The Saint Paul globe., 1905-04-30
GOVERNMENTS PLAN
HAND|CAPS SIOUX
Indians of Cheyenne Agency
+; Crowded by Big Cattle
Companies

Sioux Indians of the Cheyenne agen-
cy In South Dakota are restless and
revengeful at the government plan by
which their lands are leased to big
cattIe companies They receive the
rental, but the plan is reducing them
to the merest wards of the govern
ment, without hope of becoming self
supporting.
S. o. overly, Indian trader at the
cheyenne Indian agency in South Da-
kota; l.. 81. Michaels a business man
OF Gettysburg, the nearest point 10 the
agency, and Patrick Miller, otherwise
known as White Horse, a mixed blood
or the Sioux agency, spent yesterday
In the st. Paul wholesale district.
Inc payment of annuities will be
made to the $500 Sioux Indians of the
cheyenne agency May s, and each
man., woman and child on the reserva-
tion will receive $31.
Mr.. Michaels, who is a former trader
at the Cheyenne agency, says that the
cheyenne Sioux are the most pro-
gresslve OF any of their people at the
various Sioux agencies in the north
western states, but that they are ret
regarding because of mistake by for
mer Indian Commissioner Jones in
leasing the reservation lands to big
cattle companies.
Herds Grow Small
~ AhNidhS HcTuS are GROWING IeW-
er In number and they are becoming
more and more dependent upon the
natlonal government for subsistence
Ihere is less incentive under the new
plan Tor the Indians to secure property
or their own, and the result is that
they are fast assuming a position
where they are wards of the govern
ment, with no aspirations to be any
thing else.
Ihe greater part of the land of the
cheyenne reservation, which is 40 miles
wide and 120 miles in length, has been
leased by the Indian department to
elgnt cattle companies" Mr.. Michael
saIo sac. yesterday at the Frederic hotel.
Ihen In addition to the eight big
pastures the Milwaukee railroad COM
pSny mas trail six miles long extend
ing across the reservation. In driving
their cattle from feeding place to feed
ing place the big companies have to
cross the trail. The railroad company
collects a toll of 25 cents a head for
crossing the trail and turns this money
INTO the Indians fund. They also re-
celve the rental from the pasture lands,
Ieased Tor five years to the cattle COM
pames The total amounts to quite an
income every year for the Indians, and
probably they receive in dollars and
ceLts as much or more than they
would If they were allowed to utilize
account.
Industry Is DemoraIized
THE system has utterly demoralized
the Indians cattle industry, however.
An Indian cannot compete in cattle
raising or in any other industry along
side the white man. The Sioux had
scme pretty good herds when the gov
ernment turned over the grazing lands
TO the cattle companies. Now they
nave fewer cattle than ~ In,
the past dozen years.
The Importation of Texan cattle
brought with them the Texan itch, and
the Indians cattle were the first to
suffer. With their primitive methods
the Indians were unable successfully
10 combat the disease and they lost
heavlly. They have their allotments,
but as the country is essentially a cat
tie country but very few OF the abo-
rigines have fenced their tracts and
their cattle have become mixed with
the great herds of the Americans and
have disappeared either by disease or
have been absorbed by the big COM
panies-
1.-The result is that only struggling
punches of cattle are now owned by the
Indians and they are almost wholly de-
pendent upon the generosity of the
general government for a subsistence.
The leasing of the lands for the
tIluldHS Denenl mas Deen death blow
to the mixed bloods and squawmen,
and these disturbing elements have
combined with the Indians themselves,
who see what the result has been of
the new practice, and there Is great
dissatisfaction with the system"
The South Dakota merchants report
that last winter was the best season
for the cattle industry, that forms so
important a part of the states wealth,
for many years. There was just enough
Snow to give the cattle on the ranges
snow water without having to drive the
animals long distances to the watering
places. The more hardy cattle were
able to rustic" their entire food from
the grasses beneath the snow. Cattle
wintered well and the losses by reason
OF cold and snow were a smaller per-
centage than for many years.
The merchants are preparing to serve
the Indians with groceries and cloth
ing in anticipation of the payment of
their annuities May 8, when over $75,-
600 will be distributed among the ma
tion's wards on the Cheyenne agency.