New-York tribune., 1885-01-05
THE STARVING PIEG4NS.
AND WHERE THE RESPONSIBILITY RESTS


AN OPEN LETTER TO REPRESENTATIVE ELLIS.
THE TRIBUNE has received the following oPcn
letter to Representative Ellis from Professor " "
Painter. exposing. in behalf OF the lhdlah h's"''
Association. the present situation OF the Piegah
Indians, and explicitly putting the pi"iho "
the writer thinks il belongs.
To the Hcn f. JoHN ELLIS. Chairman q me s@o1com p
D,ttce Indi1n Appropriations, House V HeP'e-
Sea,fdtices Washington, H. Z.
SIR NV surprise and asionlshment were so great 'he
other morning because OF your sudden change oi p'
pose regarding the deficiency estimate ipr 'c io',oi
of certain Montana Indians. that coud NOT III t"0
brief time allowed ME. answer your ques'iohs' ,ou
had only the evening before. repeated 10 NE tne eApo'
promise made by you and Mr. Ryan to the Committee VI
the Indian Rights Association the IGN inst tat !o"
would mat as soon as estimate reached your COM
mittce introduce and secure the passage oi Jo'n'
resolution appr0pratiDg tho sum asked ior' III" "oio
informed in the letter from the acting secretary VI "0
Interior which accompanied this estimate ana "nich
was referred with 1t your committee that the agent
a the Rackeet Agency had been instructed by the be
narmept To exhaust his supplies by the 3lst OF MARCH,
and that unless supplies to meet the deficiency were sent
In by the 18th OF January would be all but
to re, them in through that country in time to prevent
starvation Certainly nothing contained IN this etter
was calculated to lessen the urgency OF the action wcu
was sought from you and hch you had 80 explicit!
promised.
fear that no Importantly can now secure action ID
this matter which will these poor people from eh-
treme suffering, and 1t IL not with the hope oi aVerhs
this but with tie purpose rather OF locating response
blity for It, that proceed your questions; ~
How did it happen that there such suffering among
them; and (2 what has become OF the money (SiVoVVV
approp rated last winter for their reliefi
l. IL appears that tie Department asked ior INC sup
mort of these Indians food aud clo,hng) Tor the year
ending June So ssh the sum OF 2G0OOo ana that Con-
gress at the suggestion of your committee gave
than la "a f4l.gn
deemed necessary II may he well TO say III TINS con-
nection that the asked for based upon the eN-
pectalion that game wogd be abundant as In years 81
which proved mistake. as none was to be found 'Ao
deficiency created by the action OF your committee WIS
s oO0 the utter failure OF all crops by reason oi iros
drouth etc. the entire absence OF game threatened
this people with absolute starvation. Senator Vest and
Delegate Maginns reported this condition OF things at
very opening OF the last session OF Congress Ire
President called the attention OF Congress TO hc "cs
communicated to him by the Secretary OF the INTERIOR
VINO asked for $l3s 900 to meet the emergency Special
Inspector Howard appeared before your committee ana
informed You OF what he had just seen among these
people and YOU introduced joint resolution the next
day appropriang $4,000 to this purpose. The senae
amended this and appropriated @lOO,ooo ii you "e
doubtful as to your responsibility for the non-concur-
renee the House In this amendment. viii respectfully
refer you to The Congressional Record for February l.
1884 pages Is3 and S4 Mr.. Magnnis related what lie
had seen and heard in personal visit to these people
few months previous. and suro that at least
500 900 was both needed and asked for. Mt Chasc
WAS confident that the Department had asked Tor
$l3s 600 Your assertion made with great p0siIvches
and reiterated, that your committee had given every
dollar that bad asked for by the CommssiDncr OF
Indian A0ars caused the House reject the Senate
amendment and delay ensed before you were forced 10
correct mistake which was fatal To many poor starving
ndians and after delay OF two months aiier IL was
informed Of facts Congress Appropriated about Ihree
fonrths OF the sum asked for
That this was not sufficient appears from mid state
ent in the last report OF the Commissioner of Indian
Affairs who SAYS: There little doubt that many
deaths amongst them these montana lndans) were the
direct result of lack of food During recent visit TO
the Blackfeet Agency the Agent informed Inc that lie
issued during spring and early summer from four to
six burial per day for some time ana that no
money would induce him 10 witness again the scenes
through which he had passed during those fearful
months IL was estimated that i0C Of the Indians o! that
Agency which numbered not more than 24OO or 100
died from want OF food AT Fort Belknap the suffering
would have just but for TIE fact that Is
near large military post, and that the men brought
their wives and daughters little girls ana pros-
tuted them to the whites for money with which to p-
chase food.
This agree with yon. Is an infamy"; one for which
as chairman OF committee Of appropriations Tor
Indian Affairs who cnt down estimates who delayed
action and who has deliberately refused to report
resolution appropriang for the deficiency for this year.
the country Will hold you responsible.
The answer TO your second question Is not hard 10
find Divide the OF money appropriated to feed ard
cothe these people 1000 OF them in round numbers.
and you will have for this purpose about l-3 cents
diem Del capita; a which might be used honestly
for such purpose without raising such strong suspicious
that il had that you forced a. prudent
nblIc officer entrusted with grave responsibilities TO
thrust aside with contempt the estimate o the Interior
tine urgent cry that there VIII De lo oAcr
infamy unless you act at once, ana say on must
know how tins has been expended before you WI" HA ioi
For the year ending juno 80. 1895, the Department
asked for these Indians for food hhd clothing,
1878 OO0 acting under your adNloe CONGRESS mas appO
priaed S2i3OO0; that H. S32OOO less th"h he hrcued
You have before you the facts that $4,000 Is needed 10
infany of starvation again, that tnc supplies
viii be exhausted on the lst or AIfl next
and that the supplies must be In by the middle oi
January Your lrOIuisc TO the committee composed OF
General Armstrong, Nessrs Bddc. Welsh ana Frazer Of
Pnadelpha, was explicit mat you wOud ACT upon tehe
facts they reached yOur cOnnlce lnt lhls'
the next morning after tey did reach you you iay re
fused To do until you had satisfactory answers to your
questions These have attempted 10 answer. whether
Official Record. Your argument that you had gwen
money iigafng bitches and thnt these people ought
To do rOncthlg support Themselves, is fuy mot Dy
the fact tbat this bill was not approved nnt to 1h OF
July last and consequently practical RELIEF Tor those
whom designed to aid, could not DC derived III 20
short "a time Your remark that the Indian seems To
have too many friends abon here befrays Tear. INC
animus by which you are controlled. As an kHONh
methods securing relief for these Indians from your
committee have been exhausted am forced TO appeal To
ctzens at large, who am confident. do not uesre
tituiion TO save themselves such fate and so
these 10 your questions TO the country at
large Yours etc, C. G. PAINTER.
GItat harrington, Mass, Dec. "a, 1854