Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1886-02-26
RED CLOUD AGENCY.

The Views of Il Correspondent lie.
gardins the Management Of its Much
Assailed Agent.
Elaine 'Goodale, writing to the New
York Evening Post, from Pine Ridge
agency: II Lower Brule agency pos
sesses the elements of dramatic interest,
the conflict at Pine Ridge is u fully de-
veloped situation" The first repre-
sents the blind chaotic struggle between
barbarism and civilizations; at the second
the two forces are played off against
each other, and accurately weighed and
balanced by,a cool and powerful hand
DR.. Mcdlllicuddy, Red Clouds famous
agent, has been called an autoerat and q
tyrant, but his is not the mere arbitrary
| exercise of power. His will is practl-
| caily absolute; yet he is an agent in the
| fullest sense OF the word-acting under
tauthority OF government, of law, OF CIVIL
izatiop, to put down tribal authority.
His policy IL to use the progressive
party as check upon the other. So
| sssess. sssess. :tis chiefs aid ieadeEs of tine
people accept civilization, the church,
the school, The plough, they are enlisted
upon It's side, and emplored directly or
indirectly, by strategy or force. by spec
ial privilege or delegated author
lty, to restrain, compel, subdue.
| There are then at this great agency
two fully organized patties-on the one
side this remarkable man, all coolness,
nerve and executive force, with back
ing of fifty Indian police, we'll armed
and disciplined, under Capt. Sword, an
almost equally remarkable Indian, ana
a majority OF the chiefs with their bands
of followers; on the other the famous
malcontent, Red Cloud obstinately
| fighting for his declining influence, and
surrounded by little band of dissatis
fed, turbulent and non-progressive Ind
ians. The "Red Cloud faction is re.
| fuge for every Indian with an old enmity
toward the government or q personal
| grudge against the agent; every lazy
Indian who doesn't want work; every
objector to the schools, who wants TO
keep up Indian dances, dress and GUS
toms; in word, all the chronic grumb-
lerB and ''coffee-coolers," and the whole
"opposition" element.
DIR. McGillycuddy, with his superior
force, organization, and discipline, and
with the overwhelming weight of law
mands the situation. His ultimate
triumph would be certain but for the
vacillatlng policy of the department,
the unwisdom of committees and inspec-
tors, who gave undue countenance to
Red Cloud, and the detraction
of m his enemies, which
last, however, is 30 ridicnlously over
done that it does him, perhaps, as much
good as harm. The results of his six
years administration are effectively in
dicated by few figures, In 1878 all the
Indians-8,000 of the widest Ogallala
Sioux-lived within mile of the
agency, in lodges or tepees, doing no
work, and spending their nights In
dancing and feasting, and their days in
sleep Now 1000 log houses have been
lput up by the Indians themselves, with
little assistance, and over three-fourths
of the.people are living in houses and
, away from the agency. In 1879 there
were issued 10000 yards of canvas fol
t lodges, last year only 10000. Two hun
dred freight wagons are driven by In.
dams from the railfoad to the agency
and the Black Hills. Last year they
9 earned $45,000 by freighting supplies
: In August the Indians sold $4,000 wortl
a of beef cattle of their raising, and thi'
produced 10000 bushels of corn. Nov
that large proportion OF Indian fani
. lies are living IN houses, DIR. MeGilly
o cnddy is concentrating is fight upon vii
Il lage life, which tends to keep up the SO
- cial customs OF barbarism, and offer
- them every inducement to Scatter out
G, and take up so-cailed "claims" at isoiat
ID ed points. The remotest settlement
now on Grow Creek, fifty miles from th
agency.
nj The school system is probably MOI
: generally efficient here than any othe
os agency in Dakota, and the policy {
G compulsory attendance better enforce'
sr The doctor says he can get as man
,e day sohools as he is prepared to ask fo
- and he is rapidly placing all children
ae school age in school. Tho scho
MT houses are OF log, substantially bni
at and comfortable, in the shape OF the lie
ha ter T, with teachers rooms in the o
:; dition. The main difficulty is Il
" chronic one OF obtaining suitable teac
tn ers in these isolated and unattracti'
of posts. Those whom saw we're me
es somewhat rough in appearances and q
cultivated OF speech, but apparent
doing fairly vigorous and conscientIo
ID, work.
to The government boarding school
'al the agency is the largest and most tho
ne oughly equipped on the reservatis
a There are now 100 children in scho
IN and it is expected after Christmas to {
10 commodate about 100 more. The tb.
eft oughness with which we we're invited
ne. inspect every detail of the menage v
aat an indication Of Its completeness 7
of tclose personal superintendence OF {
a uant yrae avarywhera nvi3ant and
of asshs saaaham;nal mas ~ aad ;nysnt;ys asnins j
his piayed itself in the ingenious ar.an,
fed ment of fire escapes and portions ef