Sturgis advertiser. (Sturgis, Dakota [S.D.]) 1887-1???, 1890-12-11
/. n. CROW. PROPRIETOR.
COST OF INDIAN WARS.

The only way out of an Indian war
once begun is to fight it out, and one
good way to prevent an immediate re-
sumption Of hostilities is to hang OF
shoot the braves chiefly responsible for
the trouble. Gen. Sibley pursued that
policy after the Sioux massacre in this
state in 1862 AS fast as he made pris-
oners he made good Indians of the worst
of them by hanging as many as thirty in
one day. If Gen. Sibley's vigorous
Indian policy had been pursusd as Sc
quel to the Custer massacre Sitting Bull
would not have been on earth to make
trouble this fall. 1t won't do to treat
the noble Indian with chivalrous courte-
sy in battle or Immediately afterward.
Knowing no such sentiment as mercy
towards his enemies, he mistakes it for
fear when it is exercised by his conquer
ors in his behalf. He goes back to his
tribe after peace has been declared and
makes his fellow savages believe he
bears charmed life.
But wars, even with the savages with
in our borders, are expensive. Compar-
atively speaking, our Indian wars have
been small affairs, yet from the 4th of
July, 1776, to the Both of June, 1886,
they cost the government 1896, ,339, ,277.-
68. During the same period the Indian
department proper cost $232, 900, ,O06.34
making grand total of 1929, ,289, ,284.O2
or practically round billion. The
smaller sum has been spent in vain, and
awkward attempts to pacify and civilize
the noble red man, the greater amount
in fighting him. A Washington cores
pondent of the st. Louis Globe-Demo-
crat has been comparing these figures
with the cost of some of our other wars
and finds that while the total expenses
of the struggle with England in 1925
and the Mexican war in 1868 was
$40, 100000, our Indian fights from
1872 to 1882 cost $2O2, 1894, ,5o6.
When one glances at the causes they
look trivial in the extreme, and the result
of the scrutiny is not fattering to ma
tional pride. The Sioux war of 1852
started, like the Chicago fire, with COW.
The animal belonged to band of Nor
mons and Sioux killed it. Payment
in money or buffalo robes was proffered,
but detachment of troops from Fort
Laramie preferred to fire on the Indians
and that was beginning of war that
lasted four years and cost the United
States between $15, ,OO0, 600 and $20, 0,00O,.
900. A Navaioe Indian killed Negro
boy in quarrel and the government
fought them for three campaigns and
got the worst of the fighting at an ex
pense of s20,0O0,000. The massacre o
1862 arose from an attempt on the par
of a contractor to pass off heads of hogs
for prime mess pork on the Sioux. The
war in the southwest in 1868 to punish
the Cheyennes, Araphoes and Com
manches for killing settlers resulted il
the loss of 353 officers, citizens and sol
diers, and the number of Indians killed
was 319. The cause was just in this
instance, but the punishment was pretty
evenly divided. In 1877 two white mer
murdered an Indian, and then two In
dians murdered white man. This lee
to the Nez Perces war, lasting three
months and costing 1881, ,429.52. Tht
Indian loss was 158, while 241 officers
and soldiers were killed or wounded ant
IL citizens killed.
From 1868 to 1882 the army lost 1,
048 officers and privates in the numerous
Indian wars of that period, and the In
dians, as nearly as'could be ascertained
$50. Ignorance of the Indian characte
on the part of the army and unscrupu
lous robbery by post-traders, contract
ors and agents have been responsible TO
most of our Indian wars, but the govern
ment even now seems to have profte'
little by the experience purchased Q
such fearful sacrifice of men and treas
ure. Minneapolis Tribune.