Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-04-06

Some Interesting Points From the SENATE
Debate on the Indian Bill.

hEDMEN AND ARMY OffICEkS
Some Interesting Points From the senate
Debate on the Indian Bill.
There were several very interesting periods
in the debate on the Indian appropriation bill
in the Senate yesterday afternoon The fitness
Of the army officer for the duties Of Indian
agent were being discussed. when Senator Nor
gan said: There were . lot Of officers in the
south in the period of reconstruction called
satraps, and do not think that q more abom-
Unable form OF government ever existed. one
more repulsive to the people, more injurious to
civilization, Christianity and prosperity, than
was found conducted by these military officers
detailed for the purpose Of governing states
and communities in the south. got sick Of il
at that time and never expect to get over il
as long as belong to the democratic party"
Senator Hawley was up in a moment The
senator, said he, Ought to make one excep-
ton in bad governments-ths governments
that preceded those officers"
Senator Morgan's reply was prompt and
warm. THAT was, said he Ito say the least
OF 1t, our government, not yours We were re-
sponsib:e for it and enjoyed all its benefactions
least Of it, it was local self-governmsnt while it
lasted. do not think il has demoralzed this
country very badly and you are indebted today
for what we did in those struggles for the pres
Va many VI yOuE COustltutOuA pElu-
ciples."
THE SOLDIERS AND THE INDIANA
The influence of the army on Indian moral
was theme opened up by Senator Pettigrew.
He said that the presence Of the army, es-
pecially of the private soldiers, was democrat
| izing in the extreme.
Senator Allen desired to emphasize that
statement he asked Senator Pettigrew q
question. which gave eSouth Dskotan AN OPP
ifx-< 20 ra,tn he, har.
ator Pettigrew insisted that the troubles at
| Pine Ridge in the winter of 1S90-9l were not
due to the lack of food, but to the belief in the
| coming of a Messiah and to the failure of the
Interior Department to do its duty by the
| agent-the first time any such accusation has
been publicly made.
| There need have been no wal" said the
Senator. DIR. Rover, the agent at Pine Ridge,
| went there and found this condition of affairs
| and sent out and arrested some of the unruly
| Indians 1Eereupon some others joined the
| unruly Indians, released them from arrest. re-
| sisted his authority and threatened to kill him
and burn the buildings. There were only a
| lew OF these Indians, but they were enough to
| completely discourage the police, for the po-
ice were armed with revolvers only. while
| these disorderly Indians armed with
| winchester rifles. The agent applied to the
| Interior Department for an increase of his po-
| nee force To 100 men, and applied for VIM
| chester rifles with which to arm them. What
| ought to have been done was to furnish him
! with this authority, with this additional force,
| TO have allowed him to employ 200 Indian po-
| ice II necessary, arrest the disorderly Indians
| and let the fanatics dance. When the author
| tiles undertook to disturb their dancing the
| Indians said The white race are afraid that
| this Will happen; that their day of destruction
has come. Therefore the Indians insisted
upon dancing more persistently than ever. DIR.
| hoyer, when the Interior Department would
not furnish him with additional police and arm
| them with Winchester rifles, called for troops,
and he was justified in doing it,
| DEFENDING THE ARMY OFFICER.
Senator Henderson secured the floor when
Senator Pettigrew sat down, and he at once
proceeded to defend the army officer and to re-
| lnforce the charges which he (Manderson) had
made as to Indian rations. In that connection
| the Senator said: In the suggestions that
| made In rather crude fashion the other day it
| certainly was tar from my intention to reflect
| upon the present commissioner OF Indian at
ialrs. am not charging him with wrong be-
| cause the bacon that is in dispute may have
| been bad He did not cure it or furnish it.
| The contract that he let was all right 1t re-
quired proper food. Neither do / care
| tor the purposes of this argument whether the
| bacon was good or bad. l was not making an
| attack upon the contractor. was simply at
tempting to show that here was an army officer
on duty as an Indian agent daring to do that
| which l doubted very much if any civilian
agent would dare do; becaus in the latter in
stance the penalty for his combating his
superior officer would be dismissal from the
service in which he was employed"
After commenting on some statements made
by newspapers the Senator read a letter from
Gen. Nelson A. Miles. The letter. in part, was
| as follows:
If the War Department should send out to
| the military posts bacon unfit for food or
compel its soldiers to live upon half rations
| and beef that was unit TO sustain human life
there would be serious mutiny: and that is
exactly the condition of the Indians of the
Sioux reservation at Rosebud and Pine Ridge
| last winter added to other circumstances that
, developed into dangerous revolt. For years
| they had had crop failures, and they could not.
like the unfortunate citizens of Nebraska and
| Dakota, get up and move away find other
| employment and the money that was ex-
| pended In purchasing food was SO grossly mis-
| managed as to aggravate their wretched con-
| dition.
'You will see by the inclosed papers the char
acter and quality of the beef that the govern
ment purchased and compelled the Indians to
live upon. You will also see by the inclosed
papers the utterly worthless amount of bacon
and the quality of such bacon when received
and inspected by board of survey. You will
also see the facts that, notwithstanding the
quality of the food they have been using false
| weights: and finally, to cover the fraud the
crime of burglary and robbery was committed
to steal the weights and carry them away.
Such are the causes that led to the revolt,
mutiny, outbreak or rebellion, or whatever
you may please to term ii, of the winter of 80
and 81"
DEFENDING THE COMM ssIoNER
Senator Cullom came to the defense of Com
missioner Morgan in q most energetic manner.
He said he was at the department with an at
torney of Armour CO.. one of the contractors
furnishing part Of this bacon SO much talke
| about, and happend to hear the converse
ton and the argument between the attorney