The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1883-04-11
LINCOLN'S LOGIC,
AS APPLIED TO THE INDIAN CUES
TION IN NORTHERN
MONTANA.
The Commission Appointed to Treat with
the Piegans with the View Of Reduc-
ing their Reservation.


The following item of special interest
to the readers of the RIVER PRESS we
find in the Pioneer Press of the 28th uIt:
Just before the adjournment of con-
gress the senate authorized the appoint
ment OF a commission to visit certain
bands OF Indians in Dakota and Mon
tana with the view Of negotiating with
them for certain treaty s%tipulatiOns.
They were authorized to invite three
members Of the next house to accompany
them. The senators composing this
commission are Messrs. Dawes, Logan.
Cameron of Wisconsin, Vest and Nor
gan. Mr.. Haskell, chairman of the
committee on Indian affairs of the last
house, and Delegate Maginnis will be
among those who accompany the COM
mission on the part of the house. To
this commission will be entrusted the
work of perfecting the treaty with the
Sioux begun last fall. They are to OBJ
tain, under the treaty of 1868, the sigma
lures of three-fourths of the adult males
before the agreement can be submitted
to congress for ratification. They will
then visit the Crows, Piegans and Flat
heads in Montana, with the view of ma
king new treaties with them, whereby
their reservations may be reduced and
the Indians consolidated and placed on
smaller and permanent reservations.
Mr.. Dawes, chairman, has not yet called
q meeting, but is expected to do so soon.
The commission will probably not go
west until August,
In q brief talk with Major Lincoln,
agent at the Fort Belknap agency, yes
terday, in reference to affairs at that
place, our reporter referred to the COM
mission above alluded to, and the refer
ence was effective in drawing out the
majors views on the subject.
Congress said he, Hhas followed my
recommendation in the matter exactly,
but [ have no disposition to claim that
they were influenced thereto by my
opinion alone. Major Maginnis desired
to introduce and secure the passage at
once Of q bill reducing the reservation,
but [ told him plainly that / could not
agree with him in the premises. [ was
as willing as he to secure the desired end
the cutting down Of the reservation
and throwing the same open to settle
men-and only differed with him as to
how it should be DONE
What is Your plan, Major::n inquired
the scribe.
My Plan, and which is III accordance
with the recommendations have made
to the department, is virtually that
adopted by congress. In the interest of
both the whites and Indians | desired
ter for the surrender of the desired ter
ritory, and at the same time that some.
provision for their future wants be made.
Such a treaty can be easily arranged
with them now; but if their lands were
first taken from them and then an effort
was made to treat, it would be found a
difficult task. Besides, if this Indian
country was thrown open to actual set
tiers before satisfactory provision was
made for the Indians, an irrepressible
conflict would result, and the newspa-
pers would have numerous Indian atroc-
tiles to report. But by treating with the
Indians first and securing their willing
removal before the territory is thrown
open, all obstacles are removed, and be-
sides it delays the matter but one year,
Better that delay than the evils that
would otherwise result"
ITO what place would you have the
Indians remoyedo.n we asked.
well, that is q matter upon which
there might be differences Of opinio
but / think it might be well to draw a
line from some point towards the mouth
Of Milk river directly north to the boun-
dairy and give them the land east as far
as Dakota. This would throw open to
settlement an immense area of fine graz
ling and agricultural land, and also the
Bear Paw and Little Rocky mountains,
with their doubtless rich mineral depos-
its. The Indians, thus confined to q
much smaller reservation, should be pro-
vided with some stock, and to some. eX-
tent with farming implements, and then
be trained to make Mother Earth pro-
vide for their necessities. In this way
the proposed reduction of the reservation
can be made d great blessing to the In
dams as well as the Whites.n
DO you think The reservation will be
cut down by the next congress-
II do. Such will unquestionably be
the result if this commission succeeds in