St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-07-24
Vigorous Speeches Made by
Several Of the Dusky
Orators.
Decided Opposition to the
Opening Of the Sioux
Reservation.
1t Is Feared That the Com
missioners Will Accom-.
plish Nothing.
Special to the Globe.

23.-All is excitement on the SlOuX res
ervation. Never since the granting of
the great tract of land to the Indians at
the Sioux war have the redskins been
so thoroughly awakened or the white
settlers SO deeply interested. 1t has
been supposed by a great minority of
the reading people that the Sioux res
ervation, containing 22,OOO,OOO acres of
land, was opened for settlement by the
recent act of congress, but the clause
making it necessary to secure the con-
sent of three-fourthS of the Indians
may keep the land
FROM THE PUBLIC DOMAIN
for many years.
The commission appointed by Presi-
dent Cleveland to confer with the
Indians arrived here yesterday and will
hold conference with the Sioux chiefs
and 5000 of their followers to-day.
Nearly the entire 5000 Indians of this
agency are camped within two miles of
Fort Yates, and additions to their num-
bers are arriving hourly.
The willy Sioux braves have not
wanted to meet the commission to dis
cuss the question, but at 5 o'clock this
evening they formed an immense circle
on the prairie, and never in the history
of the tribes were more eloquent OF
more stirring speeches
MADE BY DUsKY ORATORS.
Without regard to the merits of the
proposition made by the government,
and with no definite understanding of
the proposed treaty, the tribes gathered
here to oppose the opening of the reser-
vation. Sitting Bull, the famous medi-
cine man, who made the medicines for
the Custer massacre, is the only well
known Indian not present, and several
policemen have been riding over the
reservation in pursuit of him for four
days. News was received here to-day.
that he will be brought back tomorrow.
He left the agency for a hunt but it is
believed the sly old trickster has been.
at work among the Indians of other
agencies,
SEWING SEEDS OF DIsCoRD,
and urging them to oppose the measure.
Knowing that the conference with the
commissioners will be held tomorrow.
the Indians called a private council to-
=
of tents, which were pitched at daylight
yesterday morning, they formed
the circle, which was COM
posed of wagons, ponies and nearly
5000 orators. for every one of them
seemed loaded with oratorical fire. The
council was kept a secret from the
whites, but your correspondent with
friendly Interpreter was present. The
Indians selected Chiefs Gall, John
Grass, Mad Bear, Big Head and Run
ming Antelope as their orators for to-
morrow's conference. John Grass, the
chief just ce of the Sioux court was
the first to speak. He advised the In
dians to be careful what they say to the
commissioner no matter what is said,
TO MAKE NO DECISION
until mature consideration. He said:
"The treaties made before by the whites
have been broken by them. 81 think
these men sent out by the great father
to make this treaty about our land have
come for the same purpose. The gov
ernment will support us for twenty-five
years. and after that time we will have
to pay taxes and will be very poor"
MMad Bear, another of the great chiefs.
said: "These commissioners have come
| to talk with us about our lands. They
come here with an interpreter and we
must have one to look after our inter-
eStS. You have chosen four of us to do
the
TALKING FOR THE TRIBE
and we will work hard. Do not forget,
fellow warriors, that if you sign this
paper giving away your lands you can
| never get it back again. No matter
how much you may pray it will be gone
forever"
Mad Bear repeated that the whites
had broken all former treaties with the
Indians and at the close of his speech
there were numerous grunts of applause
from the circle.
Up to this time the council had been
quiet and comparatively cold. The an
plause, which is given by grunts and
gutteral explosions, was mild. but when
Mad Bear took his seat and Chief Gall
arose majestically, the Indians went
wild. Gall is the handsomest and
most commanding Indian of the tribe
and as field general led all the brilliant
maneuvers during the Custer campaign
| for which
SITTING BULL WAS GIVEN CREDIT.
He is unquestionably the finest living
| Indian orator, and his speech to-day is
pronounced by the interpreters to be
the most eloquent ever delivered on the
reservation. Among other things, he
| said, in alludlng to the arrival of the
| commissioners and the proposed new
| treaty: "TheSe commissioners have
come to talk about our lands. Five of
us have been chosen to speak. When
| we confront them in council tomorrow
we must not speak fast. We must know
what we want before we ask for it. We
| should listen to the whites and learn
what they are to offer, and then we
should, without foolish speaking, think
| what we are willing to give. When I
was at Fort Rice many years ago there
was treaty made with US. In this
treaty the whites made great promises.
They told us we would have many cat
tie, and that our horses would cover the
plains. returned in few years and
learned that we
WERE AGAIN DECEIVED.
They did not keep their word and we
were as fools when they made that
treaty. They told us that our lands
went north to the River of the Cannon
Ball. Now they tell us it goes no
further toward the great north light
than the Cedar creek. Again we are
driven. When the commissioners have
come out they have made us many big
promises. They would not tell us what
the great father said, but talk to please
the Indian heart. We believed them.
| but we have lost much of our JopdS a ,,.I