Daily Yellowstone journal., 1890-06-12
THE INDIAN QUESTION.
An Army Ofhcer Reviews the Cheyenne
Trouble.


Ed. YELLowsroSE Journal:
Sir-Tne murder of Mr.. Fee gu.on
on this reservation has aw kpned a
borrow and Indignation amoOg the
settlers of this vicinity ~ wide, prssd
IA II Is just aud natural. But that It
should pe made. dmitling the Ch-y-
eunes t. he the perpetrators, n plea Tor
summary and univera! vengeance
upon tue Cheyenne trlDe IL . view ~
hssty and unjust as the crime itself
was atrocious. attended the inquest
over Mr.. Ferguson, know all the facts
as far as any white man now Knows
them, aud sdmit sll the pathos 6f his
death amid n wilderness in which he
was Que Of the sturdiest young rio-
neers. ! know all this. and am no
more than my brother officers u seuti-
mentalist concernir z the Indian; but
believe this question should be
looked sluarely Ia the fscs and the
blsme Of such outrage placed unflincn-
iBgly and plainly where It belongs.
Nearly every one Of the cavalry Off.
GERS Of this camp has had exien.ive
1 WIN
throughout the west; We have patrollei
this country for many week.. aud
have spsred no pains to get at the
facts # :he situation here. A careful
investigation reveals that the discOn-
tent of the Indians has it's origin In
csuses that would drive any commun-
ity on Gods green earth to rebel
against and break the law under
which they live. Every old settler
knows that this portion of the Chey-
enne tribe has occupied lis present
reservation for nearly decade. It is
unnecessary 10 review the events that
led to their being placed here. IL Ia
snfiicient to know that the location
was approved by the interior depart
meut, aud that when Il placed the In
disns here that department was In
vested with the obligation TO feed and
care for them as Its wards. These In-
dihns had shortly before surrendered
rs prisoners of war, after fighting the
troops In several campaigns with Q
courage rarely sxceiled by the Ameri-
can savage. The surrender was made
iu good faith and the obligation thus
imposed on the interior department
was double one-first, 70 fLlfll the
pledges made them by the military
arm Of the government that had fought
and whipped them; aud second. the
legitimate obligation Of their own
guardianship. Has this obligation
been discharged? Let any unpr.ju.
diced witness ride days march
through the hunger and squalor Of the
Cheyenne camps, and between the
rising and the setting sun he will
have abundant proof upon this point.
Instead If feeding them the depart.
ment has kept them on half-rsti rms,
withholding from them the means OF
getting q livelihood from farms ol
their own. II has for eleven years
kept many of them separated from
their husbands, wives and children
who are confined In their turn on Z
reservation 500 miles away, thu
showing q cruel indifference to thu
laws Of nature worthy OF the worsI
days Of old-time slavery in the south
Il has satisfied Itself with the inspec'
tlous of inspectors who have neveI
properly inspected, and, finally, II hai
turned for nearly ten yeaD IN eal
ear either deaf or unbeeding 10 appea
AFTER appeal of these unfostuuats peo'
. ple for redress Of their Rrievaucee-as
the books Of the present agent, Msjol
Upshaw. who hes tried to fsmsd!
some of thess things, will show. He'll
thus BY the ipn hand of forcs upor
their reserv& Don and subjected h
A.A lAIs.~tl<, q
. country nct many yean sso ell the,
il wn ana full OF Wild game Of whicl
civilization hes deprived them, 10 7
| sstonlshine thst their instincfs, 10 ye
| untouehed BY The higher lniluspcss 9
the white name educatious shoull
J have besn reelrained % long end thn