The National tribune., 1891-01-01
"THE FUTURE OF THE INDIAN CUES
TON"

ana conclusions on the Indian question OF M
man in the country are entitled TO quite 81
much respectful attention as those of The
Major-General of the Army who is in special
charge Of the territory occupied by th'
Indians.
Maj.-Gen. Miles writes we'll and addresses
himself directly TO the heart of the matter
The Indians are practically a doomed
race" he says, "and none realize it better
than themselves" Still, this does not prevent
their constantly fighting stubbornly against
their fate, and striking blows which they
may know must be hopeless. They remem-
Der what they have been, they look back
to time which seems TO them a golden
age, and they grow desperate as they re.
member it,
Then, the Governmental policy has been
yacillating and calculated to promote out
breaks rather than TO prevent them. AT
one time we are massing great bodies OF
troops to fight the savages. The Indians
are defeated, perhaps many of them signally
punished, the warriors are disarmed and
dismounted, and then, the army having done
its work, the savages are turned over to the
Interior Department, which frequently puts
In charge Of them incompetent or inexperi-
enced agents. In few years the Indians
are found TO be re-mounted, re-armed, and
ready again for the war-path. One instance
the General dwells on at some length.
After the massacre of Clusters force the
troops made two hard campaigns against the
Sioux, one being in the severe Winter Of
lS76, z, and succeeded in forcing upward OF
5000 Of them TO surrender. This included
all except two bands, one under Lame Deer
and the other under Sitting Bull. The
former was finally killed and the latter
driven across the British line. The sur
rendered Inulans were kept under military
control for four years from 1877 TO 1881 and
many Of them were made self-sustaining.
They were disarmed and dismounted, and
from the proceeds of the sale Of their war
ponies a stock of beefcattle was purchased
for them. They seemed to take we'll to
agriculture, and soon had many cattle, with
wagons and cultivated fields But in 1881
came orders TO remove them from their
homes and send them to the Standing Rock
Agency. They implored the officers TO get
them leave TO remain where their crops were
developing in the fields, but the orders were
imperative, and they were loaded on five
large steamboats, and sent down the Yellow
stone and the Missouri 10 Standing Rock.
To-day all their cattle are gone, partly stolen
by the whites and partly used by them
selves for food. They claim that it is i'm
possible iOr them 10 get food without COM
hitting depredatiOns, and they have had 10
even eat their own dogs. Many Of them
have re-armed and re-mounted themselves,
and are in very threatening state. They
claim that the Government has not fulfilled
its promises TO them, and it certainly is a
fact that they have not had the food to
which they were entitled.
Another cause Of trouble is the failure of
crops upon the plains for the past two years.
The white settlers over a large portion of
the country have been very unfortunate, the
drouth destroying their crops, and the hard
Winters their cattle. The Indians who were
trying to be self-suppOrting have labored to
raise crops. When they were successful they
had TO sell their corn at from Ia 10 20 cents
bushcL In the drouthy years they lost all
their labor. The white settlers who were
discouraged abandoned the country, bat the
Indians could not do this. They had to
stay, and then arose spirit of discomfort
and hatred of everything that sayored OF
civilization. This made them ripe for the
Vaccinations Of those who preached the
coming Of a messiah who would destroy the
whites, resurrect the dead Indians, aud bring
back the vast herds Of bufaloes and wild
horses. The freezing out Of the cattle OF
the whites and the destruction by the
drOuth were cunningly made use Of TO sup.
port the predictions Of the messiah-preach.
ers.
The General says that both the whites
and the Indians are responsible for the pres.
ent condition Of affairs The whites have
compelled the Indians TO live upon limited
tracts OF land, and allowed them to get into
their present condition Of dissatisfaction
Another class Of whites are responsible fol
the messiah craze. The greed Of still an
other class is responsible for the Indians
being better armed and supplied with am
munition than ever before in their history
Those Indians could manufacture neithel
a rifle, cartridge, nor knife" yet they
have all these things in great abundance
The Indians themselves are responsible, be
cause, while they have wrongs and griey
ances, they still have many friends, "but
Notwithstanding this, they would, in justifi
cation Of some real or imaginary wrong. O
prompted by some wild, savage, religions