Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-12-04
CONGRESSIONAL.

WASHINGTON, December Sd In presenting
petition for an amendment to the tariff bill in
relation 10 a rebate on manufactured tobacco,
Allison said the conferees on the part of both
Houses had agreed that that section of the bill
had been omitted in the enrolment. He had
no doubt the matter would receive early atten-
tion.
Cullom introduced bill to reduce letter post
age TO cent Referred.
Hawley, from the Committee on Military Af
fairs, reported and asked to have put upon pas
sage joint resolution authorizing the Secretary
OF War 70 issue arms and ammunition to the
States of North and South Dakota.
Manderson moved TO include the State of
Nebraska.
Voorhees, said that if the proposition was to
issue 100000 rations of food to the starving In
dams it would be more consistent with Chris
tian civilization. He referred to the published
statement OF General Miles in an interview that
the Indians were driven to revolt By starvation,
and said it was a crime on the part of the Gov
eminent to stand by and do nothing except fur
nfsh arms 70 the whites. The Indians have
outlines somewhere IN connection with it.
The llostilities into which the Indians of the
Northwest were being driven would result not
merely in the destruction of the lives of many
Indians, but the lives of thousands of American
citizens and hundreds of American soldiers;
that this condition of things had been brought
about by niggardliness, parsimonious or dishon-
est policy, he knew not which. A policy had
been pursued to take the lands of the Indians
and not pay enough for them to keep the In
dians from starving when dispossessed of their
homes.
Hawley spoke briefly, saying he had no OBJ
lection to the remarks OF the Senator from In
diana, except that they were, perhaps, little
exaggerated.
Dawes, Chairman of the Committee on In
dian Affairs, very much doubted if the short
ness OF food was the origin Of the trouble, or
that supply of food would be cure for il.
The difficulty with the Indian service had all
along been the constant change Of policy.
Heretofore for years it had been impressed on
Congress that the best way to treat the Indian
was to starve him to selfsupport. "Root, hog.
or die" had been the phrase put over the door
of those who administered the affairs of the In
dians, and the policy had been to cut down,
year by year, the rations required by the trea-
ties. AS to the suggestion in the public press
that the Government had failed to keep the
promises made the Indians by the Sioux
Commission, ETC., he said the Commission had
made two sorts OF stipulation with the Indians.
One OF them was written out in plain Language
and enacted into a law by Congress, and that
stipulation the Commission had taken out to
the Indians and asked them to accept ii. The
Indians had had cause of complaint because OF
the non -fulfillment of other agreements, and
the Commission told them that it had no
authority as to those matters, but that it would
use its influence with the Government in the
case. When the Indian representatives came to
Washington with the Commission, full discus
the bill, which was submitted TO Congress by the
President. The bill thus framed to the complete
satisfaction of the Indians passed the Senate but
where it was he did not know. He knew.
however, the skirts of the Executive and of the
Senate were clear of any attempt to depart an
iota from the assurance given TO the Indians by
the Commission. He Dawes saw the Indian
troubles with full apprehension of the dan.
ger, and of the neces ity of some present relief
to bring around composure among the Indians
and extradlte them f;om the lead of such bad
Indians as Sitting Bull and Red Cloud, who
were the bone and sinew of the tribe.
voorhees, repelled the feeble attempt at
sneeri on the part of Dawes, and said the
latter knows the situation Just as well as he did,
for General Miles had told the OrIh1ic hot ha
Indians had been made no tile, aud preferred
to die fighting than to die of starvation. These
red men could enter the field with six thou
SAND hghting men, wen armed with the ad-
vantage of knowledge of the country and
could aght six thousand American troops on
terms OF equality. He asked the Senator from
Massachusetts to state whether these Indians
had enough to eat; whether Miles was right or
wrong, and whether the Indians were being
starved into telligsreney.
Dawes said the great difficulty OF deliing
with the 5000 lnoians who are rebellious was
they belong to that Glass OF Indians who never
dia day 5 work in their lives n
Pierce OF North Dakota said he had some
times wondered II the white people in that re.
gion CD njt themselves q on the war path be-
cause they we've hungry. The Indians seemed
to get noble as well as hungry the further the
people get away from them. He pierce lived
within few miles Of the great Sioux reserva
ton. He had been there for the last two
months, and this was the first time he heard it
asserted that the Indian was on the warpath
because ne was hungry. he saw the Indians
lived. and they w We're '0ba Better "6sie fsd aps ne
parently, than the Senator from Indiana.
Laughter He had no doubt but that in
complain of insufficient food, but he ouestioned i
very much whether General Miles made the
statement attributed to him in the newspapers
The trouble with Indian is that they are fed and
Clothed and allowed to live on the bounty of
the Government, and the devil finds mischief
still for idle hands to do'