Daily Yellowstone journal., 1890-06-06

WHITE MENs' RIGHTS.

The fragmentary bits of news that
We get from the upper Tongue river
and Rosebud do not tend in the least
TO dispel the belief that the settlers in
thst portion OF our county are in po-
sition Of great danger, and should
serious consequences follow, the re-
sponsibility will lie wholly with the
government. The history of most il
not all Of the Indian msssacres that
have occurred on the frontier is, that
the settlers have in a measure courted
the dire results by wilfully settling In
IN Indian country. taking their lives
in their hands by so doing, but in the
case of the settlers on Tongue river
and the Rosebud II is different. No
indians claimed these lands when
they settled there as pioneers, but
they were barely domiciled before the
go ernment environed their meagre
claims with the shadowy outlines of
an Indian rese rvatiOu, and dumped at
their very doors the remnants of the
most savage and hloodthirsty tribe of
indians known - the western plains.
The act ws ineXcusahle even as "a
temporary ,lpedient. hut when in the
fsceof year of earnest pelitioning for
their removal, they have still been
kept there, a menace to the settlers
and ba rier to civilization, the act
becomes IN outrage unparalleled in the
history of the country. These Indians,
who have time ami again d"fi,d the
authority Of their agent, ana who
have repeatedly required troops to he
sent among them to keep them in
check, are complacently maintained
by the government as the next door
neighbors of a white settlement that
would by this time under ordinary
conditions have been thriving COM
munlty. These white settlers are
nearly all poor, and struggling to in.
crease their means by the only indus
try practicable in that locality, that OF
stockgrowing. They each have q
small bunch Of stock, that range In
that vicinity. which are daily preyed
upon by these idle wards Of the gov
ernment. The detection of q small
party Of Cheyennes in the act of cut.
ting up two steers that they had just
killed cost Robt. Ferguson his life.
Who IL to say who will be the next
victim? Cattle and horses will stray
and it is part Of the business of these
white settlers to ride the rsLge In
quest Of these strays, but II they un.
fortunately come upon party Of these
marauders red-handed, their lives
must snswer for il. And If this hap
pens In time Of peace, what is to be
expected in time like this when the
Indians are unduly excited over some
cock and bull story Of a deliverance
from the power Of the whites. With
three companies Of troops at the
agency for the pas month, Maj. Car
roll was compelled few days ago to
send to Fort Custer for reinforcements.
This betokens q condition of affairs
that IL most unpleasant to contem.
plate. There Is danger every hour to
the hundreds Of helpless women and
children whose homes are dotted over
the country, too far apart to give aid or
succor to each other. There 10 but one
remedy that the government can ap-
ply, and that il the instant removal of
the entire tribe, bag and baggage, to
some locality where they can be un-
der the constant supervision OF the
military and be made TO adopt mode
flife that will quell the unruly spirit
that now pervsdes them. If this is
not done and at once. the women and
children will be sent out of the coun-
try and . war of determination will
commence. The settlers are fearfully
In earnest, and II IL were not for their
helpless charges. this program would
have been insugurated before this
Will the United States government
move 10 the matter or does II insist
that Its citizens must fight for their
homes and dispute With their lives the
possession Of property tina they have
given years Of toll to a cumulate?
There is but short time to ecide the
matter.