The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1885-07-09
TELLING THEN TRUTHS
ON THE INDIAN SITUATION
Gen sohonsid says the Present Troan'e
Results From UunEer-Hasions
Ordered Is'asd-osn, Popes
OId Robbery Report

Brady, In which the the ihtter says
The Msscalero ApAohes, in the vicinity
of southeastern New, Mexico are
restless, because thoir
supplies are giving out. AZ
present they have nothing but
L eef and short rations. In comment
ING on the above dispatch to Adjutant-
General Drum, General Scotield said
there were rs many Indian difficulties
as the troops were able 10 handle. he
Thought II the Indian bureau could
not furnish supplies TO these PEG
ple that the army had better
feed them out OF their stores
and charge the amount TO the lnuiah
bureau. Secretary Lamar consented 20
the proposition, and General scho-
field was directed 10 issue rstiohs troui
tho military stores 81 inc post "hore
the trouble IN threatened.
ALMOST \ uAp OUTBREAK.
awe would naye Ind our names
nlll. - said an officer holding q proml-
uEut notation nero, In commenting
tu.J.y upon the contents Oh the above
oisnatches, "if the Apaches in South
western New Mexico had gono on me
war path. The Utes IN North
w ostern and Northern Mexico, the
hnsches in Arizona and the Chhyennes
i'm the Indian Territory are MI giving
ms trouble and they are widely sepa-
rated. When one knows the conuitiou
OF the Indians he cannot blame thom
for their actions. They must 40 some
thing or starve TO death. Thsy nave
no food and there Is no game Tor them
to kill. The government Is not nan
feeding them. l understand tnat
the appropriations for Indians are
less now than they were several years
ago. and / have 1t from no less
authority than the general or the
army that they are cheated out OF poE-
tions OF food purchased. ny
these appropriations to o,, when
between dealers and agents they
get cattle weighing one-half
On one-fourth what their contract calls
for. or course, when this Ia DONE heii
food gives out before the end OF
the wear and they can get nothing al.
ditional on the reservation except
snakes and insects, which they DO oat.''
Another army officer says that the
amount of food allowed an Indian by
the government will not equal more
than one fourth the amount which Is
given to soldier.
WHAT GENERAL POPE SAYS.
In 1877, during trouble with the
Chevennes, General Pope sent the
following heretofore unpublished re-
mort to the war department:
GAS matters stand, the military
forces are placed in false and very
unsatisfactory condition in relation
To these Indians. 1t Is inhuman II
compel Indians to remain at agencies
ON their reserv atoms, slhwly starving
to death, If they do what any mar
would do under the circumstances
leave the localities where they arr
placed to procure food TO proven
themselves and their families iron
starving, it is considered the duty Q
the army to pursue and force them paci
and compel them to starve peaceably
in other words, the military forces ar
required to comrel these Indians y
starve TO death quickly or be Killed, !
they are not willing to 90 IL.
| is impossible to believe that the gov
intends knowingly to be even tacitl..
= narty to 90 monstrous a Grim
aRsinst humanity, and consider II
therefore, q duty both to the govern
ment and the military forc
to- acqusint the authoIitis
with the facts, however disagreeabi
thew may be. It will be perceive
that Q large sam IL necessarily use
from the appropriation for thes
indian tribes TO transport th
snpplios to this and other remot
agenoies, and It IL not imprope
for me TO again invite attention TO tn
numerous recommendations I hav
made in the last Ia years, that Indian
confined to the reserYauons 2
treaty stipulstions be bropgf
into points. where everythln
Is cheap and whore the enormou
Expenditure for transportation OF suo
supplies SUPP to tho" will not DO ne'e'
In September Of the same year Ger
eral POPE sent another report to tn
department and said:
Tho papers forwarded contain mel
restatsment Of what have 30 ofte
brought to the attention Of the author
ties. that feel reluctant to forwar
them: nevertheless the :subject mui
be presented, and must be dealt will
unless the honor of the governmer
the faith of its promises and Commo
humanity to these wretched Indian
and the safety Of the people OF tn
frontier are not worth considering
The situation is plain and n.
to be misunderstood. The lnd1aI
In question have the write
promise Of the government, empodie
in treaty ratified by the Senate, I'M
they shall, in part consideration
certain obligations which they nay
he supplied with provisions
amount and character specially state
provisions absolutely necessary
keep them from starving at the pla'
where the government itse
has established them. The
are not so furnished, ar
are in consequence in a sufferir
condition, which must very soon for'
Them to flee from the reservatio
What are the military forces to d.
Is it really expected that they shs
compel these Indians to stay whe
thew are and slowly star
to death? 1t Is lmpossip
r that the government expects TN
cruelty or that the troops should ex
cute It. / do not undertake TO 81
! where is the blame for this breacn
, solemn obligation OF the Untt,
States, bat do say that under miiita'
things could not happen, unless lfro
ations--a reasan which cannot be a
signed in the case of the lnd1s
department. There are herds
=, cattle in the vicinity of the
indians which could be bong
and issued to them. If this be n
!, done at once, is there any man WI
can blame the Indian for taking WIN
he needs rather than starveIto dea
in the sight of abundance al
when the government stan
pledged to him Tor
subsistence? / trust that the secl
i, tary of war will in some mann
protect the army from being placed
3 such q position as this, and II the 1
, dams are to be dealt with in this ma
? ner the army at least shall
held blameless for the consequences
q n q -