Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1891-01-16
Want t;una and A,n,nvni ton.
STARVATION STORIES 'DENIED.

guns and ammunition be shipped them.
STARVATION STORIES DENIED.
Two south Dakota Mon Tell How she IA
llana Live ON tho Fat Of the Land.
WASHINGTON, JAN 1O-.John FL. king,
railroad commissioner, of South Dakota,
and ex-Statc Senator F. M. Goodykoontz,
Of Chamberlain, are in the city on legal :
business. Both are we'll informed as to
the condition of things on the Sioux res
ervation, and are emphatic in thei. dec
larations that there is no foundation
whatever for tho reports that the In
dams are half starved or suffering in any
other way through the neglect of the
government.
Mr.. King has been iden titled with the
reservation for ten years past, and at
tended the pow-wows held by the COM
missioners sent out in 1882, 1883 and
1889. He has personally seen the ratfons
issued to the Sioux, and in u talk with
reporter of tho Post said:
1.-The Sioux Indians are the best fed
people on the earth. They consume
more meat per capita than. the city of
Washington or any manufacturing city
in the United States. They wore fed
for four years without any treaty obi
cations whatever, after, the treaty OF
1868 had run out. and before the Black
Hills were purchased. Then we more
than doubled their rations, and for
| twelve solid years af<er 1876 we have
given them the equal of a pound and
half of beef every day for every imam,
woman and child and papOOsc on the
Sioux reservation. When an Intaan
dies they refuse to disclose the fact, and
| draw rations for him until the United
States discovers it, and in this manner
the'government issued over 1900 extra
rations for four years prior to last year,
and believe we are now issuing over
1000 extra rations to those In
dams that are dead. As soon as a pa
poose is born it is put on the ration rolls,
and draws pound and half Of raw
meat every day. Many infants die, but
if the agency physician does not know
, it the agent does not. They 60 right
along drawing rations.
s'Beef, coffee, -four and bacon are
issued once or twice q week-enongh to
make the poor settlers in Nebraska and
have given these Sioux an average of
nearly ST., 75O, 900 every year for twenty
years.
''Just think of nine pounds of fresh
meat besides flour and other things to q
family Of six every day, and then believe
the stories about starving if you win.
"After twenty three years, and within
the last two years, the government has
undertaken to lessen the pound and q
half to o pound and a quarter Of beef
daily, and up goes tho howl of starvs-
ton. Why bless your soul, we have. this
year bought $780, 900 worth of beeYfrom
the Sioux Indians themselves-1,75 Use, 600
pounds of their OWL raising. and then
generously turned around and gave it I.
back to them in rations. We have G';,.e
the same with wheat and oats. We hire
many of them, and hoard and clothe them
besides.
They have over $1,000 dogs on the
Sioux reservation that the government
feeds, keeps alive, and if they get IA little
hungry they can and do kill a few dogs
and have feast. They have large herds
of cattle, and some families Of Indians
that the government has fed and clothed
always are to-day worth 5000
THE government in the past has made
| three mistakes with the Indians. all of
| which the present secretary Of the inter-
| ior is trying to correct.
\ 1. They have done and are doing too
4
ness.
9. They should not be allowed arms
| Nearly every Indian has Winchester,
no game.
8. The government should have day
schools on the reservation and educate
the Indians at home instead of sending
them to Carlisle and other boarding
schools. Let the little fellows go home
every night aud tell their parents what
they have learned during the day, and II
the parents refuse 10 send their children
to school, let the penalty be no ratioIs
ssThc Indians can be civilized. No
military is needed. The story that the
Indians are starving is absolutely false.
No matter how high the authority nor
from whence it comes, it is not true.
The present war is a misunderstanding
and the result of a religious craze. The
Indians do not want to fight, but they
are compelled, and it may not be posi-
bic now to avoid it. Neither the mill
tary nor the eastern philanthropist
should have the management of the
Sioux, but plain, practical business men
in the west, who believe that the Indian
i a. -, civilized and edncated-that he
Lu., rigits-but not that because he is
an Indian he should be allowed to live in
idleness and ignorance all his life and be
supported by the government forever.
Disarm and educate the Indian at home
put him on lands in severalty, protect
him in his property, and the Indian prob
lem is solved.
Orders to Hold Themselves In Readiness
VANCOUVER BARRACKS, Jan. 1O.-Si1
companies of United States troops have
been ordered to hold themselves in read.
mess to move to the scene Of the Indian
troubles at short notice. The order Wa
presumably given owing to the reported
troubles in Idaho.
CHICAGO will officially "evict" the In
truders on the Lake Front Feb. 26 unles.