National Republican., 1881-08-22
A Trnnsncticn i'm RcnI Estntc.

A Transaction in Real Estate.
Thirteen yearsago," quoth our mostpa
ternally paternal Government, addressing
itself to the Sioux chiefs last week, "the
President sent commissioners to make
treaty with the Sioux. A treaty was
made, and by that treaty the land that
had been gircn 10 the Poncds WAS GIVEN TO
THE SIouxv" Rather q dubious real estate
transaction that. If the land had been
given TO the Poncas, who but the Poncas
could afterward give it to the Sioux :?
What rights could the Sioux acquire to
lands belonging to the Poncas by u treaty
with the Government which had thus
parted with those lands? Our Government
proceeded to explain to the Sioux that the
land.of the Poncas being thus taken from
them and given to the Sioux, the Poncas
had no land left to live upon' But our
Government did not proceed to explain
why the lands of the Poncas were
taken from them. It is merely
left to the Indian mind to infer
that the United States understands
how to make an "Indian gift" Lands
given to the Poncas at one time were given
to the Sioux at another. The Secretary
of the Interior, who was doing the talk
ing to the chiefs, dealt with the facts
rs he found them, and dealt with them
successfully and well. He had not made
the two conveyances of the same land.
But he was the representative of the Gov.
.n,,A l.. ~, .,I s..1 1s,,,1 Il
had been guilty of such transaction he
would have been indicted, convicted, and
put in prison. The Poncas would not be
here begging their own lands ut the hands
Of their enemies if confidence game like
the one confessed had been practiced
upon them by any party over whom our
courts have jurisdiction. Our Govern
ment, being caught in knavish trick
or q criminal blunder, should have in
formed the Sioux that the Poncas must
have their own lands, and that the Govern
ment, having made mistake, would make
satisfactory compensation to the Sioux,
Instead ofthis, the United States begs the
Sioux, who are its second grantees of the
same land, to please be kind enough to
let its first grantees have some Of the
land on which to build houses. The Sioux
were lofty in their generosity Said White
Thunder in their behalf, when asked for
how much he would sell the Poncas their
own lands, " No. my friend; that is not
what l want. You told me yesterday
ought to have pity upon these poor
Poncas. If l have pity upon them / am
not going to take their money. We give
them the lands they need" The Sioux be-
haved well, and are entitled to much
credit. But it is difficult to say so much
for the United States, which bluntly con-
fessed to having swindled the Poncas,
and then threw the latter upon
| the kindness of the Sioux, in
whose interest they had been swindled.
Whatever the Sioux were entitled to
thirteen years ago by the treaty alluded to
should then have been given them
out of the lands of the United States.
They gave them, as it appears, instead,
the land Of others, and have now man
aged to get these to give it back to the
rightful owners. No favor has been done
the Poncas, and yet they appear as men,
dicants, using our Government as their
agent to beg that which was their own by
its own previous grant and present ad.
mission.
AS the Indians become gradually civil
lied, and some of their young braves en-
ter our law schools, they will look in
vain for a precedent for the real estate
transaction above outlined. Meanwhile
let us hope they will not pattern after
the Government of the United States by
hereafter giving to other Indians the
land they now give to the Poncas.