The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1891-03-11
The Sioux Chiefs Before the Secretary.

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Saturday, FEBRUARY 9TH, curious and
suggestive gathering. Some OF those
present were amused, others were ir-
ritated, others were respondent. Per-
haps a few looked at it historically
and philosOphically, and found it in
tensely melancholy. This room was
small, and crowded to its capacity,
There was desk near one, and be-
hind it sat the venerable Score tary
of the Interior, with white hair and
with and expression of alternate
amusement and concern. Behind
and around him was grouped a dis,
tlnguished array of men and women,
high officials and their wives and
daughters.
On the other side of the desk sat
stolid, impassive company ofstran ge>
looking men-men with copper
skins, high cheek-bones, prominent
noses, and long, coarse black hair.
They were Sioux chiefs come to
see the Great Father, come to ask
pardon for their sins, come to find
justice and mercy. They looked abb
surdly out Of place and out of harr
mony. They W ere in the office in
the midst of civilization, sitting in
Office chairs ranged in rows as at a
town hall meeting. They were not
in buckskin, not gayly bedecked
with feathers. They wore cheap,
ill-ftting stole clothes, white shirts,
old'fashioned collars, curious neck
ties. They held in their hands white
mems hats. Young~man~afraid ot~his
Horse, in the full glory of war-paint,
with Haunting feathers, having on
his oack the bedecked insignia of the
Indian Messiah, and breathing threat
ening ahd slaughter, is picturesque
and terrible sight. Young man afraid
of-hIs- Horse seated in an office
chair wearing a ready-made suit is
quite another person. The one is an
Indian chief, with traditions and
memories of a vanishing race once
free and noble and fearless; the other
is a nondescript, neither civilized nor
barbarian.
But when you think of what these
men in the cast off clothing of white
men had to tell of wrong and sorrow
and starvation, when you think how
eloquently they told it in the face Of
the disadvantages, you will see that it
was as sad as the story of barbarians
led captive in Roman triumphs, or
as the story of Montezuma in the
hands Of the Spauiards.
The time was when Indian chiefs,
scornlul and supercilious, stalked ins
to The council chambers of the whites,
and demanded their rights and more
perhaps. That was not so long ago,
But see now to what these kinsmen
of Philip and Tecumseh are come. The
oId-time lyric eloquence was there
when Amerlcan-Hor'e spoke of their
sorrows, and Turning-Hawk told of
their wrongs. The ancient guile and
craft were there also when Two-Strike
full ofy years and caution, compliment
ed the daughters OF the high officials,
and skilfUlly avoided the weak points
of his peoples conduct. But the bold
ness, the courage, the spirit, were
gone with the paint and the feathers,
the leggins and moccasins.
They plead for the chance to become
civilized. The tomahawk, the pilluge
the warwhoop, the cautious trail over
the trackless prairie-all out of date,
as traditional as Cooper's Mobicans.
The council fire is exchanged for the
steam radiator of government office.
The Indian affects cigars, and buys
clothes from Baxter street. He wishes
to raise crops and chickens. and to
elect municipal officers. Sitting Bull