The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1888-07-26
A SIOUX POWWOW.
Braves in Council Considering a Pro-
posal to Vamooss.
Every Redskin Votes Against Giving
Consent TO the Treaty.
Sitting Bull, the Only Indian of Prom
lnence, Who is Absent.
An Old stager Suicides With Fifty
Pounds of Giant Powder

~
July 24.-AIl is excitement on the Sioux
reservation. Never. since the granting
of the great tract OF land TO the lholans
at the close of the Sioux war, nave Gne
Indians been so thoroughly aWakened'
or the white settlers so deeply inter.
ested, 1t has been supposed by great
major ty of the reading people that the
Sionx reservation. containing 2zO,OOO
acres of land, was opened Tor settle
ment by the recent act of congress, put
the clause making 1t necessary 10 Sc
cure the consent of three-IohTtHS Oh
the Indians. may keep the land from
the public demand for many years.
The commission appointed by PfeSi-
dent cleveland to confer with the In
dams has arrived. Nearly the entire
| 600 Indians of this agency are caIlPeu
within two miles of Fort ates ana ad
ditions are arriving hourly. without
regard to the merits of the proposition
made nv the government, ana VIII no
definite understanding OF the proposes
| treaty, the tribes gathered mere are 10
oppose the opening OF the TeserVaGi9n'
| Sitting Bull is the only well-known III
dian not present. and he will be
| brought. He left the agency Tor
| hunt. but it is believed the sly old trlck-
1 ster has been at work among Inc
Indians of other agencies, SOWING seeos
of discord and urging them TO 4PRose
| the measure. The Indians called
council Yesterday, and in the center OF
Their vast city of tents, which were
nitched at daylight Sunday morning,
they formed their circle, Whicn was
composed of wagons, ponies anu neaLIy
| 900 Indians. The Indians selScteu
! Chiefs Gall, John Grass. Mao BEAR
Bighead and Running Antelope TOT
their orators for their commission con,
terence, John Grass, one OF the mead
chiefs, was the first to speak. he al
yised the Indians to be careful IN WhaC
: they say to the commission, anu no
matter what is said to make no decision
until after mature consideration: He
| said: 1.-The treaties made before by the
| whites have been broken by IneLh.
, think these men sent out by the great
, father to make this treaty about our
, land have come Tor sone pusiPosS to,,t uo
government will support us Tor JwenGy-
| five wears and after that time we Will
have to pay taxes and will be poor.
Mad Bear, another of the great chiefs,
said: 'sThese commissioners have come
: | to talk with us about our lands. They
come with an interpreter anu VIC mts'
have one to look after our INTERESTS.
You have chosen four to do the talk
inc for the tribe, and we Will work
hard. Do not forget, fellow warriors,
d that if you sign this paper giving
away your lands you can never YeC IL
/, hack again. No matter how much you
: NAV pray, il will be gone for ever.
y Mad Bear repeated that the whites had
t brnIren all former treaties with the
= Indians and at the close of the speech
e there were numerous grnnts Oh ap-
4 plause.
: Up to this time the council had been
j. quiet and comparatively cold. Inc APP
e plause, which is given by grunts ana
;, deem putteral explosions, was milo,
3 but when Mad Bear took his seat and
=: Chief Gall arose majestlcally y, the Indl-
1 ans went wild. Gall is the handsomest
n Indian
and most commanding In1 InI III III tI,e
I tribe, and as field general Ied ali tlle
@ brilliant manGuyres during the Custer
:. camDaipn. for which Sitting Bull was
5 given credit. He is unqueStlonaDly the
{ finest living Indian orator, and his
speech at this council rs pro
e he the most eloquent eyer
0 delivered on the reservation. Among
other things he said, in anudlng 10 the
: arrival of the commissioners ana the
proposed new treaty: THESE conInls-
D sioners have come TO talk ABOUT our
J. lands. Five of us have been chosen 10
!. speak. When we confront them IN
0 council we must not speak fast. we
e must know what we want before we
5 ask for it. We should listen To the
: whites and learn what they care TO
J. offer. and then we should, without
!. fooIjshness. think what we are willing
L To give. When | was at Fort rice,
l. MANY wears ago, there was treaty
/ made with us. In this treaty the
whites made great promises. They
z told us that we would have many cat
J. tie and that our horses would cover the
s plains. returned in few years and
learned that we were again deceived.
o They did not keep their word; we were
o as fools When they made that treaty
they told us that our lands went north
II to the River Cannon Bail. NOW tney
, tell rs il goes no further toward the
l. great north light than the Cedar creek.
u Again we were deceived. The commits
e sioners have come out; they have made
2, rs MANY big promises; they would not
eeIl us what the great father sald, Dut
y would talk to please the Indian heart;
Is we believed them, but we nave loSG
nucb of orr lands and our children
have been hungry. In the past L have
not complained. l believed the great
father was honest and have acted with
"a a good heart, but unless this treaty
HI with us is fair and we are told the
" truth my heart will not be good. We
cannot accept land apart tmeaninR
seyeralty.1 We want grazing lands.
Our reservations have been growing
smaller and soon we VIII be without q
hunting ground. They came | hear
with two papers one to take our lands
and one to keep them. They tell US We
must sign one or the other and our
names will be counted. This is the
first time ever knew that an Indian
can be made to sign paper against
his will" AT the close of Calls speech
the applause was savagely
enthusiastic After speeches by Run
e ming Antelope, High Bear and others,
and the reading of the proposed treaty,
Dc which was printed in the Sioux Ian
guage, Mad Bear again addressed the
circle, and called upon all opposed TO
giving consent to the treaty to rise.
Every Indian in the circle sprang to his
1 a n
0; ance was so satisfactory TO the orators
that it was repeated three times. The
4. pacific speech OF the day was made by
5. Running Antelope, who advised his
people to be calm and deliberate in the
2; conference with the commission.