Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1889-08-10
JOHN Grass TALKS
!}.e K Q1-aG Ind al Ola-or
,fthe rICr Invest axes
a Speech.
He Presents Some Pointed
Questions for the Commits
sion's Consideration.
The Indians Declare They Will Not
Sign, and the Outlook Is Not
Brilliant Thetr side
OF the Case.


Not Making Much Roadway.
STANDING Rock, via Bismarck, Aug.
3.-Nothing OF importance occurred yes
terday with The exception Of the commits
sioners again purchasing a big bunch Of
beef cattle from the Indians and present
ing the beeves TO them for a feast. The
commissioners commendable generosity
has thus far not made the slightest i'm
preston. The subtle reds eagerly grasp
all these evidences of lberality and go
of and complaisantly fill their bellies,
which seems to widen the breach be-
tween the commissioners and Indians
every day. 1t has always been a well
known fact and chronicled in history
that an Indians vanity is easily ap.
preached with gifts of little consequence.
The scheme has W orked successfully at
the other agencies, but the Standing
Rock braves are imbued with the con.
viction that it is essential to their well
fare to be entirely modern IN their deal
ings with the white people and will point
the finger of scorn at all attempts at
~trickery.
The Indians do not live at the agency
proper. Their abiding places are scat
tered over the prairies for many miles
and they are obliged to undergo labor
ious travel and attend to business with
the commission until Uncle LaD's agents
see fit TO let them depart. The Indians
are spreading dissentson and growing to
get to their homes. but the commission
seems intent on keeping them at the port
until there is a show of obtaining sigma.
lures. Many OF them are hard working
farmers and have fine growing crops, anu
II IS highly necessary now that they
should get back to their farms. This
serves to incur the undying ire of the In
dams against the commission.
The last council was of two hours du.
ration, in which, of course, John Grass
Officiated as chief spokesman of the In
dIans. On ar occasion of this nature
! Grass words have q great deal more eff
feet than any OF the leading chiefs, He
acts in the capacity of Indian chief
justice, and when an Indian gets obnox-
ious Grass promptly metes out his
Blackstonian theory OF law. De asked a
great many questions, which were ably
answered by the commissioners. There
is no bulldoZing, and everything passes
| off in a most gentlemanly manner, a most
pleasing contrast to last summers com
mission. His comrades urged Grass to
talk some more, which he reluctantly
consented to do, and in the course of his
remarks there were frequent murmurs Of
appropriations: Grass said:
my Comrades and Honorable Mem.
bers who represent the Great Fathers in
terest: | do not see why we are
being kept away from III homes when
| our crops require attention at once. Our
squaws are left on the farms and they
cannot do all the work. The great
fathers agent cannot induce us to sign
the bill by keeping US here or by any
other arts and while we have been ed
ucated into the white. mans manner Of
meeting all obstacles and are not papooses
and ~bloodthirsty Indians as in days gone
by we have slain the white man and his
CORY scalp has dangled at girdles and
we are truly penitent of our rash doings.
We would like to do anything reasonable
in our power to make amends, but as
sure as the son SEES in the western hori-
zon we shall not do 30 by throw
ing away our lands TO the land
grabbers and other unprincirle
schemers. We would look at the
matter in q favorable light if we
knew the land was 10 be opened up for
the benefit OF the home seekers, but it lie
not. We have all studied the situation
carefully and know whereof we speak.
We told the government how much We
wanted for our land, but the government
would not give it and offers US consider
ably less than we demand. The Indians
never asked the great father to buy this
land, and why insist upon us taking less
than asked, for we are not anxious to
sell, and il pressed TO do SO we shall not
give it away. The great father at Wash.
iegion has millions in the treasury and
would not feel the mere morsel taken
out"
This was the substance Of the greatest
speech ever delivered by an Indian.
Gen. Crock then made a few remarks
in defense OF his position. John Grass,
the irrepreseible, answered:
'If you commissioners had a piece OF
land and some Il should set a price and
insist on you taking il, what would you
think Cf him.
General Crook spoke TO the Indians
about the danger Of their losing their
coveted lands at any rate. He said
The government wants the land, and
the two great states Of North and South
Dakota would nstallow a tribe Of Indians
to occr y a strip Of land 400 miles in the
very hart Of the two new states. Ny
red brothers, let me tell you that the bill
was formed by the friend Of the Indians
and they will never get as good Il bill
again. | have told the chiefs TO consider
this matter before deciding, as they as
same a terrible responsibility. | will
now leave the rolls in the hands Of the
agency Office to obtain signatures"
In Financial Distress.