New-York tribune., 1902-08-24

| reservation TO raising horses for the of the
government.
Says General Manderson: There never was
time when horses were so scarce in the West and
especially In Montana, where the Crow reservation
is situated. British officers have recently
purchased for the of the army in South Africa.
more than twenty-five thousand horses. most of
which came from that reservation. This has nearly
stripped that country of horses. and If is
the time put first class grade of horses there
Should the United States Government he called
upon suddenly to equip army 1t would be com
PEELED to pay enormous price for horses. and
then would be fearfully handicapped, since
they be had
when was in the Senate. and member of the
Committee Indian Supplies. I examined into the
needs of the Crows. and was shocked to see the
great waste in horsehesh. For the two thousand
members of the tribe. there that time
less than hundred and fifty thousand miserable
little Indian ponies-seventy animals for each man.
woman and child the reservation. The horses
were used instead of money, and the wealth of
Indian was not In money. but In the number of
horses owned by him An Indian starting a
journey of hundred miles. would take with him
from fifteen to twenty-five horses, and would ride
In relay. at breakneck speed. though In no
hurry at all The horses used in barter. and
really were the standard money
But gradually changed this after the Burling-
ton Railroad built through the reservation and
the Indians to-day have got rid of almost all of
these httie scrub beasts. and are devoting their
Now, might just well try make
poughbOy out of racing jockey n good farmer
out of a Crow Indian. For numberless generations
they have been horsemen and horse breeders. They
ike It, and, with the proper breeding animals, can
raise good horses just we'll If not little bet
ter than. white men. and in few years they would
be able to supply all the horses needed by the gov
ernment for artillery and cavalry purposes. and
at the same time establish reserve from which a
large number of first class horses could be drawn at
short notice. In this way these Indians would
quickly become self-supportinS and of great as
sistance to the government.
Il have spoken Senators Clark and Paris Glib
son, of Montana and both enthusiastic over
the project Senator Gibson said: The Montana
horses the best in the world. have never seen
their equal In lung power and strength of limb
and idea of having the Crows devote themselves
to the raising of horses for the government is
good
Continuing General Mandcrson said Speaking
the Crows they the rich people of the United
States Rockefeller Morgan, Vanderbilt and other
millionaires haunted continually by the fear
of losing their money and their wealth is a source
of trouble and annoyance to them. They seek
control of properties in which they heavily in
terested. But the Crows-they have everything they
wish they toll not. neither do they spin Neither
pontics cnarge of administration Is anything
to tnem They have millions deposit with the
government, and the government is responsible for
IL They the favored people of this country.
Just imagine horse ranch half large all
New Ems gland. and you have the size of the
which II is proposed to establish the Crow Reser
walton. We have not yet perfected plans. but
working on them and expect to see the con-
summation of them during the coming fall. 1t is a
great undertaking..