St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-07-26
THREE CONGRESSMAN.
hesSrs. Holman, Cannon and Ryan of the
Indian Committee Arrive in
St. Paul.
The Scope of Their Work Among the AbO-
rhymes and Touching the Ma
tional Park.
Indiana's Great Director Talks Al
Length Upon Many Matters
OF Interest.
His Estimate of Gen. Grant--The Old
Hero's Last visit at the
Capitol.
Another indian Commission.

Another Indian Commission.
Three members of the national house
committee To investigate the affairs of the
Indian agencies of the country arrived in
81. Paul yesterday noon and took rooms at
the Ryan. They were Congressman Will
lam 5. Holman of Indiana. chairman; Con-
gresham Joseph G.. Cannon of Illinois
and Congressman Thomas Ryan of Kansas,
and were accompanied by Sergeant-at-
Arms LeedOm and J. c. Courts of TenneS-
see. The party spent the afternoon i'll look
ing AT various portions of the city, and in the
evening Congressman Ryan and Cannon
were taken for a drive by prominent st.
Paul gentlemen. The entire party were
seyerally interviewed by GLOBE reporter,
all of them giving something OF the work
and scope of the committee and being
pretty unanimous in the expression that
they had a gOOd-siZed job on their hands
for the summer months. The committee
exists as they explained. by virtue of a
clause in bill passed among the last at the
last session, and has before it the
examinations into the general affairs
at nearly ali the agencies of the
country. The committee is in no way con-
neeted with the one that visited st. Paul
early last week, of which Senator Harrison
is chairman, and its work is of an entirely
different character. In a general way it
is 10
INVESTIGA ATE THE EXPENDITURE
of the public moneys at the Indian agencies,
with reference to education and general adj
vancement to look into the benefits derived
from the distribution of herds of cattle, to
report on the progress of the tribes in agri-
cultural pursuits, TO gain whatever knowl
edge is at hand relative to the wishes of the
Indians to retain their reservations, and TO
learn their sentiments on giving up
certain of these TO the government, and
accepting in return land in Indian Terri
tory; to examine into the conduct of the
agents. To look after the progress of the In
dian schools and the character of those In
dams who have been educated by the
government away from home; in short, to
gain whatever information is to be had of
general and specific nature on the tribes,
particularly those that make no claim to
living in villages, but are wandering from
place to place about the reservations.
Aside from its labors in connection with
the Indians, the committee will also give
considerable attention to matters connected
with the Yellowstone park. AS stated by
Congressman Cannon. the national house
infOrmatiOn-that is, from a committee
on this park and its development and care.
1t has been reported that the park is not
sufficiently protected in its police regula-
tons, and that numerous OF its finest curl
Osities are not protected from
THE VANDALISM OF RELIC HUNTERS.
and the police protection of the park will
also be investigated. The extension of the
park to the south, along its entire line for
several miles, and the cutting of of the few
miles to the north, so that it may all be
brought within single territory, will also
be subject matter for the committees in
veStigatiOn and recommendation.
The committee will go the entire line of
the Northern Pacific, branching to the
south and north at numerous points To
visit agencies; proceed down the coast to
Southern California. touching the head
quarters of the various tribes there, and
spend some days in Lower California. 1t
will return via the Southern Pacific road.
stopping at the various Indian agencies in
New Mexico and Arizona. and its labOrs
will require nearly all summer.
CONGRESSMAN HOLMAN
is a slim man of little more than medium
height. with a short grey beard that covers
the lower half Of his face. He speaks very
slowly and uses the best of the queens En-
glish. frequently interfering, don't We
knOw?" as he makes his points. He would
hardly be taken for the great OejectOr."
He wore yesterday n very Ordinary-lOOking
sort of coat, with seal-brown, diagonal
pantaloOnS. He talked very freely, and
said he wanted to take an opportunity,
through the press. to dlSaOuSe
the public mind of any idea it
may have had that his committee
has nothing to do. but is making a junket-
iIfg trip at the expense of the United States
government. He was just going to tea at
tine Ryan last evening when GLOBE re-
porter tackled him.
Come right in, my boy, and have cup
of tea with me-" said he, land I'll tell you
everything l know
The invitation was accepted with thanks.
and the congressman talked while ne ate.
Our committee has been down visit
ing the Indians at the Rosebud
and Pine Ridge agencies" he be-
gan. at the same time beginning
on q dish of raSpberries and cream, and we
had 4 peculiar, not to say interesting, time.
And want 10 say right here that think
the commission of 1882, known as the
Teller Commission was
ONE OF THE GREATEST MISTAKES
that was ever made i'm all our dealings with
the Indians. That was, don't you know,
movement to take the lands from the Sioux
to practically defraud them of them, and
they resented it. As a result it is impossi-
bic 10 attempt any arbitration with the
Sioux Tor some years to come, FOR they
look upon any visit OF COM
mittee as another attempt at fraud. Some
of the Sioux We have met. and the first
-, \ hgr
here for?' They regarded us with suspicion
and il was impossible TO deal with them.
All this is due to that unfortunate Teller
commission. and it will be years before
they will get over it.
las an instance of their suspicion, one
Of these Indians we visited rather caught
me. had told them through an inter-
prefer that we did not want their lands;
that we wanted to see their homes, low
they lived, what they had to eat, how they
were provided for, if they treated the
women well and IL they were making good
Il Sc OF all the presents that the great father
ut Washington had given them. L had no
sooner ceased talking thau a young buck
named Black Elk. arose and said:
=. II Won want to see my home, why don't
Won come to my tent? If you want to see
if have plenty to eat. why don't you come
to my table and see if l eat good beef or
iackaSs meat? If you want TO see if L use
my squaw well. why don't you ask my
s0uaw?' and so he went on enumerating
each thing 1 had said with a wonderful
memory. and closed by saying that we were
not acting in business-like manner If we
really wanted what we said we did.
Mr.. Holman said that the famous Young
n-Afraid-Of-Hi s-HOrseS, had addressed
the committee at a meeting at which there
were fully 200 Indians present.
HE is one of the most fOrcible and logical
sneakers ever heard said Mr.. Holman.