The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-12-31
INDIAN GRIEVANCES
Cloud Gives the Eeason w
Indians Are Cissatisfed.

all the trouble. This IS & mistake 7 viii
tell you the cause.
when We first made treaties with the
government this was our position: Onr IA
life and our old customs were about TO end :.
the game upon which we lived was disan.
pearlng; tine whites were closing around us
and nothing remained for US but TO adont
their ways and have the same rights WITH
them If we wished to save ourselves Tn
government promised us all the means
necessary to make our living out of our Land
and to instruct us how to do it. and abnnd-
ant food to support us until we could taLa
care of ourselves. We looked forward WIFI
hope TO the time when we could be az in
dependent as the whites and have voice in
the government.
tine officers of the army could have
helped us better than any others, but we
were not left to them. An Indian denart
ment was made, with a large number of
agents and other officials drawing large
salaries, ana these men were supposed to
teacn US the ways Of the whites. Then came
the beginning OF trouble. These men took
care OF themselves, bat not of us. IL was
made very hard for US to deal with the gov
eminent except through them. 1t seems TO
me that they thought they could make more
by Keeping US back than by helping us for
ward. We did not get the means to work
I'LL Aoha' AO lew bulUSS given Were IN
such way as to do US little or no good. Our
rations began to be reduced. Some said that
we were lazy and wanted TO live on rations
and not to work. That is false. How does
any man OF sense suppose that so great a
number OF people could get to work at once.
unless they were at once supplied with means
to work, and instructors enough to teach
them how to use thema
Remember that even our little ponies
were taken away under the promise that
they would be replaced by oxen and large
horses, and that it was long before we saw
any, and then we got very few. We tried.
even with the means we had but on one
pretext or another we were shifted from
place to place or were told that such trans
fer was coming. GreaH efforts were made
TO break up our customs, but nothing was
done to introduce the customs Ct the whites.
Everything was done to break the power of
the real chiefs, who really wished their peo-
pie to improve. and little men, so-called
chiefs, were made to act as disturbers and
agitators. Spotted Tail wanted the ways of
the mites, and cowardly assassin was
found to remove him. This was charged
upon the Indians because an Indian did it,
but who set on the Indians
81 was abused and slandered to weaken
my influence for good, and make me seem
like one who did not want to advance.
This was done by the men paid by govern
ment to teach US the ways of the whites.
have visited many other tribes, and find that
the same things we're done among them.
All was done to discourage and nothing to
encourage. / saw the men paid by the
government to help US, all very busy max
ing money for themselves, but doing moth
ing for us.
NOW, don't you suppose we saw all thiss
OF course we did, but what could we do2
We were prisoners, not in the hands of the
army, but IN the hands of robbers. Where
was the armys Set by the government to
watch us, but having no voice in setting
things right. so that they would not need to
watch us. They could not speak for us,
though we wished it very much. Those who
held us prete ded to be very anxious about
our welfare, and said our condition was
great mystery. We tried to speak and clear
up the mystery, but were laughed at and
treated as children. So things went on
from year to year. Other treaties we're
made, and it was all the same. Rations
were further reduced, and we were starv-
ing, sufficient food not given us, and no
means to get food from the la1d were pro-
vided. Rations were still further reduced.
A family got for two weeks what was not
enough for one week.
"What did we eat when that was gomez
The people were desperate from starvation
they had no hope. They did not think of
fighting What good would it do? They
might die like men, but what would the
women and children do? Some said they
saw the Son of CID All did not see him.
did not see him. If he had come he would
do some great thing as he did before. We
doubted it, because we saw neither him nor
his works. Then Gen. Crook came. His
words sounded well; but how could we
t., +kae Yv.oo tu xuOulh ha kQnt
better than the old oness For that reason
we did not care to sign. He promised to
see that his promises would be kept. He at
least had never lied to us. His words gave
the people hope. They signed. They hoped.
He died. Their hope died with him.
Despair came again. The people were
counted, and wrongly counted. Our rations
were again reduced. The white men seized
on the land we sold them through Gen.
Crook, but our pay was as distant as ever.
The man who counted us told all over that
we were feasting and wasting food. Where
did he see thisl
"How can we eat or waste what we have
not9 We felt that we were Knocked in our
misery. We had no newspapers, and no
one to speak for us. We had no redress
our rations were again reduced. You who
eat three times each day, and see your chill
dren well and happy around you, can't
understand what starving Indians 1eel:
We were faint with hunger and maddened
by despair. We held our dying children,
and felt their little bodies trembe as their
souls went out and left only dead weight
in our hands They were not very heavy,
but we ourselves were very faint, and the
dead weighed us down. There was no hope
on earth and God seemed to have forgotten
u.s. Some one had again been talking OF
the Son Of God, and said he had come.
The people did not know; they did not care.
They snatched at the hope. They screamed
like crazy men to him for mercy. They
caught at the promises they heard he had
made.
1.-THE white men were frightened, and
called for soldiers. We had begged for life,
and the white men thought we wanted
theirs. We heard that the soldiers we're
coming. We did not fear. We hoped that
we could tell them our trouble and ge5help.
A white man said the soldiers meant to kill
MS. We did not believe it, but some were
frightened and ran away to the Bad Lands.
The soldiers came. They said: Don't be
afraid. we come to make peace and not
war; 1t was true. They brought us 1000,
and did not threaten us. If the messiah
has really come, it must be In TINS way. Inc
people prayed for life and the army brought
h The Black Robe Father julie went 10
the Bad Lands and Brought IN some INDIANS
To ;alk TO Gen. Brooke. The general was
very kind to them, and quoted tnelr iears
and was a real friend. lie sent OUT ihui ls'ls
70 calI in the other Indians from the BAD
lands sent ali my horses and all my
yorng men 10 help Gen. Brooke save the
Indians Am / not right when | say tbaS
ba will know how 10 settle this troublef he