East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1912-06-18
INDIAN WAR VETS
Want RECOGNITION
ALL GLORY NOT FOR
THE BOYS OF '01-85
National secretary Writing Local
Man DcpIorcs Neglect of Soldiers
Who Guarded the Plains in Trcach-
erOus Days,

T j. Tweedy of this city who is
serving as national committeeman
from Oregon for the National Indian
War Veterans has received from the
national secretary, c. r. Hauser OF
Denver, an address in which he
dwells on the neglect shown Indian
war veterans though the heroes of
other wars are cared for and reward
ed. OF the Indian veterans the me-
mortal says:
NO eulogies are delivered over
their graves on Decoration Day, no
martial bands are heard, and even
that fond tribute from comrades,
placed on the dead soldiers grave
the flag Of our country--is not in evi-
dence. There they sleep, these men
who fought well, in graves scattered
over the vast area of our erstwhile
Indian frontier country. neglected
and forgotten. silent and alone
Even that last tribute to a SOL
dier fallen on the field of battle-the
volley over their graves-was denied
our comrades, and instead of marking
their graves with mounds of stone
or head boards; it was often neces-
sary to obliterate and destroy all signs
of burial, for we'll we know that the
implacable hatred of the Indian fiends
would desecrate their resting place
and dig up and mutilate their re-
mains.
"Can any of us, the few who are
yet on earth, ever forget those fear
full days of 1876, when many brave
young man laid down his life as
sacrifice for future generations, and
many hundreds died before their
time, owing to the terrible hardships
and suffering endured. Can you
ever forget the long marches across
sun burnt plans, often without wa
ter and food, or the long rides on
freezing winter days and nights, in
pursuit of hostile Indians. Do you
remember how often we camped,
where We stopped or unsaddled, with
out wood. food or water. with our
wagons miles and miles away, and
there was no chance to live off the
country fer there was no country ex-
cept the hostile Indian country. Can
you think back comrades on those
days in Kansas and Nebraska, when
we fought the red fiends day and
night. Is it not true they outnumber-
ed us ten to one and in many in
stances were armed better than we
were Also those trying days in Ari-
zona, against the most treacherous
of foes, with campaign which for
severity length and horror, seeks its
equal. Yet you must confess, disci-
pline and bravery has always won
the day. and relentlessly. persistent
ly and unfalteringly we forced back
the savage foe opening an empire for
our people. Yet the men whose
bravery accomplished this are unre-
membered, are unhonored and un-
sung, and hardly classed among our
nations brave. Why this should be
: so, is a mystery. for rightly have they
merited as much recognition as any
body of soldiers in the world.
$50 can we call to mind innumer-
able campaigns where the soldiers of
the Indian wars, obediently perform
ed the duties required of them, and
proudly can we say, no country on the
globe has had a better, more faithful
or braver band of men, than those
that opened and protected the from
tier in the early Indian days.
"Our number was woefully small
and it is only a matter of short
time when the last Of these soldiers
will have passed away, and is it any
more than just and right for us tC
ask that our government, so promp
and so liberal in nearly all cases
should give US in our declining years
the reward and recognition it has
given to all its soldiers of other wars
--