St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-04-21
HOW IT WAS SECURED.
The Story Of the Long Struggle for the
Opening Of the Reservation.
DAWES WAS THE OBSTACLE.
But for Him the Black Hills Would
Count 100000 and Pierre 10000
Population.

special TO the GLOBE.
WASHINGTON, April 20.-In fulfill
ment of a promise made some weeks ago,
Col. John FL. King to-day consented to
be interviewed concerning the history of
the bill opening the Sioux reservation
which has at last become a law. He
was captured in the committee room of
Senator Allison, and accosted thus:
''Well, you have had long siege on
this Sioux reservation question"
eyes, it is six or seven years old, and
has been tiresome can tell you"
'.What was done six years ago?'
"a provision had been put in one OF
the appropriation bills authorizing a
commission to treat with the Sioux In
dams.
''The treaty was made and signed and
passed the house by Mr.. Pettigrew, but
was defeated in the senate by smother.
ing it by Senator Dawes. 1t could moi
but Dawes managed to kill it by reason
of the bill coming to the senate in the
last hours of the session. If this bill had
passed the Black Hills would have con.
tanned 100000 people to-day and Cham
berlain and Pierre would have each had
about 10000 inhabitants and Southern
Dakota would have had thousand
miles more of railroads."
Then the people do not like Dawes
any too well?''
''Well, should say not. At the same
time we want to give him credit for the
good he has done. He has accepted our
bill, and since he has been compelled to
accept it he has acted in good faith and
pushed it. But he alone is responsible
for our six years. waiting, and his bill,
after all, is not the one that became a
law"
.'What is the difference between your
bill and his?"
FirSt-He insisted for years on tribal
patents.
"Second-He opposed cash annuities.
"Third-He opposed providing school
houses, or what we called the school
clause.
''Fourth-He opposed providing for the
Indians who had taken or would take
lands in severalty, with yoke of oxen,
wagon, pillow, hoe and an OK. In
short he opposed every change of what
he had advertised as the Dawes bill,
and the only change he made of any i'm
portance whatever at the first meeting
of his committee, although number of
others were understood to be made, was
striking out tribal patents, and this he
only did after showing cOnclusively to
his committee that it would be an absO-
lutte grant to the tribe not subject to fu-
ture legislation"
the provision you name and many 9TH
ers. How did you do this over Dawes
head?
Well, Mr.. Dawes had assumed that
the house would not do anything; that
it had always killed his bill; that he had
passed it twice through the senate, but
he always failed to say that he had vir-
tually told the house, and every one
else: You take just what give you
or you will get nothing He always
said virtually: /, Senator Dawes, went all
the way from Massachusetts, to the
Sioux reservation and staid one night
at each agency, and know all about it,
and you men who live near the reserva-
ton, even if you have been there for
years, if you differ from me you don't
know anything about it and you shan't
be considered.
'sWell, after!presenting our case to the
senate committee and finding friend
was determined to have his way, con-
trary to his expectations, we went to
the house, introduced bill leaving
out the submission clause, which was
dearer to him than all else, and intro
duced another bill having in it the rati-
ficatiOn Of the agreement of 1882, which
Dawes hated worse than anything else,
and Immediately the great senator from
Massachusetts got down off of his sem
atOrial dignity and telegraphed to Rapid
City that King was here fighting his bill
and might kill legislation. But King
neither quit or went home, and he, the
senator, commenced to sit down on leg
islation, as he supposed by holding his
bills to tire us out. We pushed our bills
in the house, and ON the 18th of March
be woke up to find the house had passed