The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1895-09-06
UNCLE SANS INDIANS.
An Official Estimate of Their Cost
to the Government.
Difficult and Intricate Problem That
Has Never Been Attempted Before
Warfare with the
Redmen.

L
Just published. an interesting attempt il
made for the first time to east up in
figures an aggregate Of the government
expenditures on account of the red men
residing within our borders since the
union WAS established in I7Sg. The re
suit of this remarkable attempt indi-
Gates in the statistics presented that
the gigantic sum of one billion one
hundred and five million odd dollars
'SI.lo5.2l9.%2Tl was spent 10y the govern
mcnt up to the year 1890. either upon
the Indian directly. or Indirectly he
cause Of Indians. Counting in. how
ever. the civil and military expenses
for Indians since then. together with in
cIdental expenses not recognized in the
official figures given. it il safe To say
that up To June 80. lS95 a further sum
Of Sll4.Tsu.6.S may be added to the
foregoing figures. making a grand .ag-
rrcgatc of Sl.25U. .UOu. 900 chargeabl to
Indians To date.
The problem. SAYS the Washington
Star, is sucn a difficult and intricate
one that ii has never been attempted
before. The prime factors entering in
to the problem are: I'D The expenses of
the wars wagcd between the federal
government and the Indian tribes since
the date mentioned and the maintcu-
ance of our standing army in the vicin-
lty of the rcSorva tiOus: - the claims
of the states for indemnity for rN-
PcnSeS incurred in rcpelliTg Indian in
Va~luus: t:ib the civil and educational rN-
pcnseS incurred ou account of Indians.
and a. the cost Of pensions to the sur
vivurs or widows of soldiers serving in
Indian wars.
OF course a large amount of treasure
was spent in wars with the American
Indians prior to the esta blishmcnt of
the federal government in l7>9 In
deed ever since the white man APP
pcared within the present territory of
the nited States there has been war
almost continually. beginning ON the
Pacific side in 1889. and ON the Atlantic
side soon after the year 1000. Since. the
founding of our government the
nIted States army, except when en-
gagged in the wars with Great Britain
and Mexico, and during the civil war.
has been used almost exclusively in
the Indian service, and has been sta
toned largely in the Indian country or
along the frontier.
In their calculation the Indian census
experts omit the army expenses Incl
dent To the wars with England and
Mexico. and the civil war, with it,
sequel of reconstruction. and safely
counts two-thirdS Of the total cN-
pen~,> Of the army as chargca bile iii
r,ctly or indirectly To the Indians The
total expenses of the army from 1883
to $50 were found to be Si.125 52I Igj;
but deductin" Si.5I4.gII .00T for the for
cisrn wars and the civil war. the re
maindcr IL SI.2lO.GIo.4s9. Fully two
thirds of this sum, or SNO7 .O7i.65S. it is
estimated. was expended for Indian
wars and for army service against tn"
Indians.
To this sum the census experts add
the expenses Of the Indian civil admin
iztratiOn for the period between IL,
ana so. amounting to S259,?4f.u =. aHJ
SIu.oOJ. 900 more to reimburse particular
state. for EXPENSES incurred 10y t!Iai
in Indian wars. and so, o., NOR,
fui. pensions to survivor, or widow, %.
Indian wars. and then the total foot:
up to 81. I05 2l9.312- Couutiu" in "a
@u~rcStcd above. SI4i.ssu.GcN inr ,iyr
administration expenses and Il proper
tomato share Of the army expense.
since 1890. the grand total become
81 pa. OUu. 900 a billion and quarter
of dollars.
The Indian wars under the govern
mcnt Of the United States are stated to
have numbered more than 10. and to
have cost the lives Of about 10000 white
men women and children, including
about 1000 killed i'll individual cncoun-
trr,,. Of which history takes no note,
and of 10000 Indians, including $500
killed in pprSaual encounters.
1t has been the policy of the national
government since the year ISIS to re
fund To the states and territories the
moneys paid out by them in suppresaing
Indian hostilities. This liability is
based on the fact that the federal gov
crnmcnt has treated the Indians either
as nations or As wards Of the nation.
thus keeping them from control by the
several states
Speaking of the number of Indians
now in the United States as shown hy
the. reports Of special agents. and the
number supposed To have lived in tia"
past. the census editor says: 1t il not
probable that the present area Of the
United States since the white man came
has contained at one time more than
$4,000 Indians. High estimates were
made in the early days. but the average
even then was about loo. 600 In l~2J
We. have rs. .25:i civilized and uncivilizrd
Indians Through almost four cen
turi,., warlilc bands have resisted and
many Of these Indians are still resi- .ng
PROGRESS. There are not 10 tribes out
of any Of the 200 or more now IN tn
United States but that have been in
revolt. and those existing As tribes are
now remnants, with "a few exceptions,
too poor or too few to fight, or they con