The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1890-12-27

DEFENDS THE RED MEN.
Rev. Father Craft Explains the
Position of the Indians.

Maitfsateh by the Whites They DO Not
Want to Fight The Messiah story
Reports from the Northwest Greatly
Exaggerated.
Reports of Indian distur,anc in the
Northwest are of such frequent occurrence
and almost III every instance turn out to
be purely canard or SO greatly exagger-
ated that people in the East place little
reliance in them Rev. Francis Craft, who
hassfaithfully toiled among the redmen in
the Northwest for a number Of years and
has done as much as any one man to
civilize the Indians is about as good
authority on the Indian question us could
be found. He came East some time ago
to secure the further aid of his Church
in his labors in the Northwest, and few
days ago expressed his views on the Mes
siah craze to the New York .'Freeman's
Journal"
II have have been for ten years." said
Father Craft, "a missionary among the
Indians of the Northwest-the Kalispels,
Pen dOrielle, Nez Perces, Blackfeet,
Crows, Dakotas, Aricharees, Gros Ven
tres, Mandans and others, and can safely
say that, on the part of Indians them
selves there is not the least desire for war,
bat the whites in and near the Indian
country would like, very much, to mislead
and goad the Indians into some act that
wonld seem to verify the charges they
make against them for them for their own
purposes. The Indians, however, know
this, and have sense enough not to be
used as catspaws, and as the officers of
the army also know it, they will not
allow the Indians to be tornented and
prosecuted beyond the limit OF human
endurance. Unless the whites make war
on the Indians there will be no war"
Speaking directly of the Messiah craze,
Father Craft said:
"Ahout year ago some Indians said
they saw the Son of the Great Spirit on
the Pacific coast. He consoled them in
their troubles, gave them, good advice,
and promised that at his second coming,
at the end of the world, he would make
1. new heaven and Il new earth, and
would reward those Indians who were
patient under trials, and would punish
their Prosecutors They understood that
what he said related to the future and
not to this life. They told their people,
and the Indians were consoled hut not
excited. The supposed visit of the Mes
siah disposed them to peace rather than
to war.
"I was among the Indians and talked
with them about it, and would have
known if there was the least excitement
I'm Il, ~,
perance of the Messiah was a question of
evidence, and they called on the Indians
who claimed to have seen him to prove it
before they would believe it. They said
that they had feared that even God had
forgotten them, but felt much consoled
by the hope that He had come to promise
them in Heaven the Justice denied them
on earth But while they are anxious to
believe they thought I was right in add
vising them to trust to the guidance Of
their missionaries, and to demand better
evidence of the apparition before accept
ing too hastily u statement that might
put them in the position of crazy enthusi-
asts. This was their view of the case,
and if Let alone by the whites it is proba-
-
<iians would have suspended their judg
ment in the matter, while the few who
believed would have consoled them
selves with Il belief that is
no worse than the belief of those
whites who now expect the Second Adj
VENT in the near future Recently, owing
TO the delay of appropriations by Con
yress and the consequent delay of Indian
supplies, the Indians were suffering from
starvation. They, Of course were anxious
and disconnected, but did not think of
fighting. Ii we know how foolish it
would be for them to begin winter cam
paign. they surely know it even better.
Nothing was said about preparing for
war. But now comes the real cause of
the reports we have heard about Indian
wars and rumors of wars The whites
saw favorable opportunity to raise an
excitement for their own purposes. In
dian Agents wanted to show that Indians
were as wild as ever. and wanted also to
show their ability to control them, that
their Importance might be proved and
the continuance Of their positions and
salaries assured. Many of the Indians
were getting SO near civilization by their
own efforts as to make agents fear that
the transition state might end, and with
it would end their positions and salaries.
Something had to be done.
"The whites, also, in and near the
Indian country saw a chance to make
mouey by getting troops into their vicin-
ity that they might make some
ching by freighting supplies, trading,
and by the different chances that the
presence of a large military force always
brings. The towns along the frontier.
duh and dead after too many Blooms,
wanted garrisons near them, and saw
now chance to get them by renewing
the Indian scares' they hrd so often at
tempted for the same purpose. There
fore the Indian agents sent in alarming
reports of dangers, which they attributed
to the Messiah craze The whites on
the reserves lent their aid to confirm
them, and joined with the people OF the
towns to raise false alarms, and the good