The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-11-18
GENERAL sHERIDAN'S REPORT.
Operations of the Army-The Generals Plan
for Settling the Indian Question.

WASHINGTON, Nov 1.-THE annual report of
the acknowledgement of the army is made pub
lie to-day. At the date of the last consolidated
returns, the army consisted of 2. l54 officers and
"a. 705 men. Nothing, says the report, has yet
been done in the division of the Atlantic for the
protection of our seaboard by the improvement,
enlargement, or increase of the armament of our
Notifications, so that many of our large cities
are at the mercy of the ironclads Of foreign ma
tions in case OF rupture of relations. but it
is hoped that public sentiment WILL before long,
prevail in Congress for liberal appropriations in
this respect.
The division of the Missouri has had dis
turbances which have severely taxed the
troops and the supply departments of
the government. First came the Okla
homa invasion. 1.-THE sincerity of the
aeaders of the Oklahoma colony" writes General
Sheridan, may we'll be doubted, but they were
bold in their movements, and carried their
scheme to the verge of bloodshed. The belief
exists that their intention not actual settle
nent but to call the attention Of Congress to the
opening up of the Indian Territory. and that
money was subscribed for their purposes by in
terested corporations. Following the Oklahoma
invasion came the Cheyenne and Arapahoe dis
turbance, which threatened for a time all the
horrors of an Indian war. For the true cause of
shis trouble and the particulars of it's settlement
] refer to my report to the President, made in
July last In the southwestern corner of New
Mexico many lives have been lost by the invasion
OF small body of Chiricahua Apaches from
Arizona A large number of troops are at pres
ent operating in the district with view of its
protection and am in hopes of an early settle
ment of the Apache difficulty in such manner
as will forever prevent recurrence of the raids
of these Indians
I'm the Northwest, General Terry, command
ing the Department of Dakota. was obliged to
keep large number of troops in the field on &C.
count of the Riel rebellion. General Howard,
commanding the Department of the Platte, in
addition to furnishing troops to the Department
of the Missouri for the apprehended difficulties
with the Cheyennes, has now recalled his troops
on account of the Chinese labor troubles at Rock
Springs. in Wyoming, and other points the
Union Pacific railroad. When we O me to esti-
mate the duties performed by the troops in the
division of the Missouri, it will be that they
have most arduous and responsible duties. re-
curing great activity. The hiring of field
transportation, in cases of emergency, is ex
pensive, unsatisfactory and vexatous."
The Department of Texas he says, has
joyed unusual quiet OF the division of the Pa
cifc General Sheridan says: ''The situation in
that part of the division comprising the south
eastern portion of the Department of Arizona
has been, / regret to say far from satisfactory.
So long General Crook had control of the
Apaches, under the agreement between the Sec
rotary of War and Secretary of the Interior,
matters very well in Arizona; but when con-
tentions began under the divided authority that
existed year ago, distrust and trouble arose
among the Indians, and continued until the out
break of the Chiricahuas, in May last, The out
break was without cause, and embraced only
part Of the tribe; but this element comprised the
young and most vigorous. The conduct of
this band, not exceeding forty-two men
and ninety-two squaws, was hendish In
she extreme Unprotected and unarmed people
were murdered whenever met, and when pressed
by the troops they scattered like flock of quail,
and came together again at some designated
point from fifty to one hundred miles distant.
They should all be eXterminated, or captured,
and have the greatest confidence in General
Crooks ability to accomplish this purpose,
though the task is very difficult In the
pursuit of this hostile band in Mexico officers
and men have been treated with consideration
and kindness, which it is my duty to acknowl-
edge. / take great pleasure in commencing
General Crook for the admirable disposition of
his troops, and his steady perserveran ce under
dshearteniug circumstances" No events have
occurred in the department OF California of any
special Importance. The same may be said of
the Department of the Columbia, commanded by
General Gibbon.
son account of the rapid growth of our Western
settlements, the army is obliged, in some places,
to protect white people from Indians. while in
other places it is protecting the Indians in their
persons and property from the whites. The In
dams the richest people in this country as
communities Their reservations include some
of the best land. If divided among the heads of
families. each family would have thousands of
acres If l may be permitted to suggest, l
would recommend that each family be given and
located on the 800 acres now provided for them
by law. In of actual settlement, the gov
eminent should then condemn all the balance
of each reservation, buy it in at $1.25
per acre, and with the proceeds purchase
government bonds, to be held in trust by
the Interior Department, only giving to the In
dams each year the interest on the bonds for
their support. Let this money, if you please,
be dsbursed the same as the money appropriated
each year by Congress. The practical working
would be about as follows The Crow Indians
for instance. have nearly 800 600 acres of land
There are not more than 1900 of them, and
counting five persons to family, a large eS-
innate they could be settled separately on 800
acres for each family, and then have over T. $780,
900 acres, which the government could buy of
them when condemned, If the proceeds were
invested in government bonds and the interest
used for their support, it would be more money
than is now appropriated by Congress for their
yearly maintenance. II would be their own
money. and take the question of annual appro-
priations for them out of Congress.
Take the Cheyenne and Arapahoe Indians as
another example They have nearly 4,300 900
acres. Two hundred thousand would settle
them in severalty, and the 4. 100, 900 acres re-
naming could be purchased by the government
In the manner described. and would yield an an
nual interest sufficient for their support. The
same plan could be extended to cover most of
the Indian reservations in the country. | only
propose that the government should buy these
lands for simplicity and safety Settlers and
spectators would buy them and take them at
the average of $l25 per acre. Some of them are
now worth So or $40 per acre. In this way the In
dams would have perpetual security in the prin-
cipal until Congress chooses to give it to them,
to be used as they may see fit. The government
would lose nothing and the Indians would only
be getting the value of their prop
erty safely invested The Indians are
not poor They are only incompetent at the
present time, to take of their own property.
The treaties we have made with them might in
terfere with the condemnation and purchase of
these lards by the government, but Congress
could easily devise some means of overcoming