New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-04-21

condition.
Although you hear from Western people the
most hopeful assurances that the Indian San be-
come civilized and useful citizen entirely self
supporting, and capable in all ways Of exercising
the rights and improving the opportunities Of
citizenship, with his savage nature wholly
obfterated, and his msnliness so brought out
| that he will hold the life he came from In abhor-
renee; yet they ask with reasonableness that
must be acknowledged, how you are going TO do
that when you take from him all motive for
self-exertion, when you make him begger,
remove him from community with white people,
| shut him up in reservation where he has no
personal property rights maintain his tribal rela
tions and the authority of the hereditary chiefs,
| and teach him TO depend on the Great Father
for ell his supplies. This policy, once necessary
| and good, is now simply degrading to the Indian
and costly to the white man. When 1t was
| instituted IL was the only thing possible. Great
| blocks of country were assigned to small tribes.
not only because they were otherwise useless,
| but because they afforded huntns-grounds
But now there Is scarcely an eatable wild animal
in the entire West larger than a, jack-raboit ana
| everything the Indian puts in his mouth or on
his back is given to him outright by the Govern
ment
| How many white people would work unoer
| these circumstances ask the Dakotans. Corral
the people of q tenement-house district from New
| York City cut here on these prairies, tell them
| the hand Is theirs In common, but not fcot OF
| it within any ones individual reach, build them
houses to live in, give them weekly rations and
| clothes, and what would you expect of them
| To what civilized heights would you think them
| likely to attain? They might have been mechanics
before you brought them hither, and without
| IL LIN
| they retain itp If it be admitted that the
Caucasian nature would deteriorate in so depress-
| ing an environment you are asked how much
more harmful it must be upon a race, most Of
whom still worship rocks, and whose system Is
established on the fundamental principle that all
| labor is degrading.
The Indian cannot be blamed when he sees
the Government buying all he wants for him
| il he concludes that the Government owes him
| n living He despses labor, he knows he doesn't
| have to labor, and he believes II
the duty Of the whites 10 labor for him. Not
| long ago one Of the Agency officials at CROW
| Creek came walking over the brow OF big
bluff, and saw two ponies and two Indian women
| pulling and pushing a wagon up the hill In which
White Ghost, great burly 200 pounds Of Indian
majesty, sat glum and grand. The March wind
was blowing an icy gale down the bluffs, and the
women were almost frozen stiff, but White Ghost,
under his Government blanket was warm enough.
The white man told him to get out and help
push the wagon, but heap big Iniun' didn't so
much as grunt. He simply drew his blanket
closer around him, glanced contem ptuously at the
white man, and sat. At last, in pity for the
women, the white man added his muscle to
theirs and the ponies and helped 20 carry the
noble savage along White Ghost is the prin-
cipal chief at Crow Creek. He would sooner die
than work.
| Chamberlain is on the east side Of the Missouri
| River, about 20 miles north from Yanl1ton, and
| all the country on the west shore belongs to
| the Indians. The Drule agency is about five
miles below Chamberlain, and you reach 1t in
| row-boat under the patronage OF an elderly
| gentleman, who has been on the Missouri for
| twenty years, and who knows Iniun through and
| through Like all older Westerners who remem-
Der the experiences st New-Ulm, he has one set
phrase in which no speaks Of the redsl1in. He al
ways uses it as II it were single word,
| thus: Themdaminiuus And as he glides you
| along under the shadow Of the steep bluffs that
overlook the water everywhere he entertains you
| with stories of the noble savage.
| Il use ter think they wer'n't no vrtoo Z all in
| themdaminjunS an thet tn ony way ter make
EN- good was with gun. But I've sorter changed
nv 'pinion. onct in erwhile you kin ketch rsle
| good felers 'mongst 'em. I saved one Of 'em from
| drowndin' a couple O. weeks ergo an he was thet
| grateful he offered me my choice between ten
| head O. ponies an his wife, he said needn't feel
no constraint bout tallin' ,em, fer the Guv'ment
| nd give him more ponies and he could make out
| ter find another wife. They looks at ponies an
women the same way, only the woman lasts longer
| an STAINS more abuse.
| Then they was another good Injun I knowed
| onct. He was pleece up ter Crow Creek. The
agents makes all ther good Injuns pleecemen an
| dress em up in blue coats, with big brass but
| tons, like regular pleeceman. wild lnjun up
| the river had murdered another an gone oil in the
| praries where the agent couldn't ketch him
So he sent this good Iniun fer him an tole him ter
| be sure an ltetch him. He Was gone couple O.
DAYS an nights an when he come back he had three
dead Iniuns hyin' acrost his pony. Printing at one
| Of EN-, he says TO the agent You tell me get
| Lone Eagle Then he poxed at one Of the dead
| with his gun. an give II sorter cheerful grunt
/ The agent was oil struck OF a heap. l didn't
say to kill nobody says he.
| ".'Ughp says the Iniun. You say get Lone
Eagle. get him. Get three, no carry more
] 'MoreP says the agent turning pale. What
| hev you bin dom anyhow
| THE Injun-his name was White Hawk-give
a grunt lurch in his saddle, and fell dead acrost
his pony. lie was oil shot ter pieces, but they
went up the valley stretch bout hundred mile
er so, an they foun' three more Iniuns layin' In
| a gulch. He was tole ter ketch Lone Eagle an
| he done 1t,
Tibet war q downright good Iniun -they's no
| denyin' il, but the most of 'em is onery devils.
was pullin' man down here Onct Wyoming
man from Their Big Horn Mountains. He were
dom some giiv-ment work. She, You got fine
lot er Injuns down this way 81, Think so|
She, Yes ST, Where did you come acrost em p
She, Over yonder,' 81, thinhn' be was one O
them Injuns Rights folks from Philadelphy, 81:
| Air you stuck on Injuns? She. Not by dern
sight ST, Well, wot makes you think they're
Hnep She, Why, they're the best
ever saw. She, They're angels long er the
Slha .Xa nnt isl The