poncas have confidence whether those who are still in the Indian Ter ritory do not really wish-having full knowl- edge that the way is cordially open to them to reioin the hundred or more who have escaped and returned to Dakota; and, if they do, will you not ask for an appropriation and do what you can to restore them also? Can you not apprehend the one fundamental thing, that this land in Dakota is theirs, theirs, THEIRS We beg you to apply to their case, not the wrench of policy" but for once the good old golden rule-not always bad even as policy-of doing unto others as ye would that men should do to you. It may leave the constitutional ''Indian policy" plotted by drop of the milk of human kind ness, but it will leave you record in the ad- ministration of President Hayes, upon which you will have no more sincere congratulations than our own.
 The Secretary will not find much profit in attempting to answer this letter. The best thing he can do for himself, if not for the Indians, will be to 'sback down" from the po- | | Il