Telegram-herald., 1891-02-10
.APEACE P0W.WOW.
n W,rts Of ths Red MAJ Expsaissd
- Him ~ Jsha ovsss. Ams~issa
Horse, snd Other ORATORS


III oA<1&ta&t 8k<Ixs
WAsnl&sros. heb. s-The eoafsr~
sne~ bes@eso Secretary Noble and the
sioax Indian delegation Was begun Sat
urdzy At the Iaterior Department
The Secretary Of War and Mrs Proctor
were present. and also the wife of
Secretary Noble and Miss Halstesi
Others prominent In the work for the
Indians were interested spectators.
fhe conference opened BY Secretary
Noble, who ASKED il the IndiaF.s had
made any arrangements about speak
ers He 5coald not hear them all.
bat he would listen - q few and he de-
sired them To speak briefly. He added
that II no objection WAS made ne would
hear John Grass. Hollow Horn Bear,
American Horse. Two Strike, Hump
and Young Man-Afraid-of-i His Horses
John Grass then came forward. Rev.
c. ;. Cook, the Episcopal minister at
Pine Ridge, acted as interpreter. Grass
At once began TO speak of the recent
trouble among the Indians. the origin of
which he did not know. They had
come for the purpose Of comforting
with the Secretary in regard to the
matter. The Indians, he said. did not
desire To be driven back To their wild
life, but wished 10 consult with the
President, SO as 20 determine upon the
future. The Indians thought it desir-
able that the agents should be civilians
rather than military. In the past, he
said. the Indian agents had OPP
ne a. hat
was difficult for them to adopt
such practices. The agents in late
years. he said. were good men. In
speaking of his own reservation, that
OF Standing Rock, the threatened
trouble had been put down by the In
disn police. They believed in the In
dian police and he was requested 10 ask
for an increase of fifty men. Grass
then shook hands with the Secretary
and took a seat.
American Horse was the next speaker.
He displayed considerable natural abil-
ity aud made q graceful preface to his
remarkA referring in complimentary
terms to the Secretary and the ladies
present The Government, he said,
had made mistakes in its attempts
to civilize the Indians. He pro-
ceeded to enumerate the mistakes.
Instead of the positions at the
agencies being filed by Indians,
white men crowded them out and took
the places What his people wanted
was a chance TO rise and fill the posi-
tions Of trust and consequence that
were within their reach. He then spoke
of religious matters and said that
their reservation who were trying to
teach them to live better lives and espe-
cially to bring about religious marriages.
Young Man Afraid of His-Horscs
said he hoped the Government would
not only educate the children but would
also give them something to do when
they finished at school
Two Strike said he had made peace
with General Miles and was now going
to do what he could to maintain it.
Hump said that about 800 of his peo-
pie had been killed, and there should
be some consideration shown the sur
vivors. He wanted the rations in
creased and continued.
Hollow Horn, Bear and Medicine Bull
talked briefly. and then Secretary
Noble spoke to the Indians. He said
the Indian must not be discouraged.
He would be supported as long as he
endeavored to do well. There were
two sides to the question of what is due
the Indian and what is due from the
Indian. Up to 1884 the Sioux had been
given s42, 600, 600 by the Government.
The Government acknowledges its
treaties and agreements with the
was paid. there has been much more
money paid, according to the treaty.
The Secretary then quoted statistics as
to the issue of the Indians. The schools
the Indians want have been kept up at
the agencies, and industrial schools,
such as they want, have been established
at Pierre, and another school will be put
up at Flandreau Farmers have been kept
at the different agencies to show the
Sioux how to farm the land 1t was a
mere accident that Sl0o, 900 should have
teen cut off the Sioux appropriation
Immediately after the agreement with
General Crook. 1t would have been
the same IL there had been no agree
ment These things should convince
the Sioux that the Government has
been trying TO do what was right for
the Indians.
In conclusion the Secretary advised
the Indians To think over the many
things the Government had done for
them; to look at the promises made by
General Crook and TO have confidence
in what he said. The Secretary said he
wanted the Indians to make up their
minds to do the best they could to edu-
cate, or to have educated, their chill
dren. and never to let their young men
dream that they could ever get any
thing BY force from the United States.
The Secretary closed his speech with
renewed assurance of friendship.