Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1885-10-03

| VIC rec Oy our ldtc cACildUSeS tUat TIC
secretary Of the interior has given his
final orders for the removal Of the set
tiers on the Crow creek reser yation in
the following language:
Reference being had also to kilograms
OF the 29.h and 30th insts., ! have to
direct that you will have to proceed at
once to remove the parties and their
effects from the reservation, and if un-
able to do so with the fore at your com
| mand, you will call upon the proper
military officers for the requisite force
to execute the authority.
Now, looking at this matter from one
standpoint it is just and proper, but
viewing it in another light it is about as
unjust and wrong rs wrong can be.
Under the Arthur administration these
lands were thrown open to settlement.
The settlers moved upon them in good
faith, las far as has vet been shown in
! vited to do so, and acting under the
highest authority in the land. They
have titled the soil, have fenced their
farms, and built houses to shelter their
wives and children from the storms Of
approaching winter and now comes the
order from the same authority tour
government to leave. And that too
without any compensation, restitution
or award of damages.
This we call hard fare, and thus far
make plain to say we have not been
able to make it harmonize with any
principle Of fair play, decency or justice
But this is not the whole Of the story,
let us pass on to enquire into the reason
for this outrage, for it cannot be called
by any mlder name. They are driven
from their homes, a calamity worse than
any ravages by grasshoppers or devasta-
ton by cyclone, or drought or blight or
fire, for all these might occur and still
their lands would be left, but now they
loose all.
Now let us see if We can find anything
to justify this procedure. Its defenders
say the Arthur administration has pass
ed away, and the new incumbent, Presi- |
dent Cleveland, says the settlers are
there contrary to law. What law is
there in this land that citizen is bound
to respect that is higher than the au-
thority Of the President Of the United
States, surrounded as he is by all the
heads Of all the different departments
Of the government, and if they no not
know the law why should We expect
the ordinary citizen to know it, but
says President Clevela nd there was
treaty made with these Indians a long
time ago that this reservation was set
apart for their use and benefit for all
time. This treaty has never been
abrogated, We cannot allow settlers on
those lands, We cannot disregard the
binding cree of that treaty without
breaking the pledge of the government
and committing a wrong on these In
dians.
Neither say we can you drive these |
people from their homes without vioat-
ing the implied pledge of the govern
ment and doing wrong to these settlers.
Has it come to pass that an Indian is |
better than a white man, we think not. |
Again, what kind Of government are
we living under Are we to understand |
that each and all Of the acts of one ad-
ministration can be abrogated and an
nulled by the next No, we know that
this is not so, but any act or edict Of
predecessor may be disregarded or an
nulled by his successor if that act or
edict is unconstitutional. So here we are
again, and now what are you going to
do about it. Well our idea Of true dem
ocracy is where each and every man
can say, am the United States, for what
is true collectively is true individually.
Our agent at Washington, Mr.. Arthur,
has made mistake by which many of
our citizens are damaged. The acts of
our agent is binding on us and we are
holding for that damage. We would
say to our agent we have money
in our treasury to pay for all the dam.
age we do. Draw your check, Mr. Presi-
dent, ascertain what the damage is and
pay it, for in no other way can the ends
of justice be met.