The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1885-08-19
AMONG THE INDIANS.
Running Antelope in a Blaine Campaign
Hat
The Holman Committee Among the In
dians-The Dude Chief-The Indians
Talking Sense-Mr. Hol-
man Replies.

committees make their bi-annual tour of the
West inspecting Indian agencies. These Wis
its are relished by members of committees
who have the opportunity of sightseeing free
of expenses to themselves, and the
good Indians do not object to
their coming, for it gives them
a chance 10 unload themselves of much
corked up big talk" There are only two
Indian Committees on the road at present
the Senate Committee, headed by Senator
Harrison now side-tracked at Helena in a
composed of Holman, of Indiana; Ryan, of
Kansas, and Cannon, OF Illinois,
now on its way to the National Park,
having Just completed the inspection of the
Sioux Indians. The Holman committee Wis
tied this agency yesterday. AS this was the
first committee of the season here, it created
no little excitement among the Indians, who
had been told that one of the white chiefs
was the biggest man in the great council. and
that nothing could be done by the council
without his consent; in fact, that he had the
power to reduce or increase their rations
every year, as he saw fit. OF course they were
anxious to meet such a great chief and lay
their grievances before him. They
had heard of his coming, and
lodges and pitched their tepees on the Mis-
scuri to watch for the white ship" in which
the committee was expected to come. Here
tofore Congressional committees have always
visited this agency with a steamboat char
tered at Bismarck for the occasion. But in
this case the steamboat did not come. A
four-mule ambulance wagon from Fort Lin
coin brought the distinguished party to the
reservation over sixty-five miles of the rough
est road in Dakota. But
HOLMAN WAS SATISFIED
fri,, Il,
Government. Il have seen many white men
from the Great Council, said old Hairy Chin,
''but this is the worst lot ever saw" Ugh
Come in wagon like soldiers. Poor men. No
good"
The next morning 1900 Indians assembled
in great council. Running Antelope, the
President of the day. attired in a long yell
low linen duster and Blaine campaign hat,
formed the Indians into a ring eight deep,
the chiefs in the front rank and the squaws
in the back ground, with the committee in
the center seated on a log. The pipe was
passed around the chiefs, then to the COM
mittee. The priest and the trader were
sent for. The priest came, but the
trader knew what was in store
for him, and went out on "A
hunt with Sergeant-at-Arms Leedum. 1t
was well for him that he left for the com
plants Of the speakers were mainly directed
at him. Some went so far as to accuse him
of selling calico at a dollar per yard.
The big TALK was. then opened up by
Two Bears, son of old Two Bears, vh0 said
that his father died the first time ne told
lie; that the Grea. Father for the last
twenty-four years had been a champion
liar; that he had promised them everything
from steamboat down to a pair of sus-
penders; that he had robbed them
of the Black Hills, for which they had
not received ten cents; that he had allowed
NJ hffa IN I'll ha hrlf ffalnD TO clnof hs,
young men and ruin their daughters. The
reservation he said, was filling up with half
breeds, which was evidence enough that
white men were not such nice fellows after
all. But now that we have new great
father said he, 1--WE feel like we were living
a new life. We heard that he was good
man, and had turned out all the bad men of
his house" Two Bears is one of the
best Indians on the reservation. He
has farm, and raises enough
TO support himself and family and refuses aid
from the Government. John Grass,
THE DUDE CHIEF,
dressed i'm seersucker suit and new straw
hat, delivered long speech, charging the
white men with the old story of broken
pledges, deceit and falsehood, and of being a
land robber. "If the Great Father can't pay
his debts, let him say so, and we viii call it
square, said John. ''h We owed
you instead of You owing us,
you would soon have your pay Then
closed up with fine peroration asking for
more stores. more beef, and more of every
thing and that Uncle Sam pay up his honest
debts.
Gall and Running Antelope followed with
long speeches. demanding reparation for the
wrongs committed during the last twenty
four years, and both closed by asking tobacco
from the committee.
Mad Bear, the richest Indian of
the Agency, as well as the best
Indian, spoke from his wagon,
where he had his two wives and seven chill
dren. THE people you see here" he said,
self. | am an Indian, but as an Indian
have tried to put these people on the road of
civilization. Those that have tried to edu-
cate their children make my heart feel glad.
/ am an Indian, but when j make a bargain
| keep it. | am an Indian, but am afraid
of deception. Twenty-Five, years ago
the Great Father promised us money
but a. the end of FIVE years he claimed we
had been paid i'm full although we had not
received ten cents. said, in the past you
have made many promises you have not full
filled, so let us make no more treaties, and
keep the Black Hills There is one promise
that he made us. For every acre we should
cultivate he would give 500, but we have
cultivated 1000 acres and We have not re-
ceived ten cents. We had 400
lodges at that time and they promised us
that every family who would keep house and
teach their women how to manage them
should have yoke of cattle and a cow,
wagons. plows and house with two rooms
and two stoves Had made such promises
/ would fulfill them. That is not all. There
were a great many more promises. The
Great Spirit has given us land and here we
have made our homes in the past and here
we intend to live in the future
In the beginning we came from one woman
and one man. Both Indians and whites.
WE ARE BROTHERS.
We are all brothers. but we are Indians
and You are white men. We are poor and
you are rich. We are weak and you are
powerful. Therefore, look upon us with
pitying eye and help IT'S. As we have the
same God we ought to be- united.
| wish to say in regard to the
schools down East, that although
there are many things to zee the climate
makes them sick. AT Mandan there are many
shops that the children could go TO. There
il is close enough to us in case of sickness.
Then in regard to the store: A great many
complain that they are cheated. When any
body does wrong, he should be arrested.
When the trader cheats an Indian he
should be put i'm the guard-house
man who claims bn