Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1891-10-22
FIRES OF DIsCORD.

$o4, ,lSo, ~; l6dU, @20o,U2Ss6S7; l0SO,
s5ss, s,5sl, ,745.
FIRES OF DIscoRD.
General Miles says Tho Indlans Arc Not
Yet Subdued.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 1.-THE annual
report of Mai Gen. Nelson A. Miles,
commander Of the department of Miss
ouri, is mainly an historical review of
the Sioux war oflast winter, its cause,
episodes and results. Among the eau
ses that resulted in the Sioux outbreak
he mentions the gradually increasing
poverty Of the Cheyennes and the
Sioux, the unsufficiency of their ra-
tions issued by the government and the
failure of the crops in 1889 and 1896, and
the inability of the Indians to emigrate
to other parts of the country.
He quotes at some length from re-
ports made by Gen. Ruger, then COM
manding the department of Dakota, TO
show that the dissatisfaction of the
Indians at Standing Rock was to be at
tributed to several failures Of the gov
ernment. OF the Indians at Pine Ridge
much of the same was said by Gen.
Brooke, in a report dated Nov. 80, 1890.
Very nearly similar showing is made
in the report in regard to the causes of
dissatisfaction among the Indians at
the Rosebud and Cheyenne agencies
and among the Yanktons, the general
tenor of their, complaints being that
the government had failed to provide
sufficient rations. Gen. Miles writes
thus about the Messiah craze:
"The fanaticism and superstition of
the people were taken advantage of by
their disaffected and designing leaders
to encourage them in hostilities against
the white people. The record of the
outbreak at Pine Ridge follows in an
interesting narratives:
Gen. Miles commends the admins
tration of Capt. Pennah as agent at
Pine Ridge, and says that through ap-
propriations the Indians now receive
one-half as much more than they did
one year ago. In continuing his re-
marks faf onthe campaign, ,he said: .sNot-.
withstatnding. the fact that the volcano
had cooled down, the fires of discord
still remain. Even while the hostiles
were at Fort Sheridan they received
communications from their friends in
the Sioux camps stating that they had.
not given up the conspiracy of grand
uprising Of the Indians and that the
Utes were ready to join the Sioux
whenever they were ready to resume
hostilities. They have, in fact, gone
across the mountains and are now in
the abodes Of the supporters of the
Messiah delusion, near Pyramid lake,
in Nevada. During the months fol-
lowing the serious disturbance of the
peace, the confidence of the people has
been restored. Many of the settlers
have gone back to their abandoned
homes and ranches, and the Indians
have resumed their accustomed occu-
pations. The affairs are gradually ad-
justing themselves after being in a
state Of transition for long time. The
days Of large holdings of land by the
Indians in common will eventually
cease and the Indians take up lands in
severalty.
AS we approach nearer the time of
the Worlds Columbian exposition, the
most important affair of the kind that
has ever been held in the world, it
would seem advisable to take advan-
tage Of the occasion to mobilize or as
semble what is known as the national
guard or state militia. The constitu-
tion has very judiciously and wisely
reserved the control Of these for the
state governments, but as a means to
promote the efficiency Of the various
organizations it would be well to as
semble them under congressional en-
actment.with the approval and author
ity Of the state governments in the ma
tional encampment at least once in a
generations. As.there has been no ga
thering Of that magnitude since the
armies were dispersed in 1866, I would
respectfully commend that the militia
be brought together at this jubilee, and
more members Of the national guard
who are engaged in the great industry
Of the country will desire to be present
at some time duringits session. Many
OF them would prefer to come with the
organizations in order to continne with
the epcampment for the benttit Of the
exposition. 1t would also bebenefcia1
TO the state organizat ations to be brought
together in one national encampment
where they would have tile advantage
lof meeting troops from other states.
E0r Instance M fl1Oaf, nf N 0ur I'm 0lsnd