Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1885-07-12
THE INDIAN TROUBLE.
The Military and the Grass Lease
Business.

the Indians. the grass leases anu lHc
military, for they seem all closely
linked
Without fear of contradiction from
any quarter the assertion is made that
it has been known ever since last win
ter that the Indians intended fighting.
Col. Dyer the agent of the consolida-
ted tribes at Darlington has been call
ing for troops for months. The one
answer, apparently. has been that
there was no demand for the presence
of the military and no danger, Gener-
al Sheridan himself saying, we be-
lieve, that the grass lease business was
at the bottom of the discomfort. When
il became evident that the ball was to
telegraphed for. The interior de-
partment notified DYER 10 call for
what soldiers he needed and he should
have them. He asked for two regi-
ments and battery. When the new
commander arrived Mt Reno he found
the outlook so dangerous that lie
asked for four regiments and two
batteries, which showed that Col.
Dyer did not overestimate the gravity
of the situation. Instead of promptly
responding Gen. Augur announced
that he already had sixteen
companies OH the ground. but in
fact they were not there
but only under marching orders.
In the meantime Augur asked
that commission be sent
down to inquire if the grass leases
were not at the bottom of all this
trouble. He telegraphed Col. Potter
ut Camp Supply to go to Cantonment
and investigate the said rentals This
Potter did, taking with him Amos
Chapman as interpreter. This Chap
man is the same who upheld the
Cheyennes in the Horton horse scrape
al Cantonment last fall This Chap
man managed TO intimidate the
Arapahoes about Cantonmcnt, or at
least il seems certain that he Influenced
them TO swear that they had not even
heard any war talk from the Chey-
ennes. Potter, il is stated, also re-
fused TO listen TO the missionary
there, the Rev. 5. ;. IIanny, whom the
Cheyennes had threatened. over a
beef quarrel, to kill before shutdown
and TO outrage his wife In the face
of these threatened outrages and real
danger, Potter telegraphcd Augur
that everything was quiet at Canton
ment and that there was no farther
need of troops. Now the facts are
and can be substantiatcd that the
Cheyenncs were even then in their
medicine Village near the agency.
Thus everything was blocked and the
troops were held inactive waiting the
tardy process and movements made
looking 10 commission. To
render the matter still more open to
IL ntl
notified the governor of Kansas that
"there is no danger" and Reno tele-
graphed the same Off cial that ''the In
dians have promised not 90 raid Kan
sas." Indian promises through mill
tarv mediums are reliable q Of course.
As for reason for these strange
actions many are given. But reason
able conjectures ought to be a(lowa-
bic, and, any light rs to why the mill
tary should take SO much interest
in grass leases would natural
" be desired. Before any
grass leases were made il is known
thai large herd of cattle were held
near camp Supply on the reservation.
IL was rumored that certain military
iicers. who have shown such interest
since in working up n prejudice against
grass leases, were the owners of the
cattle in question. The grass leases of
course forced the removal of the fav-
ored herd. We leave il TO the best
posted readers to draw their conclu-
sions as to the aniInuS of the military
fight on grass rentals. As why the mil
itary seem even now more ready to
fight grass leases than Indians, for il
is know to everybody that some two
or three months have been taken to
get sixteen companies into the Terri
tory.
Now rs TO the leases and the In
dams. From all that we can learn the
Indians by large majority are not only
satisfied but well pleased with the plan
of grass rentals. The only opposition
among the Indians have come
from few head men who previous TO
the regular leases received something
like SIS per month for their consent
to the grazing of cattle on their lands.
Only few of the turbulent chiefs Sc
ceivcd this money. Under the general
lease system, of course, these particu-
larry favored ones get no more than
the other Indians, as lease money is
distributed pro rate with the entire
tribe. Hence the only opposition TO
the leases among the Indians. And
we honestly think that TAX
ing these rumors and known
facts into the calculation,
all the unexpiainable things
connected with the movements of the
military become more lucid. That
this late lavishing of military sympa-
thy on the poor, defrauded, starving
and deeply wronged Indian needs
some explanation all will agree. TAX
ing these points in connection with
the old fight between the War and
s. the Interior departments for agency
control and It's no wonder that the
muddle presents mixed phaze. The
military, under new administra-
ton again hope for victory,
tor change which will
relieve the shoulder strapper of the
humiliation of being subjected TO the
orders of mere civillion, and If blood
shed docs cnsue we predict that the
military will lay it all TO being
'pampered" by the present system"
To show that these same views are