The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1902-01-17
BISHOP T~ELEGRApHs
TO DELAY ACTION
.Rt. Rev. w. H.. Hare of South
Dakota Opposes Leasing
Of Grazing Lands.
VERY IMPORTANT MATTER
Means Exclusions OF Christian Civ
llIzatfon as Well as harm TO
the Smaller Stockmen III .a.
Of the State.

Sioux Falls, Jan. 13.-Bishop W. H.
Hare. Of the Episcopal church of South
Dakota, is strongly opposed to the pro-
posed leasing of a great part of the
Standing Rock reservation to the big
cattlemen of the state and has given
to the public press the following open
letter, which sets forth his views on
the question:
The telegraph brought US this morning
the news that Representative Burke in
Inmates that a formal protest will be filed
with the commissioner Of Indian affairs
against the leasing regulations about to
be- put into force in South Dakota"
Inc reference is to the grazing lands of
regarding this matter has Just
reached me which has led me to telegraph
Inls morning to several government Of
ncers IN washington asking that no final
actlon be taken in this matter until time
mas been given for full investigation.
Ihe subject concerns the people of our
state. and l beg leave to use your columns
IN laying before them some pertinent ques-
tons. ~
The circular regarding this leasing,
signed by the commissioner of Indian af-
1901 and 1t requires that the proposals
to lease shall reach the commissioners
otnce IN Washington by January 10, 1902.
Saand1ng Rock reserve Is four or five
W LII VII, uIld L
KnoW that friends Of the Standing Rock
Inoians residing among them never knew
81 TINS roposal until January 2. Were
haste? - .NN
These questions will seem the more
CIRCULAR carefully somewhat in detail.
Inc heading Of the circular, in large
type, describes the portion Of lands to be
ieg gas as the Western half Of the Stand
aetail, however, in the small print of the
pooy or the circular, the amount Of land
70 9 pe leased Is about ~three-quarters Of
careless n misleading heading?
The whole tract which it is proposed to
1e Is . containing an estimated area Of
miles square, or 1896 square miles-is to
pc leased as a WHOLE" and is to be
fenced in" by the lessee. and thus made
b bn vast asst range aag In other words it viii
head of wild cattle. When stampeded by
storms, or alarms. or sudden desire for
water these wild cattle, it is well known.
circular states shat a considerable num-
Der of Indian families reside in that por-
t1on OF the reservation it is proposed to
lease; Some Of these Indian families are
| we'll know, several Mission enterprises
Of different Observation-Disclosures, mis-
sion residences school houses-scattered
49, sAiAS NNiiil ClldllCG Will IQeSe
worthy e~ssayists in stock raising, and
these pioneers of Christian civilization
have IN the presence of such vast herds,
in the hands of gallant cowboys who like
nothing better than a rush, ali backed by
the aggregated capital which will be
requisite to, rent the vast tract of 2,1O6, $50
acres?
Again, what becomes of the interests
of the many tockme of South Dakota
who have only moderate means, but who
would like to- have a fair chance in this
fine grazing country of fifty-six miles
square? The big company would, of
course. effectually fence them out.
1t may be that satisfactory answers can
be given to all these questions-which. I
confess, I have to raise somewhat hastily.
The matter in and Is a large and dir
iicult one. Perhaps there is no better So
luton than that proposed by the commits
sioner: but, manifestly, it is only fair
that no final action should be taken in
such an important matter until time has
been given for full investigation.
William H. Hare.
Sioux Falls. S. D., Jan. 10. 1902.