Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1888-09-21
PRArTs PLANS.

A Member OF the Sioux Communication
Expresses Himself in an Inter
| view,
Carlisle, Pa, Sept. 13-Oapt, Pratt,
| superintendent OF the Indian school In
this city and chairman OF the Sioux com.
mission. hos returned to Dakota, In q
personal interview last evening the
| captain said that he left the commission
at Lower Brule agency the 10Th for o
conference with Secretary Villas, at his
| home In Madison, Wiz. The secretary
ordered general conference to
take place at Lower Brule
agency the 22d. at which
| ali the Indian agents on the Sioux reser.
| walton and the leading Indians OF the
| several agencies should be present. Az
it would take nearly two weeks for the
conference to assemble, the secretary
! permitted Capt. Pratt 10 run over to
Carlisle for few days to look after the
interest OF the school. So far the oon-
missloners have received 3S6 signatures
at Standing Rock, Grow Greek and
Lower Brnle. This is greater number
OF signers than any treaty heretofore
made with the Sioux received, and
| among those who signed are consider
able number who have received more or
Iess education and are able to read the
bill for themselves and sign intelljgently
which was not the case with any treaty
heretofore entered into between the gov.
ernment and the Sioux. The treaties
OF 1858 and 1875 we're both signed by the
Indians entirely by mark,
"What would be the effect upon the
Sionx tribe if they should fell to ratify
this bill?" was asked of Oapt. Pratt.
That is difficult question:" he re-
piled. There is strong sentiment in
the west in favor OF overriding tine wishes
OF the Indians and favoring legislation
ltoFthem without their consent. Indeed
that would seem to have been the in
tenfIon OF the act OF March 3, 1871,
which prohibited further treaty with the
| Indian tribes. UndsR the treaty of 1876
the president may proceed TO a!iot their
| lands at any time. Then there is the
Dawes Dill, which provides for lands in
| severaity on the reservation. Either OF
these might be enforced at once and ac-
com pllsh the purpose sought in this act.
considering that since 1886 $50, 600, 600
has been spent for their support end Oh
yiization the condition OF the Sioux is
unsatisfactory. This year the Indian
appropriation bill provides for an ax-
penditnre for them of over 81 100000.
Ihat IL about one fourth OF the entire
Indian appropriation, end they number
only one-eleventh OF the Indians appro-
priated for. l saw scarcely any evidence
OF settled civilized life that did not
represent government or charity money
Their houses, school houses, agricultural
| implements, wagons, harness and fences
were sil given by the government, and
the appropriation this year amounts to
| an expenditure OF about sixty-five dol
lars Tor every mao, woman end child in
food supplies and salaries. Their methods
OF killing their beef are more savage and
repulsive than the old way of killing
buffalo. At the Standing Rock agency
the Indians spend seven days out OF
every fourteen going to and from the
agency and in camp there for their rs-
tlons. They have to be driven in all
their farming and industrial efforts, and
force has to be used constantly to get
their children into the agency schools
and keep them there. II is very plain
everywhere that their leaders have no
intention ofcarrying out the provisions
made in the treaty of 1876, in which they
agreed TO take allotments and faithfully
undertake to learn self support"
Do You think it is right for the gov.
ernment to recognize the chiefs such 2"
The twelfth clause OF the treaty of
1858, which makes it necessary that the
present Dawes bill must secure indlvld-
ual consent and get three fourths vote,
especially provides in its spirit, il not in
Its letter, that the chiefs should not be
recognized any more than other mem.
bers OF the tribe. AS long as the chiefs
are obstinately against any change from
the old life they ought not to be recog-
nIzed, but IL the chiefs would lead their
people by precept and example towsrd
civilization there ought to be no objec.
tion to them ?''
How has the government fulfilled its
treaty obligations with the Sloux?"
After studying the treaties pretty
thoroughly am satisfied the government
has done more than it promised. There
is clause 10 the treaty of 1868 in which
the government agreed to feed the Sioux
for four years, contemplating that at the
end OF that time they would be- settled
on allotments and dsupporting themselves.
The government did feed them four
years as agreed, and then instead of con.
forming with the treaty and letting them
work or starve like other people it con-
tinued to feed them four years longer,
or until the treaty OF 1876, without any
benefit to the government to cover that
expense, and then made another treaty
agreeing to feed them until they were
able to support themselves. AS said
before, the Indians have entirely failed
to keep their part OF that treaty, both in
not taking their sllotments and in not
faithfully undertaking to learn how TO
support themselves"