Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-07-24
CATTLE LEASES INVALID.
CLEVELAND ORDERS REMOVAL
WITHIN FORTY DAYS.


the orders-Agent Dyer Superseded
by Capt. Lee.
WASHINGTON, July 23.--The President
to-day issued a proclamation directing
the cattlemen on the Cheyenne and Ara
pahoe reservations in Indian Territory to
| remove their cattle within forty days.
| Pursuant to the policy Of turning the con-
| troll OF the turbulent Indians in Indian
/ Territory over to the War Department,
/ Capt. j. NJ. Lee, Of the Ninth infantry,
/ has been appointed Indian agent at the
Cheyenne reservation. The following Is
/ the proclamation:
4 WHEBEAs, Certain portions Of the Cheyenne
and Arapahoe Indian reservation in indian
/ Territory are occupied by persons other than
! Indians, VINO CLAIM the right to keep and
Craze cattle thereon by agreement made with
/ the Indians, for whose special possession and
/ occupancy said lands have been reserved by
| the Government Of the United states, or
under other preteXts and licenses: and
! WHEREAS, All such agreements and licenses
4 are deemed void and of no effect, and persons
4 so occupying said lands with cattle are con
sldered unlawfully upon the domain OF the
/ United states. so reserved az aforesaid; and
WHEREAS, The claims of such persons nnder
1 said leases and licenses, and their unauthor-
! lzed presence upon such reservation, nave
caused complaint and discOntent on the part
/ of the Indians located thereon, and are likely
I to cause serious outbreaks and disturbances.
REMOVAL ORDERED.
! Now, therefore. /. Grover Cleveland, Presi-
/ dent of the United States. do hereby order and
! direct that all persons other IMAM Indians
who are now upon anv part OF sad reseFVa-
4 ton, for the purpose Of grazing cattle thereon.
/ and their servants and agents and all other
| unauthorized persons now upon SAID reserva-
| ton, do within forty days from the date of this
proclamation depart aud entirely remove
therefrom with their cattle, horses and other
1 property.
In witness whereof ! have hereunto
! set my hand and caused the seal Of the
/ United States to be affixed.
Done at the city Of Washington on the
/ twenty third day OF July, one thousand eight
! hundred and eighty five, and the yeac of in
/ dependence of the United states the one hun
/ dred and tenth. GROVER CLEVELAND.
BY the President:
/ T. f. BAYARD, Secretary Of state.
WHAT LED TO THE PROCLAMATION.
In explanation of the situation at the
! Cheyenne and ArapahOe agency, and of
the reasons that influenced the President
in issuing his proclamation directing the
removal of the cattlemen from that reser-
walton, the following teegraphic CORE
spondence has been furnished for publica-
ton:
On July IS Inspector Armstrong recon-
| mended the reorganization Of the entire man
/ dgement OF the agency and thoejectment of all
! white men not properly on the reservation,
/ ON July 20 the inspector sad that he had
| had council with the Indians, who asked to
have the leases revoked, as they We're in
/ fiuenced to make them by former agent.
THE COUNT.
On July p he said that he had COM
pleted the count of 'the ArapahOes
| and Cheyennes, which showed that there
| were 3.3l7 Indians. and later on the same day
| he said that the ATapahOes number 1900. or
over 1000 less than have been drawing rations
| A similar state of affairs was shown to hsye
! existed among the Cheyennes. This
I proves SAYS Inspector Armstrong, "that the
government has been issuing rations to much
| larger numbers than really existed. 1t is the
first count ever made where each one was re-
/ CURED to show up"
sHERIDAN's INQUIRIES.
On July IS Gen. Sheridan telegraphed
the President as follows:
have found at South Hern. Cheyenne and
ArapahOe agency, very complicated cOndi-
ton of affairs, which will eventually result
in an outbreak4T not settled at an early day.
The origin Of the evil is in the leasing of the
lands Of the reservation, and the dissatlsfac
ton principally exists among the Cheyennes.
The reservation is mostly fenced in by wire,
and about 100000 head of cattle are now
upon it. This number viii OF course be largely
increased. 1t is not for me to determine as
to the legality of these leases, but they have
produced an invita- ION which can only be
allayed by either mating war on the Indians
and whipping them into state of subsection
and discipline, or temporarily transferring
them 10 the control of the military until the
veXed questions are settled and confidence is
restored, and then returning them to the In
terror Department.
THE TRANSFER RECOMMENDED.
/ urgently recommend this latter PROPOSE
ton. The present agent Is poweress To main
tain good order, and might he transferred to
some other place should the President be
pleased to adopt this view. There viii then
be but one authority over the Indians and
that sufficiently strong TO enforce respect and
compliance with the policy Of the government.
| know that this measure will produce feel
ing of security in the settlements bordering
on Indian Territory, now in a condition of
great alarm. suggest Cant. Jesse NJ. Lee. of
the Ninth United States infantry, an officer
suited by experience 10 act as agent. ! am
authorized to say that Gen. Mills and Com.
Armstrong fully concur with me in this plan.
CLEVELAND's REPLY.
To this telegram the President replied
on July 81:
Lieut.. gen. p. n. Sherjdqa:
! The cattle leases are void and the govern =
ment has undoubted right to remove the
| cattlemen and their herds rom the reserye .
ton, aud the Indians may he assured Of de
termination to protect heir rights. WHAT is
your Judgment rs to the necessity Of immedi
ate removal Of the cattiemen as a solution of
the diniculty2 Please ren.iu at TT. Reno
until the question is determined.
GROVER CLEVELAND.
FORTY DAYS THE LIMIT.
Inc 1ollOWlng response was made by
Gen. Sheridan yesterday
To the President: Replying to your telegram
of July n, have the honor to state that ii
il my judgment that the cattle men ana their
cattle should be removed from the CHEYENNE
and Arapahoe reservation within period of
forty days THIS Will give all the time neces-
sary to c0re for their interests, considering
the fact that no quarantine or prOhitory
laws hold aginst their cattle IN
Kansas or Colorado. II the cattle are re-
/ moved by that time, and IL can readily be
done. and q temporary transfer to the mill
tary Is made, the reservation can be cleared Of
I all Unauthorized persons, the Indians quieted
and disc plnCd. and permanent settlement
made which will reestablish confidence on
the southwestern frontier OF Kansas. | will
remain as requested. y. II. SHERIDAN,
Lieutenant General.
PUT INTO EFFECT.
The correspondence closes with the fol-
dispatch, sent to-day by the President to