Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1891-03-25
Truth About Indian Wars.

powerful nation, their cOnquerors anO
their pretentious protectors, have
been constantly subjected to famine
and suffering of every sort by Sound
reilly civilian agents under the auspices
of the Indian bureau. The Sioux are
shown to have been perfectly peace
able so long as government faith with
them has been kept. Even an Indian
has natural passions and human needs
He must haye food. He must have
at least a little clothing. He canno
be expected to be wholly devoid O.
resentment if women and children be
longing to his tribe and camp are LEI
die in order that a scoundrel may sci
for his own profit the food and cloth
ing intended for them.
There is an infamous iteration il
the causes of Indian wars. New out
breaks have not been characterized
by novel origins. Hunger, abuse
neglect, starvation, have invariably
preceded complaints, protests, threats
and at last open risings. AS far back
as 1877 an officer of the army dis.
covered that a civilian agent hac
stolen and sold for personal profit
10000 pounds out of $4,000 pounds
paid by the Indian bureau for the
Rosebud or Spotted Tail tribes. The
same thief stole more than 100000
pounds that was paid for to be dis
tributed among the Rosebud and Red
Cloud agencies. Against the protest
and obstruction of the Indian bureau
Captain Lee pressed forth his evidence
Mccain, the criminal, was finally
sent to the penitentiary for one year
But this was only after it had been
demonstrated that he sold the corn in
Cheyenne and Sidney after keeping il
in his possession six months. He also
stole beans and sold them to private
persons, burning up the government
sacks to destroy proof of his criminal.
ity. He had reported the Indians at
Rosebud as numbering 5000. The
army officers counted them and found
they were 1000. He had embezzled
the difference in value of rations.
At subsequent period Indian Com
missioner Hoyt was caught trying to
seize for himself portion of a reserva-
ton on which a mine had been dis
covered. Still later, when a corrupt
Indian agent was detected, the dis
coverer of his villainy was himself
suspended from duty. Investigation
after the corrupt agent was dismissed
without prosecution showed that he
had been charging the government
for 1900 more Indians than existed
on the reservation where he was
stationed
The immediate and direct cause of
the Sioux outbreak last year was
starvation. The contract for beef in
August was for 100000 pounds
gross on II basis of 1850 Indians.
For September the contract approved
by the Secretary of the Interior was
f. 3.500,000 pounds on basis of
1854 Imlian,. Tie agent received
<''u,ri ms that this quantity must
im-I uuiil June 30, 1897. No pro-
vision was made for shrinkage nor
for holding the herds in winter and
spring. The loss was to be inflicted
OH the Indians. The agent, in order
to- carry out his Instructions, had to
charge his beef issues from once i'm
fourteen 4" once IN eighteen days
This was actual starvation for the
Sioux, and they finally desperately
broke away, hoping to fare better at
Pine Ridge. After the army had
settled the war thus caused by the
Interior Department, rations were re-
stored to the old basis. The war
caused hundreds of lives and more
than million of dollars, and scan
dalized the civilized world. For the
truth is known that we starve these
people and then kill them.
Nothing but the swift and unerring
tact, the soldier courage and manly
decision of General Miles averted the
widespread war that would have in
flicted upon the entire northwest in
calculable disasters. The whole story
of the United States government and
the Indian since the Indian bureau
was transferred to the Interior De-
partment is summarized in these
three facts. There can be TO assur-
ance of security, justice, humanity or
peace until the bureau is put back
where it belongs-in the War Depart
ment--and the management of the
Indians placed squarely and exclusive
ly in the control of the army. The
army is required to suppress the wars
brought on by corruption, incompet-
ency and scoundrelism. If civilian
robbers and incapables were not per-
mitted to have anything to do with
the Indians there would be no wars
to suppress.-Cbicago Herald.
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