Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1885-11-07
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INDIAN AGENCIES.
Senator Henderson Returns From a
Trip to III Ridge and Rosebud.

Senator Henderson Returns From a
Trip to Pine Ridge and Rosebud.
Omaha, Nov. 5-Senator Henderson,
of this city, yesterday returned from o
trip over the Fremont, Elkhorn and
Missouri Valley road to Chadron. On
being asked by q Herald reporter if he
visited any places Of interest along the
line, Senator Henderson said:
"On the return trip of u party,
which consisted OF Congressman Dorsey,
Prof. Jones, of the normal college at
Fremont, and myself, stopped at Rush
vile. Sheridan county. From there we
took q wagon and drove to the Pine
Ridge agency, where We stayed two days.
We passed through an excellent strip
Of country, the lands in the Pine
Ridge reservation being exceedingly
valuable. The agency IS comprised
entirely OF Sioux Indians. The Sioux
number between $4,000 and 10000 pee
pie, and occupy $4,000 square miles of
territory-far more than is needed. In
fact the interests of the Indians them
selves would be advanced and the time
when they will llye severally would be
innstene6 if the reservations were small
or. We visited some of the outlying
villages where under the active and
fearless management Of DR.. McGilly-
cuddy, the agent, considerable progress
has been made. The policy OF the
agents has been, and is now,to scatter the
Indians oyer the land and abandon the
villages. About 1000 log and frame
houses have been erected i'll tbs Pine
Ridge agency. Then there are eight
day SCHOOLS and one boarding-school
which are excellently managed and we'll
attended. The Indian pupils are max
ing great advancement IN the direction
OF white mans education"
'Did you meet any of the chiefs 2"
20, yes. We held o council, at which
200 Sioux we're present. Red Cloud and
Young-M an-Atraid -of-Iiis-H Horses were
both absent from the agency at the time,
but we llstened.to speeches from Little
Wound and American Horse, both of
whom are influential chiefs. Young-Man-
Alraid-of- His Horses is the leading In
dian at the agency. He is in favor of
this advancement of his race and the dis
solution OF the tribal relation. Red
Cloud is a fire brand and a mischief
maker. He refuses to allow the Indlan
children under his control to attend
schools, and such is his personal ami
mostly to Dr.. Mc4illyuuddy, the agent,
that he opposes most of his efforts for
tine civilization of the Sioux. His fol-
loving, however, is comparatively small,
as he Influences only about 1000 of the
5000 Indians at the agency. The care
with which the government cares for its
Indians cannot be appreciated except by
a personal inspection. The great objec-
tion to the policy is that it offers no in
ducements for the Indians to work, but
rather puts o direct premium upon idle
ness, Some Of them do good work, but
the great majority look upon labor as
degrading, and as there is no necessity
for work, live q life of utter and de-
basing 1aziness.
"Our next stopping was Valentine,
from where we drove to Fort Niobrara,
which is commanded by General James
s. Brisbine. The fort has been greatly
improved this summer. -Four full sets
OF cavalry barracks have been erected,
and there is no better garrison in the
eanntr for cavalry instruction and evn-
luton. From the fort we went thirty.
five miles north TO the Rosebud agency.
Major Wrigbe is the agent and has Civ.
en- good satisfaction. While there we
met young Spotted Tail, who ia evident
~ not the great man his father was.
There are about 900 houses scattered
over the land in that agency in which
the Indians live. There IL no boarding
school there, but there are eight day
achools, which are we'll managed and
largely attended. We spent nearly two
days at the agency, then went back to
vsalentine, from which place we came
directly home after being absent just a
week.