River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1890-05-15
THE GREAT POW-WOW.
The Big Chiefs Think the Bennett Law
Is Bad Spirit.


Is Bad Spirit.
We clip the following from the
Madison Democrat. 1t is burlesque
of the late conference of Republican
politicians anent the Bennett Law
issue. Its humor is too good 10 be
missed. We would say however that
the rank aud file of the party are for
the law, and that it will be heard
from at the state convention:
The consultations of the big medi-
cine-men of the republican tribe over
the sick party was held Wednesday
evening. The braves, the sagamores,
sembled in large numbers, and the
pow-wows and incantations lasted till
the dawn began to blush in the east.
Ii was memorable council, and
withal it was a sad one. As one old
chief glOomily put it, they were ''be-
tween the bad spirit and the great
water"
Chief Payne, the Man-who- makes
the-money-win, sang the death song of
the party. lie said he had been big
chief, great brave; he had fought
many battles, taken many scalps, and
made the foe afraid. But" said he,
snow am a squaw, my bow is not
steady, my arrow goes not to the
mark. Now l am afraid, and the foe,
he laughs. We have driven away our
brothers. They think we NEEDLE with
their children, and they have left us
and gone to the enemy. The enemy
is now mighty and our braves are few
and their hearts are weak
Chief Hold. Taylor then rose. He
said: II am q great chief from the
father of waters. My foes have felt
my tomahawk and my scalping knife.
thank the Great Spirit that he gave
us the Bennett law, but If he wants it
he may take it back. The Bennett
law does me heap good. love it; but
if my brother with the thick tongue.
who drinks the brown water, does not
love it, | will throw it away. My
heart is big. l will throw away the
thing that | love when my brother
hates it, for L am afraid to go on the
war path when my brothers with the
thick tongue, who drink the brown
water, go not with me. | will keep
Il
Chief "Cully," known to white men
as "Heap-blackberry," then arose.
lie had on his war paint. He shook
his tomahawk and brandished his
scalping knife. II am great brave,'
said he; my heart is not squaw's
heart. | love the Bennett law. Ii my
brothers with the thick tongue who
drink the brown water do not love the
Bennett law, then it is so much the
worse for my brothers. They do not
know what is good for them. | will
not throw away the Bennett law to
please them. love the thick tongued
pappooses of my brothers more than
my brothers love their own pappooses.
| know what is good for my brothers
pappOoses better than they know them
selves what is good for their pap
posses. l will fight the old enemies
of my tribe and if the thick tongued
brother join the band of my enemies,
| will fight him, too, and take his
scalp, because. love his pappooses so
much"
AT this warlike utterance few said
chow, how" but the greater body of
the gloomy Sagamores grunted dis
senting ugh! ughr'
Many more then spoke. Some loved
the Bennett law. Some thought it a
bad spirit and that they would find no
game, no fish, no luck on the war-path
SO long as they kept the Bennett law
in their camps and villages.
Chief Willett rose. He was grave
and sad. He spoke wise words. Il
love the Bennett law" said he. 1.-The
Bennett law is good spirit 10 me, but
is bad spirit to my thick -tongued
brother. But l can not spare my
brother. | need my brother to help
me get game, to help me catch fish, to
help get scalps and steal ponies from
my foes. L will do this: will knock
the Bennett law on the head and kill
il; then L will set it up on stick.
will tell my people it is alive, but |
will tell my thick-tongued brother it
is dead. Then | can get game, get
scalps, and steal ponies from my foe"
Thus the sages talked, but the Ben
nett law had few friends. 1t had but
few and they got mad. They could
not keep the spirits calm, when they
heard so many tell that they loved the
Bennett law, but they were afraid it
would drive away fish and game.
Then the great chief of all the bands
arose. His heart was heavy but his
eye did not quail. Heap squaw
men," said he; Il was made big chief
because loved the COW. If had said
kill the cow hen some men said cow
is no gOod, would not have been big
chief. | love the Bennett law. 1t |
love it, every man must love it or he
is no good. will not kill the Ben
nett law. | can sing my death song.
| can go to the happy hunting ground
by the big Salt river. But | will not
kill the Bennett law. No, not if all
the leaves in the woods be thick
tOngued brothers and all be mad.
The big chief sat down. But he
looked sad. There was light in his
eye that seemed to say, Heap squaw
men! Got 'em no sand. Run like
scared deer" When the big chief
reached his tepee, he took off his crest
of bright feathers and threw down his
great red blanket, and sang his death
song, full of defiance to his foes, but
there was sad depression in the re-
train:
"Hi-ya, hi-ya hi-ya, no;
My braves are on the warpath with their heels
to the foe"