The Hot Springs star. (Hot Spings [Hot Springs], Dakota [Dakota Territory, i.e. S.D.]) 1886-189?, 1890-12-19
ROAST Of REPORTERS.

Senator Pettigrew Passes Judgment
On the Space Writers.
The following diatribe of Senator
Pettigrew an the space writers now
scattered throughout this SEXTON,
clipped from the Siour City Journal,
is we'll worthy = perusal. All honor is
due Senator Pettigrew for the bold
stand he has taken in defense Of the
people Of Northwest Nebraska and
South Dakota:
WARRINGTON, u. c., Dec. 13.-This
evenings Star has an interview with
Senator Pettigrew on the Indian stu
alton. Few men are there in public
or. private life so we'll qualified to
speak on the subject. In the course of
alenghty talk the senator says: "This
Indian scare has been an outrage on
the people Of the northwest. There is
not % has there been any good and
sufficient cause for alarm. For years
these same Indians have habitually in
dulged IN what was known as the sun
dance, a most barbarous celebration of
= serni-religious character. The gov
eminent very properly forbade these
dances, and social life among the Sioux
became somew hat tame. Then arose
this Messiah business, AMI, as dancing
was its principal feature, the Indians
took hold Of it at once. The ghost
dance has in it. all The elements Of a
purely aboriginal rr'i.ion, and it was
by M means W.: 4tural that the
Indian dance became popular. by
this times some of the agents thought
they ought to he doing something, so
they sent out their Indian police to
stop the s%alutatory gyra;ions of the
common herd and sanctimonious gcnu-
Elections of the cunning medicine man.
The dancers did not see it in that light,
however. They were simply attending
TO what they believed was a religious
duty, and they declined the preferred
police escort to the guard-hoasc. That
brought the troops and the resultant
scare. The poor Indians, who had af-
ter their W fashion been worslliping
the great spirit and his earthly agent.
the new Messiah, thought they were
going to he punished for disobeying
the police and they promptly moved
away from the vicinity of the agencies
asa matter of precaution. Instantly
the cry went up, the Sioux are on the
warpath. The Indians knew nothing
Of this, and when they found out they
ere not to be classified. they, or most
Of them, promptly returned to their
agencies and their rations. Those who
remained out are the %vagabonds. the
thieves and the m%uracrers, and if they
a only be kept away from the reser.
vations and from the rest of the earth
it will be better for mankind gener.
ally. The people who live in South
Dakota, right where these alleged
troubles have been located. are as
founded beyond measures at the wide.
ly untruthful stories that have beer
circulated. A friend of mine has ,00t
head of cattle within five miles Of
where these Indian warriors arc camp
ed on the Bad Lands, and his hcrders
still unscalped, are pursuing the eve,
tenor Of their ways. ignorant Of thu
niger which is popularity supposed t'
be a. around them. Who has don,
this alarmist work.: Who has per
petrated this outrage upon the north
west? The space writer: lie did j
with his little pencil. The big eastern
papers have no regular or responsible,
corr espondcnts in that country, bu
the superficial area of the region nov
groans beneath the tread of the space
writer. He's like Jobs war horse
snuffs the battle from afar. There i
an outbreak IN every lreeze, a blood,
encounter in every rustlins bougs
while the deep bass of the builfrog AM
the hum of the mosquito suggest to hi
! feverish intellect the massacre of in
Vulnerable settlers and the devastation,
Of 1000 happy homes. Today he send
three columns to any paper that vii
buy, and tomorrow he will contradic
what he sends today that his rewar'
may be the greater. All he wants
money, and he will write anything I,
get it. Such men see a snowflake ant
then straightway scribble a blood
chilling description Of an awful biz
gard, in which human beings persisted
nv hundreds and the carcasscs of tn
frozen cattle filled every creek bed ant
made loconotion. difficult over ever,
hill and plain between Omaha and tn
Cascade range of the Rocky mountains
know the space writer. If newspa
pers would refuse 10 purchase matte
which they must know is untrue. tn
..ooa .,,r;to, woufi yaniSh. He caNno