, 1890-12-04
CONGRESSIONAL NEWS.
The Proposition to Furnish
Arms to Western States
Creates a Lively Discussion in
the Upper House.
Turpie Makes a Great Speech
on the Election Bill.

WASHINGTON. Dec. 3.-In presenting
the petition for an amendment to the tar
if bill IN relation to a rebate on manufact-
ured tobacco, Allison said the conferees
on the part of both houses had agreed to
that section Of the bill. hut that it had
been omitted ia enrolment. lie had no
doubt the matter wouli rec i've early Mt
%te1tion.
Cullom Introduce l a bill to reduce letter
postage to one cent Referred.
I~lawley, from the committee on miti
tary affairs, reported aud asked to have
nut upon LIS passage a joint resolut iou
authorizing the secretary of war TO issue
arms aud ammunition to the states OF
North AMI South Dakota.
Henderson moved TO include the state
of Nebraska.
Voorhees, said if the proposition were
one TO issue l00, 1000 rations OF food 10 the
starving Indians it would be more consIs
tent with Christian civilization. He re-
ferred to the statement of Gen Miles in a
published interview that the Indians were
driven 10 revolt by starvation and said it
was a crime on the part of the govern-
ment TO stand by aud do nothing except
furnish arms to the whites. The Indians
had been suffering for years in silence.
There was blood ruilfiness somewhere in
connection with it. The hostilIties into
which the Indians ia the Northwest we're
being starved would result not merely in The
destruction ot the lives of many In
dams, but the lives of thousands of
American citizens and hundreds of Amer
lean soldiers. That condition OF things
had been brought about by n niggardly,
parsimonious or dishonest policy, he
knew not which. The policy pursued
was TO take the lands of the Indians and
not pay enough for them to keep the In
dions from starving when dispossessed of
their homes.
Hawley spoke briefly. saying he had
no objection to the remarks of the sena
tor from Indiana except that they we're,
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 that the supply of food would
be a cure for it The difficulty with the
Indian service all along had been its con
slant change OF policy. Heretofore, for
years, it had been impressed upon con.
gress that the best way to treat the In
dian was to starve him into self support.
Root. hog or die had been the phrase
pt owe the door of those who admins
inied the affairs OF the Indians, and the
pa5eY had been to cut down. year by
NA=', the rations required by treaties and
1Ye notice To the Indians that next year
ttey were only tn have 50 much, tho diff
efence 10 be supplied ~ tho labor of
their own hands. file thought it well to
hold out every inducement to the IndiaLs
TO turn from dependence on gov
eminent rations aud supply their own
support, and that 1t was well to resort TO
all the devices within the limits of Justice
aud reason 10 induce them to do it. As
10 the suggestion IN the public press that
the government had failed to keen the
promises made the Indians b. the Sioux
commission. etc, he said the commission
had made two sorts of stipulations 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 it. The Indians
had had cause of complaint because Of
the non-ful6llment 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 govern
ment 10 this case. When the Indian
representatives came to Washington with
the commission a full discussion was had,
and the agreement embodied in the bill
which was submitted to the president.
The bill thus framed. to the complete
satisfaction of the Indians, passed the
senate, but where it was n)w
be did not know. lie knew,
however, that the skirts of the executive
and Of the state were clear OF any attempt
to depart one iota from the assurances
given to the Indians by the commission
He saw the Indian troubles with a full APP
prehension OF the danger and of the ne
eessity of some present relief TO bring
around composnre among the lndisns aud
eItrcate them from the lead Of su III bad
Indians as Sitting Bull and Red Cloud,
who werq the bane and cure of the tribes.
Voorhees, repealed the feeble pttempt
att sneer" on the part of Dawes aud
ald the latter know the situation Just as
well as he did, for Gen. Miles had told !