The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-12-04
The Indian Trouble Discussed
in the Senate.
The Policy Of the Government Severely
Criticized by Voorhees,.
Tufpie Opposes the Federal Election Bill.
The Copyright Act Finally Passed
by the House.
Special to The MORNING CALL.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 3.-In the Senate to-
day, In presenting petition for an amend
ment to the Tariff Bill in relation to re-
bate on manufactured tobacco, Allison said
The conferrees on the part of both Houses
had agreed that that section of the bill mad
been omitted in the enrolment He had no
doubt the matter would receive early at
tention.
Cullom introduced bin to reduce letter
hostage to one cent. Referred.
Hawley, from the Committee on Military
Affairs, reported and asked to have put
upon its passage joint resolution authoriz-
ing the Secretary of War to Issue arms and
ammunition to the States of North Dakota
and South Dakota.
Manderson moved to include the State of
Nebraska.
voorhees, said If the proposition were to
Issue 100000 rations of food to the starving
indians it would be more consistent with
ohristlan civilization. He referred to the
statement of General Miles, in published
interview, that the Indians were driven to
reVoit by starvation, and said it was a crime
Oh the part of the Government to stand by
aad do nothing except furnish arms to the
whites. The Indians had been suffering for
years in silence. There was outlines some
Where IN connection with it. The hostiljiies
Into which the Indians of the Northwest
were being starved would result not merely
III the destruction of many Indians, but the
lives OF thousands of American citizens and
hundreds of American soldiers. That con-
dltlon OF things had been brought about by
hggardnnesS or parSimOniOuS or dishonest
policy, he knew hot which. A policy had
been pursued to take the lands OF the In
dams and not pay enough for them to keep
the Indians from starving when disposses sed
of their homes.
Hawiey spoke briefly. saying he had no
obJectlon to the remarks of the Senator
from Indiana, except that they were, per-
haps, little exaggerated.
OaweS, Chairman of the Committee on In
dlln Affairs, very much doubte if a short
ness OIL food was the origin of the trouble, or
that the supply of food would be a cure for
II. Inc difficulty with the Indian seryi.e all
aiens had been constant change of policy.
Heretofore Tor years it had been impressed
upon Congress that the best way to treat
ths Indian was 10 starve him into self-Sup-
port. Root, hog, or die," had been the
phrase put over the door Of those who ad-
mLlsterad the affairs of the Indians, and
t'.ss policy had been to cut down year by
year the ratiOns required by treaties and
give notice to the Indians that next wear
they were only to have so much, the differ
ence 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
their dependence on Government ra-
tons 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 Gov
ernment had failed to keep its promises
made to the Indians by the Sioux Commits
sion, etc, he said the commission had made
two sorts OF stipulation with the Indians,
One OF them was written out in plain lam
guage and enacted into 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 on-fulfillment of
other agreements and the commission told
them 1t had no authority as to those mat
tiers, bat that it would use its influence
with the Government in the case When
the Indian representatives came to Wash
ington with the commission a full discussion
was had and an agreement embodied in a
bill, which was submitted to Congress by
the President. The bill thus framed to tho
complete satisfaction of the Indians passed
the Senate. But where it was now he did
not know. He knew, however, that the
skirts OF the Executive and of the Senate
were clear OF any attempt to depart one iota
from the assurances given to the Indians by
the commission.
he Oawes) saw the Indian troubles. with
full apprehension of the danger and of the
necessity of some present relief to bring
around q composure among the Indians and
extrlcate them from the lead of such bad
Indians as Sitting Bull and Red Cloud who
were the bane and curse Of their tribes.
voorhees, repelled the feeble attempt at
sneer" on the part of Dawes, and said the
latter knew the situation just as we'll as he
did, fcr General Miles had told the public
that the Indians had been made hostile, and
preferred to die fighting than die of starya-
ton. These red men could enter the field
with 5000 lighting men, well armed, and
with the advantage of knowledge of the
country. They could fight 5000 of the best
American troops on terms of equality. He
asked tne 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 beligerency.
Dawes said there was great difficulty in
dea!lng with those 6000 Indians who are re-
belllous, and that they have nothing to eat
They are away from their tepees, and they
belong to that class of Indians who never
did days work in their lives.
Pierce OF North Dakota said he had some-
times wondered that the white pe/pe in
that region did not themselves 60 on the war
w IN u ranl
lived within few miles of the great Sioux
reservation. He had been there for the
last TWO months and this was the first time
he had heard it asserted that the Indians
were on the warpath because they were
hungry. he saw Indians every day In the
town where he lived and they were sleeker
and better led, apparently, than the Senator
from Indiana. lLaughterl.
He had no doubt but that in some of the
agencies there are Indians who complain of
lnsufhclent food, but he questioned very
much whether General Miles made the
statement attributed to him in the news
papers. The trouble with the Indians is
they are led and clothed and allowed to live
on the bounty of the Government, and the
devil hnds mischief still for idle hands
to do"
Voorhees, said he would take the statement
OF General Miles far sooner than that Of
the Senator who lived near the reserv alton,
ana VINO, with bis people, wanted to get the
Indian lands as soon as possible. One was
a reliable officer; the other was the fox.
lying around the pen where the geese were
waiting to get some of them.
The discussion had not closed when, at 3
O'Clock, the Vice-President laid before the
Senate as uni nished business the Elec-
tions Bill.
Turpie took the floor in opposition. The
substitute measure he said, rested for its
support on what was called the suppressed
colored Republican vote in the South. In
the course of his remarks he said that in The
Northern States, where all this outcry is made,
the colored men had no more chance of pre-
ferment than Roman Catholic had in New
Hampshire hundred years ago. The sup
preston OF the colOred vote in the South was
the thing manifestly in question-affirmed
on one SIDE and denied on the other-but the
suppression of the colored vote in the North
was a thing without question, actual, abso-
lutte. unconditional. The supremacy Of the
white race was not peculiar TO any portion
OF the United States. South Carolina was
not more COMPLETELY under its swav than