Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-05-11
GEN. POPE.

Dental Cand1date-Cen. CROOK VIII NOT
Resign-The Proper Treatment of the.
acknowledgement Masons Case.
Especial Telegram to the Globe.
CHICAGO, May 1O.-In an inter view With
Mai. Gen. John Pope, CO Amander of the
departn ent of the Missouri, d reporter
learned the generals views on several top
les of public interest. Speaking of the
incipient movement to connect Gen. Sher-
man with the coming national contest for
the presidency, Gen. Pope said:
ttsThe idea has hardly permeated army
circles as yet. At least 1 have not heard
any talk in the army. with reference to
Gen. Sherman being possible candidate
for president. 1 know that his name has
been mentioned in that connection else
where, but hardly think he desires the
honor. Gen. Sherman is not much of a
politician, and has meddled little if at all
with such matters. His time for retiring
from the army under the law, if he so
wishes, is next February, but l understand
it is his purpose TO go out next November
and presume that, in his case, he will be
allowed to anticipate the date
''It is reported that Gen. Crook contem-
plates resigning?"
THAT can hardly be true. Gen. Crook is
nothing but a soldier, and I have never
heard that the emoluments of civil life
possessed any attraction for him. He is
doing his duty and putting an end to the
depredations of the Apaches in Arizona
and along the Mexican border, and has
hardly found time to think of resigning.
From what know of him he will con-
tinue in the army until the time arrives
| for him to retire"
"What about your proposition to dis
tribute the Indians around in civilized
communities"
''For ten years 1 have believed in and
advocated the project, whereby the various
tribes of Indians could be put back of the
advancing tide of emigration and located
in more thickly settled portion of
the country. 1t is conceded that the
government must support these Indians.
Why not, then, place them where it
can be done properly! Why should we
transport subsistence thousands of
miles across prairies and at great expense,
when there is no essential need for so do
ing? Apart from this, they, nor their chill
dren, can never receive the benefits of
| civilization such as would accrue to them
were they near those who could impart it
to them. Some of the Indian reservations
in Arizona are as large as several states
combined. The Indians do not utilize
these valuable lands. They cannot hunt,
for the reason that game is extinct. They
loll around the agencies and are fed by the
government. The richest lands in the
world are kept from being settled by those
who would develop their resources, and
contribute to the prosperity of the country,
solely because they must not be taken
away from Indians who know nothing of
their value, and are not disposed to ap-
preciate tiff they did"
"The Indian contractors, it is pre-
sumed, oppose your scheme?'
"The opposition does not come from
them altogether. The philanthropists are
the principal opponents of such move
ment. The churches of the land secure
the appointment of clergymen TO deal with
the Indians, and these agents want the
land preserved for the tribes. The infu
ence of the church selects clergymen to
} transact business, which by their profess
sion they are entirely untitled for. This
is best illustrated by the fact that clergy
men would not be selected to transact the
business of your common council and ad
minis ter the business affairs of your city
or its corporations. The management of
thu Indians, the distribution and purchase,
of supplies, requ res men, who lhave some
practical business knowledge, and the
general run of philanthropists do not pos
sess this. It's useless to demonstrate and
say the ones who are appointed by
church influence are not COM
petent, for it will not be
believed. Nothing that you can say sus-
tanning such incompetency will be con-
! sidered. The fact remains, however, that
as measure of civilizing the Indians, any
plan which removes them from the plains
and draws them nearer to the people will
be best for their race and beneficial to the
| government
"How about putting them under care of
the war Department."
Il do not think it is necessary, and an
sure the army would not like to take the
esponsibility.-.- believe that Indian wars
are over. We may expect to have little
trouble with them always, but no general
uprising need be looked for"
''What do you think of the decision of
the court martial that sent Sergeant Mason
to the penitentiary?"
There are some questions in regard to
that decision which were not brought
out by the supreme court in reviewing it.
| The posse comitatus resorted to at the
time Guiteau was incarcerated in the
Jail at Washington did not legally give the
military any right to surround the build
ing. The Jail did not belong to the gov
eminent. 1t was not a military prison.
The posse comitatus did not permit of the
troops being there, and if it is established
that they were there not in accordance
with law, then Sergeant Mason was there
not as soldier, but as civilian, and his
act placed him outside of military juris-
diction and rendered him amenable to the.
civil law. There is no doubt about the
justice of the decision of the court martial,
if the act of shooting at the assassin was
done while Mason was soldier, acting IN
der and in compliance with military law,
but it is question whether such was the
case"
Gen. Pope said, in conclusion, that the
present standing army of $4,000 men was
working satisfactorily. and that there were
no indications that the next congress
would either increase or diminish it.
Gen. Williams and Gen. Forsyth, called
on Gen. Pope in the afternoon in reference
to some matters pending at Washington
growing out of army tactics, particularly
with reference to the deployment of caval-