Morning journal and courier., 1891-02-10
THE sIssEroN INDIANS

Distress and Starvation Among
 Them-The Indian Rights Associa-
 ton.
 Members of the New Haven Indian Rights association are in receipt of the following from the headquarters of the na- tional association:
 Evidence from official sources and from private letters from missionaries and others, as also petitions signed by the In- dians, make it certain there is great dis tress, and will be absolute starvation among the Sisseton Indians of Northern Dakota, unless relief comes to them from some source. The commissioner of Indian affairs has sent to them three thousand dollars, which will go but short way in giving relief to fifteen hundred destitute people. He has at his disposal seven thou sand dollars more, which he can and will use for their relief when notified by the agent that it is imperatively required. Re- lief much larger and fuller than this must be derived from some source or these peo- pie will be in no condition to enter upon an effort in the spring to raise any crops the coming season.
 These Indians are and have been self supporting. Their distress comes not from improvidence on their part, or failure to make proper effort at self-support, but simply from the fact that there has been an absolute failure of their crops for the past two years. There has been pend ing in the house of representatives bill which passed the senate May IF, 1890, to ratify an agreement negotiated by duly ap- pointed commissioners during the autumn of 1889, which, when passed, will carry an appropriation of more than two millions | of dollars for the benefit of these people l Of this large sum of money about seven teen hundred thousand dollars will be due them in payment for valuable lands whict they sold in this agreement to the United States. The rest will be payment in par for monies due them under treaty fol lands sold to the government in 1851. ] It will be remembered that immediately congress passed an act confiscating thu lands in Minnesota and the annuities du'
 under this treaty of 1851, to the uppel
 band of Sioux, who so far from taking | part with the lower band in the murderou
 outbreak, served the government as scout and soldiers against their own people This cruel wrong the government hithert'
 failed to make right. The scouts chief,
 occupy the present Sisseton reservation | which belonged to them before this act O
 confiscation, and was not included in it. ! The cOn1nlSS1OnorS, WlO III the Idu O
 1889 treated with the Indians for the sal
 of their surplus lands, found it impossibl
 to negotiate this agreement until they ha
 incorporated in it provision for tn
 restoration, in part at least, of their COT
 fscated annuities. The bill which tn
 house has so far failed to pass, and whic
 there is great danger it will not pass be
 fore the 4th of March, proposes simply ! very moderate compensation for values It
 ceived in the land ceded, and scant an
 long delayed justice to a portion of thes
 Indians who sacrificed much so say
 the lives and property of a pet : pie who have shown their grat
 tude up to this time in the manner aboy 7 indicated-the confscation of most of the , property. It is to be hoped we will n'
 suffer the house of representatives l
 neglect of duty in the passage of this bil to infict upon this already greatly wrongt = people the bangs of absolute starvation
 while it refuses to hand over to them u
 ample means belonging to them, whie } would relieve their distress.
 Let every citizen who feels sense D shame in view of these wrongs, and WI y has a touch of humanity which respon, @ in any degree to the suffering conditit :, of these people, join in an earnest petite
 to the house of representatives that it pc
 form this act of justice, and afford th
 means of relief to the Sisseton- Wahpete | scouts