The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1880-12-16
Boston Herald.
Secretary SEIZURE and the Poncas.

The reply of Hon. Carl Schurz Secretary of
the Interior, to Gov. Longs Argument on the
Ponca question, must be satisfactory. so far as
that officer is concerned, to every fair-minded
man. The Secretary does not seek to cov"r
up or extenuate any act of his Department, he
simply and plainly gives the story of the re-
moval of the Poncas, acknowledges that they
were wronged, places the responsibility of the
Injustice where it belongs, and gives the rea-
sons for his course after he understood the
question, and the injustice had been accom-
plshed. 1t is evident that the agitation in ia
vor of the Poncas going on under the manage
ment of Mr.. Tibbles, into which many gond
men have been drawn by an appeal to their
sympathies is doing them no good. 1t is still
Keeping them in an unsettled state where they
are now located, in good country, in a eli
mate much less Indictment than that of their
former home, and in a country generally which
white men would be very glad to settle. They
are making improvements where they are and
would make more but for the hope held out
to them that they will be returned to Dakota
The Secretary of the Interior, in his intelli-
gent management of the Indian question, has
had to think OF more than one tribe While
recognizing the wrong done to the poncas, he
saw that their former reservation had been
ceded by mistake to the Sioux larger and
much more powerful tribe. The return of the
Poncas seemed to be out of the question at
once. Had it not been, their removal would
have caused great discomfort among other
northern tribes settled in the Indian territory
The Secretary believes that proper compen-
sation should be made to the Poncas for their
forced removal. Indeed he claims to be among
the first to call attention to the matter, and to
suggest redress. The fact is that the Poncas
are in better country now than Trey had in
their old home, and that t Is much better for
them to remain where they are, and continue
the improvements already begun, than to go
back, II there were no other objections in the
way. and make new beginning on their for
mer reservation. The Secretary is justified in
recounting some of the practicable measures
adopted under his Administration for the inn
provement of the condition of the Indians
for he has done more than any predecessor in
his office to make the Indian bureau clean and
wholesome and humane. This clear, calm
statement should show, if it was not known
before, that some very worthy people have
been led by their sympathies to do a grave in
Justice to one OF the best friends the Indians
ever had. 1t is easy to see that Secretary
Schurz has no confidence in Tibbles, and he is
not alone in this. Tibbles may mean we'll, but
he seems to lack judgment. He had the foun-
dalton OF real wrong to begin upOn-nOt a
difficult thing to find in cur management of
the Indians at any period in our history-but
he did not have discrimination enough to see
that the Secretary Of the Interior might not
agree with him and still might be very good
friend of the Indians. When the professional
philanthropsts took hold of the matter, of
course they scoldcd and called names, as they
are won't to do. Gov. Long is man of large
sympathies, and so became interested. If he
made a mistake, it was because he did not
know so much about the general Indian cues
ton as Secretary Schurz does, and saw the
Ponca injustice out of proportion. We should
suppose that, as candid man, he would feel
the force of the reply Secretary Schurz has
made.