Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1892-10-05
COST OF INDIAN WARS.
Soine Surprising Facts and Figures On the
Cost OF Fighting Poor Lo.

Sost VI Hikhtihk Hoor ho-
A few figures, which will prove
very interesting to people who have
paid attention to Indian affairs dur
ing the past few years, were given by
Commissioner connected with the
Indian Bureau at Washington while
he was visiting this city the other
day.
He has had charge of the Indian
census under one administration and
has also taken prominent part in the
negotiations for the purchase of lands
from the Sioux. He has lived among
the Ind ans and was az ardent friend
of the late Sitting Bull and other
noted chiefs.
Some one In a party at an uptown
hotel spoke of the trouble in the
Northwest and asked the Commits
sioner for his opinion as to the cause
of the outbreak.
He laid the blame on the Govern
ment and the incompetent men who
have represented it in dealing with
the aborigines. Those who were not
incompetent, he said, were worse, and
generally retired with a fortune in
two or three years after receiving
their appointments During the past
few years, however, there has been
little or no chance to acquire wealth
rapidly, and the only cause, the Com
missioner said, was because the In
dians were destitute of wealth and
have none to lose for the white men
to acquire. The rations promised by
fhn (,nuarnrnnnf ha
issue was often delayed for weeks at
time.
'ThiS last statement" said he,
''does not appear to mean very much;
but when persons depend upon those
rations for existence in lieu OF game
and are compelled to go days without
food they can appreciate the Indians
condition, and not wonder that he
halls with delight the belief that
Messiah is coming to mitigate his
hardships."
Mr. Thomas Donaldson, who Is con
nected with the Indian census, made
a compilation several years ago re-
garding the cost of the various In
dian wars. Fron these figures, if
the Government policy had been to
better the Indians condition, | can
safely say that every Sioux buck would
now be the posseSsor of farm worth
at least 81, 900 If the money had been
paid him instead of it being spent for
powder and shot
According to Mr.. Donaldson's
dgures, since the organization of the
Government on July 4, 1875, up to
June 80, 1887, the Indians have cost
US 1929, 239, 2s4. Only one-third of
this enormous amount has been spent
in ciyilizing the Indians, while two
thirds has been spent in fighting
them, in the transportation of troops
and the purchase of munitions of war.
"The most costly of all Indian wars
was that known as the great Sioux
war, which broke out in 1852 and
lasted about four years. How many
Indians were killed do not know,
and cannot give the exact number
Of soldiers and settlers. The losses
On both sides, however, were very
heavy.
'This war cost the Government
800, 900, 600. The Navajo war cost
BIS, 600, 600, and something like $780,
900, 600 were expended during the
wars from 1862 to 1876. The Sioux
war of 1876, celebrated by the Custer
massacre, cost for actual field expen-
ses 81, 3l2, 53l, while the Nez Perces
war of the following year cost S931,-
329.52. Two hundred and forty-one
officers ana soldiers were killed, and
the Indian losses were l2s.
"The next outbreak occurred
among the Bannock Indians in 1878,
and 1855, 636 were spent in subduing
them. There has been considerable
Indian lighting with little squads of
Apaches in Arizona and New Mexico
since 1882, and for every Apache run
down and killed the Government has
spent 500, 900.
'These figures, Of course, appea.
exorbitant to a person not familiar
with Indian fighting, but when one
takes into consideration all of the ex-
penses incidental to the long chases
across the country they will find that
the figures are correct. New York
Herald.