The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-12-04
In the Senate,

WASHINGTON, Dec. Bin presenting a
petition for an amendment to the tariff
pill, in relation to the rebate ona manu-
featured tobacco, Allison said the conferees
OF the part of both houses agreed to that
section of the bill, but that 1t had been
omitted in the enrolment. He had no
doubt the matter would receive early at
tention.
Cullom introduced bill to reduce letter
postage TO cent.
Hawley, from the committee on military
affairs, reported, and asked TO have put
upon its passage, ajoint resolution authoriz-
ing the secretary of war to issue arms and
ammunition to the states of North and
South Dakota
Henderson moved to include the state of
Nebraska.
Voorhees, said if the proposition were one
to issue 100000 rations of food to the starry
ing Indians it would be more consistent
with Christian civilization. He referred
to the statement of General Miles in pub
lished interview that the Indians were
driven to revolt by starvation, and said it
was crime on the part of the government
to stand by and do nothing except furnish
arms to the whites. The Indians had been
| suffering for years in silence. There was
| blood outlines somewhere in connection
|
Indians in thenorthwest are being starved
would result not merely in tire destruc-
| ton of the lives OF many Indians.
| but the lives of thousands of
American citizens and hundreds of Ameri
can soldiers. That condition of things
had been brought about by a niggardly
parsimonious or dishonest policy. He
knew what policy had been pursued to take
the lands of the Indians and not pay
enough for them to keep the Indians from
starving when dispossessed of their homes.
Hawley spoke briefly, saying he had no
objection to the remarks of the Senator
from Indiana except they were, perhaps, a
little exaggerated.
Dawes, chairman of the committee on
Indian affairs, very much doubted if the
shortness OF food was the origin of the
trouble, or supply of food would be the
cure for it. The difficulty with
the Indian service all along had
been a constant change of policy.
| Heretofore, for years, it had been i'm
pressed upon Congress that the best way
to treat the Indian was to starve him into
Iself-support Root, hog, or die" had been
the phrase put over the door of those who
administered the affairs of the Indians, and
the policy had been To cut down year by year
the rations required by treaties and give
notice to the Indians that next year they
were only to have so much, the difference
to be supplied by the labor of their own
hands He thought it well to hold out every
inducement to the Indians to turn from
dependence on the government rations and
supply their own support, and that it was
well to resort to all devices within the
limits of justice and reason to induce them
to do it.
AS to the suggestion in the public press
that the government had failed to keep its
promises made to the Indians by the Sioux
commission ETC., he said the commission
had made all sorts of stipuiations with the
Indians. One Of them was written out in
plain language and enacted into law by
! Congress, and that stipulation the com
mission had taken out to the Indians and
asked them to accept it. The Indians haG
had cause OF complaint because of the non.
fulillment of other agreements and the
commission told them it had no authority
as to those matters but that it would use
its influence with the government in this
case. When the Indian representatives
came to Washington with the commits
sion, full discussion was had and
an agreement embodied in the bill which
was submitted to Congress by the Presi-
dent. The bill thus framed to the complete
satisfaction of the Indians, passed the Sen
ate. but where it was now he did not know
He knew, however, the skirts of the execu
tive and of the Senate were clear of any
attempt to depart one ota from the assur
ances given to the Indians by the commits
sion. He (Dawes) saw the Indian trouble:
. with full apprehension of the danger anC
of the necessity of some present relief tc
bring around composure among the In
dians and eXtricate them from the lead OF
such bad Indians as Sitting Bull and Rec
Cloud, who were the bane and curse O
the tribes.
VOORHEES, repealed the ''feeble attempt a
sDeer," on the part of Dawes and said tn,
: latter knew the situation just as well as h
did, for General Miles had told the public
the Indians had been made hostile and pre-
ferred to die fighting than die of starva
ton. These red men could enter the fell
with 5000 fighting men well armed, ant
with the advantage of a knowledge o
the country could fight 5000 O
the best American troops on term
: of equality. He asked the Senator from
, Massachusetts to state whether thes
/ Indians had enough to eat, whether Mile
was right or wrong, and whether tn
Indians were being starved into beliger
ancy.
Dawes said the great difficulty in deal
ing with those 5000 Indians who are rebel
: lious is that they have nothing to eat
They are away from their tepees; the
belong to that class of Indians who neve
I did days work in their lives.
3 Pierce, of North Dakota said he hat
3 sometimes wondered the white people il
Y that region did not themselves go on tn
: warpath' because they were hungry. Tn
Indians seemed to get noble as well a