Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1885-10-10


Man Entirely Familiar with the
sircumstances-He Says President
Arthur was Authorized to Open the
Reservation.
st. Paul Pioneer Press.
st. Paul, Oct. S-To the Editor:
Much has been said and written in re-
gard to the legality OF President Arthur's
order throwing open for settlement
what is known as the Grow Greek and
old Winnebago reservations, and as
there are great many facts connected
with the matter which do not appear to
have been made public, brief state
ment OF some Of them may not prove
uninteresting to your readers. Article
2 of the treaty of 1868, after defining the
boundaries of the great Sioux reserya.
tion on the west side OF the Missouri
r1ver contains the following: "And in
addition thereto all existing reservations
the doubt as TO the intention or mean.
ing of the commissioners when that
clause was inserted that has given rise
to the whole controversy. What the in
tention of the commissioners was is
probably known only to themselves,
and from the fact that the word reserya-
ton is used in the plural form it prob
ably was their intention to incorporate
and include the Grow Greek and Winne-
bago reservations, and to make them q
part and parcel Of the great Sioux res
ervatioD, in which event they could only
be thrown open by act of congress-.
The question as to what constitutes q
reservation must be considered. A dis
trict of country, set apart for the exclus-
i've use of tribe Of Indians, the bound
aries of which having been defined and
mutually agreed upon by representa-
tives of the government on the one
part and by the chiefs, and head men of
the indiana on the other part, subse-
quent ratification Of the agreement by
the senate and proclamation thereof By
the president, constitutes legal re-
servation. The Yankton reservation
lying on the east bank of the Missouri
Is legal one, and is therefore without
any question.a part OF the great Sioux
reservation. But with the Grow Greek
reservation the case is far different. It
will be remembered that in the fall
of 1862 some fifteen hundred OF
the Minnesota Sioux detached
themselves from the hostlles,
(who had been engaged, during the sum-
mer OF that year, In one of the most ter.
rible outbreaks of which We have any
record) and getting together between
two and three hundred oaptives, white
women and children, surrendered them
selves to tho forces undar the command
of Gen. Sibley. These friendly Indians
we're cent down to Fort Smelling and
there detained under guard until the
following sprlng. When the question
arose a. to what disposition should be
made OF them, Col. Clark w. Thomp-
SOD, who was then the superintendent
of Indian affairs for the northern super-
intendency, acting under, instructions
from the authorities at Washington to
select suitable location for them, pro-
ceeded up the Missouri river and selec-
ted the present location for the future
homes of the eMinnesota or Santee
Sioux, and of the Winnebsgoes also,
and ct once built q stockade, and saw
mill, and erected agency buildings,
etc. The Winnebsgoes at that
time were located upon seservs.
tion near Mankatn, being in peace and
quiet, and had always been friendly to
the whites. Many OF them had acquired
homes, farms, stock, ETC., and had made
considerable advancement in ciyllisa.
| ti0n, bgt in response 20 tho clamoe OF
! the excited 1ettless around them con