The morning times., 1895-07-29
They Have Cost Uncle Sam a
Cool Billion Dollars.
DAY OF THE BRAVE is PAST
The Great Ma jority of American In
dians Are Now Civilized and Com
the Denizens of the Plains Have
Gradually Melted Away.

There was an engagement at Wounded
Knee, South Dakota, on December 29th,
1890, between United States troups and
Sioux Indians The whites lost one officer
and twenty-four men, whilst their adver-
saTieS Were dlSastrously defeated with the
loss of one hundred and twenty eight war
Tiors This has never been ranked amongst
the great battles OF the world; the forces
engaged and casualties suffered seem
uifling compared with those of a Waterloo
or Gettysburg; and yet il was in reality one
OF the most tragically decisive conflicts
that the world has ever seen For it was
the last stand OF the man of the stone
age against the all-conquering European,
the last time in all probability that the
two shall ever meet in battle array. II
was the expiring gasp OF the vanquished
in q four century long conflict for iordship
over the fairest continent on the globe.
SELF F-EXTERMINATIoN.
Full OF pathos is the story of how the
original possesSors melted away before
the race that now enjoys their heritage.
When the white man came four hundred
years ago, be found the Indian in posses
sion by an ancient title The various tribes
had portioned out fairly well, the surface
OF the country. About fifty-three separ-
ate Indian stocks embracing several hun
dred different tribes were found within
the present limits of the United States.
No entirely reliable estimates can be made
of the Indian population, four centuries ago,
but the most probable would fix it at not
more than half a million The Indians
according 10 their own statements, Were at
the time OF the advent Of the Europeans
eEteminatng themselves. They told fab
10 existence, but now extinct; OF vast
hordcS Of largc-sized men in the West OF
the continent who We're overcome and de-
stroyed-
Their numbers have persisteutly dwindled
/ down 10 the present ume The census of
$50, which was the first that took an
/ enumeration OF the Indians placed them a l
aa even -four hundred thousand ana in $50
they counted not quite a quarter Of mil
lion. Their extinction is not proETeIsing,
ID is true, a rapidly as did that Of the In
! diauS under Spanish rule in the more South
/ err parts OF the continent, nor have they
I faded way like the South Sea Islanders
under a single generation OF European
/ domination, but none the less surely is it
matter 0f but a few decades more until
! the Indian races OF the United States will
! have ceased TO have separate eXlstence-
TWeuty-One stocks are already extinct and
only 2S0 tribes and parts of tribes, many
I Of them so mixed as not to contain a single
pure -blooded Individual OF the original
/ stock, remain in place Of tie far more
f numerous tribal names known 10 history.
In $50 the deaths among the Indians eX-
/ ceeded the births by three hundred, and
! the physical condition of the most Of the
4 tribes was reported as deplorable
CIVILIZED DESTRUCTION.
/ The white man has been aided in his
conquest of this continent 10y his allies,
powder and shot, far less than 10y his more
/ destructive ones, whisky and disease. one
whisky trader judiciouSly placed has
made more good, that is dead Indians, than
any regiment in the government service,
! aud a case Of smallpox VIII invariably
make more havoc among tribe than ever
did Boone, Kenton, or the goriest hero Of
I q yellow back romance. Pulmonary con-
( sumption and venereal disease were not
known in North America before the
European came, aud yet to-day by far the
4 larger number OF deaths among the In
I diaus comes from these adjuucts Of civil
iZation.
The Ted man, contrary to the general be-
lief in this Iegard, is not naturally brave,
but consututionaly coward. He fights
/ behind tees and rocks, and usually begins
his waIs by the murder of women and child
! Zen. He is always trcacherOus, past
I master in all the arts of cruelty, and never
generous 70 al 4 sAd4ltll lbt- III liO lIlSASiliCt
] has he beenf found capable OF contending on
/ equal terms with white troops, and the
I regiments raised by the Southern Confeder-
acy among the civilized nations Of the In
/ dian Territory We're found almost useless
1 fOT service against the North But the In
! dian fights when COInered like the devil
incarnate The very Indians who seem
/ bIutally brave in the shock Of battle when
/ compelled To fight fOI their lives, are at
/ other times arTant towards. The fierce
/ and waIlike Apaches Of Arizona, cruel and
1 apparently brave in warfa re, hide like
I towards at night. and traveller or soldier
! is always safe fIom their attacks after
/ the light hasfaded away. The once dread
/ ed BIule Sioux on the Brule reservation,
! South Dakota, viii not venture abroad at
night and when forced to do so, VIII keep
! UP an inCesSant hallooing, liste ming eagerly
for the answer OF friendly shouts.
MORE THAN FORTY WARS.
Yet the Indian has done a good deal Of
fighting with the forces OF this govern
ment. More than forty wars of more or
less magnitude have taken place since 1875.
/ They are estimated to have cost the lives of
( about ] Q 600 white men, women and child
I 9Ien, including 5000 killed in individual
! combats, and the lives OF 10000 Indians,
/ { 300 OF whom were likewise killed in in
/ dividual affIays. II viii be seen mat ac-
/ coIding to this showing the Indian has had
( decidedly the wOIst Of ii in the battle for
continent which he already held in posses
I sion. But the actual number of killed and
1 wounded Indians must be very much greater
/ than the estimate given, as they conceal
/ where possible their actual loss in battle,
! and carry off or secrete their wounded.
An enumeration Of all these wars would
! be extremely tedious. Most of them were
! Of brief duration, and already forgotten.
/ Few OF them viii live in history, unless it
! be in the trunculent pages of the dime
/ novelist, surrounded by romantic glories
/ that the combatants would not have been
! able to comprehend. The Florida war of
! 1899. which employed over 10000 United
/ States troops, was probably the most eX-
! tensiYe Indian campaign which the Gov
! ernment ever carried on. The most recent
! ones have been against the Northern
| Cheyennes and Sioux in 1ST6-77, against
! the Nez-Perces in 1877, the Bannocks in
/ 1878. and the Northern Cheyennes in 1879.
The list ends with the Sioux campaign of
! 1890 The number of actions between
| regular troops and Indians since 1866 has
| been ,065 and 5000 officers and men
/ have on an average been constantly en-
ployed in Indian warfare since that time.
| In these actions 400 whites were killed,
and 1900 Indians.
WHAT OUR WARDS COST
All of these affairs have cost Uncle
Sam pretty penny in cash. To determine
exactly the total OF military expenditure
which would be charged TO Indian wars
during the nations existence, is of course
| impossible, but a fair conservative esti
mate would make this sum more than a
billion dollars. The Government has also
spent during this time about S260,0o0,00
| in governing and supporting these charges