The critic. (Washington, D.C.) 1890-1891, 1891-01-10
WARNED LONG AGO.
INDIAN INSPECTOR FRANK ARM
STRONG WROTE LAST APRIL.
The Present Uprising Predicted Nine
Months Ago.

The following letter. written nearly
year ago, warned the Secretary of the In
terror of the existence of conditions that
would certainly lead TO trouble unless II
remedy were applied. General Arm
strong was removed shortly afterward;
"PINE RIDGE AGENcY, S. D., April I.
"7be Honorable Secretary IF He Interior
"SiR: In former years this agency was
allowed 5,0O000O pounds of beef This
year IL has been reduced to iW0,0OD
pounds. These Indians were not pre-
pared for this change. No instructions
had been given the agent that l,0UO,0O
pounds of beef would be cut of from the
Indians this year. Consequently, issues
were made from the beginning OF the
fiscal year--July T. 1sS0-until the date of
the final delivery of beef, about October
10, 1850, on the basis of 5O0,0O0 pounds
for the year This necessitated Il large re-
duction in the beef issue afterward to
catch up with the amount and came Just
at the worst season of the year. The
Indians were kept at the agency between
three and four weeks in the farming seat
son of 1889, when they should have been
at home attending to their corn.
"Their enforced absence attending the
Sioux Commission caused them to lose all
lneN Iluu plHiltcu ny lneStOck DTcuklilg III
| on their farms and destroying everything
they had. They have been compelled to
kill their private stock during the winter
| to keep from starving, and in some cases
| have been dcprcdating upon the stock of
white people living near the line Of the
| reservation.
"a bad feeling is growing among the
| Indians out of this, and may lead to
| trouble between the settlers and the In
| linng Tho tillinu nf "a hnU p,n.ln tha NM
| Perces war, with Indians far more adj
| yanced than these people. The full al
| lowance of beef should be given them.
| They complain, and with good grounds,
that they were told by the Sioux Com
missioners that their rations, ETC., should
not be reduced; that while this very talk
was going on. the Department in Wash,
| ington was fixing to cut Off one-fifth of
their meat supply, but did not let them
know it, nor did the agent know ii, until
| they had signed the Sioux bill. They had
good start in cattle, but have had to kill
| over three times as many of their own
cattle, old and Young, as they did the year
before; that they have been deceived in
doing what they did by the Government,
and that they don't get as much now as
| they did before.
| ~ think cutting off this 100000
| pounds of beef and thereby forcing them
TO kill their own young cattle has put
| them back two years or more in raising
stock and has created feeling of distrust
| which, unless something is done to repair
| it, will lead to trouble and bad conduct.
They have now killed many of their own
cattle, and will next commence to kill
range cattle. Already hides and other
evidences of this are being found on the
reservation borders.
"Mcn will take desperate remedies sooner
than suffer from hunger. Not much
work can be expected with the present
feeling. The Indians who advocated
signing are now laughed at and blamed
for being fooled. They don't get even
their former rations, and ask where arc
all the promises that were made. The
Government must keep faith rs well rs
| the Indians.
"The attention of the Department has
frequently been called to the condition OF
the Cheyenne Indians at this agency
their dissatisfaction and determination tt
do nothing to bcttertheir condition. They
now openly say they will leave there lhi'
spring, and therefore have no intention OF
putting in crops or doing any work.
.They may be held here by. force, but
ii is questionable If it is n good policy t.
keep them at Pine Ridge Agency any
longer. The 900 Cheyenncs at Tongue
River, Montana, and these 500 Cheyenne;
of the same band here should be concen
want them here, and thew don't want t.
stay. They should not be kept as prison
ers only. The Tongue River reservation
is, know, wanted by cattlemen. They
should be secondary consideration
These Indians should be concentrated
there and reservation obtained for then
from the Crows and the Cheyennes SHOULD
be moved to it. They will then be salts
fled, settle down, and go to work. NJ
| good como IN rho l'hnNnnnng /