The National tribune., 1892-06-16
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
A Grand Army Indian Tells of the Wrongs OF
His People.

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A Grand Army Indian Tells of the Wrongs OF
His People.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: / wish to call
your attention to the way the Menomonee In
dams have been used by the so-caled agents.
Our Great Father in Washington has sent to
us nothing but trouble up to date. When We
first made treaties with the Government this
was our position: Our old life and our old Gus
toms were about to end the game upon which
we lived was disappearing; the whites were
closing around US. and nothing remained for
us but to adopt their ways, and have the same
rights with them if we wished to save our
selves. The Government promised all the
means necessary to make our living out OF our
land, and to instruct us how to do it. and album
dant food to support us until we could take care
of ourselves. We looked forward with hope to
the time when we could be as independent as
the whites and have voice in the Government
The officers of the Army could have helped us
better than any others, but We were not lett
to them
An Indian Department was formed, with
large number of agents and other officials draw
ing large salaries and these men were supposed
to teach US the ways of the whites. Then
came the beginning of trouble. These men
took care of themselves, but not of US. 1t was
made very hard for us to deal with the Gov
eminent, except through them. 1t seems to
me that they thought they could make more
by keeping us back, than by helping US for
ward. We did not get the means to work our
land. Tho few things given were given IN
such a way as to do us little or no good. Our
rations began to be reduced. Some said that
we were lazy and wanted to live rations,
and not to work. That is false How does
any man of sense suppose that so great num-
Der of people could get to work at once, unless
they were at once supplied with means to
oh ,,,d ,,,cfr teach them
how to use them? Remember that even we
had been told to do away with our ponies by
some of the Government officials, 80 We could
have big horses.
A few yoke of oxen have been given to some
of the leading Indians, but they did the tribe
no good. Still, we tried even with what means
we had, but on one pretext or another we were
shipped from place to place. or were notified
that such transfer was coming. Great efforts
were made to break up our customs; nothing
was done to introduce the customs OF the
whites.
Everything was done to break the power of
the real Chiefs, who wished their people to I'M
prove as whites and SO called Chiefs were made
to act as dsturbers by standing in the way of
the real Chiefs; even so-called United States
interpreter. What he is here for is to inter-
pref from Indian to English and from English
to Indian. But does he do it The majority of
the tribe will say no. BY my saying and
speaking of the rights of my tribe was abused
and slandered, to weaken my influence for
good. And to me it seems like they did not
want US to ad vance. This was done by men
paid by the Government to teach US the way OF
the whites. / have visited many other tribes,
and find that the same thing was done among
Them Everything was done to discourage and
nothing to encourage. | saw the men paid by
the Government to help u.s. but all were very
busy making money for themselves but moth
ing for US. o.
Now, don't you suppose we saw all thisP OF
course we did but what could we do? We are
prisoners not in the hands of the Army, but IN
the hands of robbers. Where was the Army?
Set by the Government to watch us, but hav.
ing no voice in setting things right, SO that
they would not need to watch u.s. They could
not speak for Us, though we wished it very
much.
Those who held Us pretended to be very
anxious about welfare and said our condi-
ton was a great mystery. but when we tried
to speak and clear up this mystery were
laughed at and treated as children.
So things went on from year to year. Other
treaties were made, and it was all the same.
Ra. ions were further reduced, and some of our
people did not have sufficient food at their
homes, and no means to get food from the land
were provided. Rations were further reduced.
family got for two weeks what was not
LOT one week. NDab tIty SdL WIEN
that was gone? The people were desperate
from almost starvation; they had no hope.
They did not think of fighting. What good
would it do? They might die like men, but
what would the women and children do?
The Menomonee Indians have always been
friendly to the whites, from the beginning up
to date, but they have been misused. Govern
ment officials have used them badly.
Other treaties were made, and we were
brnupht hero where 0ur homes Mt Oresent.
few years after We were removed here our
rations were again reduced to nothing. We
don't need them. If we were let alone by the
officials we would get along better. There are
many white employees here, and they are no
good whatever to US especially our farmer.
We are better farmers than he is.
And when the civil war broke ont we left
our homes and families and took up arms for
the United States Government, and many Of
our comrades fell On the battlefield. a
Grand Army man, and l am an Indian
MEEoMoNEE, Keshena, Wis.