Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1935-06-22
BENTON WANTED
TO KEEP TROOPS
WHEN ORDERS WERE RECEIVED
TO REMOVE TROOPS TO FORT
SHAW PROTESTS VOICED
By GRACE STONE COATE

(By GRACE STONE COATES)
During the winter and early spring
Of 1881 rumOrS were current that the
federal troops were 70 be Withdrawn
from Fort Benton. Incredible as this
seemed TO the people Of northern
Montana, each new rumor threw
them into panic Of fear; but when
time passed and nothing happened,
most Of them settled down with a
feeling Of security and dismissed the
reports IS idle talk.
On May z, 1881, came an order from
the war department for the removal
Of the troops stationed at Fort Benton
to Fort Shaw. An uproar Of protest
followed, ably led by a fearless cor
respondent of the Benton River Press.
Persons who think sympathy for the
Indian Is q new thing, that all pioneers
who suffered from Indian depredations
held to the cheap sentiment that the
only good Indian was dead Indian,
would be surprised at the profound un-
derstanding Of the Indians side, which
this writer revealed. His contempt
was for the war department which con-
Quoted its western affairs tgnorantly
and the Infamous Indian ring that
flouriShed at the expense of everyone
but themselves. The writer didn't
mince words. In the River Press of
May II he says:
''T'he whole Indian question is asSum-
ing an alarming phase. We do not
make this assertion from a feeling of
panic or momentary fear, but from
an apprehension that has its existence
In the terrible condition Of the In
dams themselves, a condition that
must impel them to do something to
keep from starving, q condition which
is driving them to the point of despair
ing resistance, and which we feel they
are justified by the stern logic of neces-
stty in assuming. We wish it were pos
sible for our government to know the
terrible condition of these Indians The
supply of large game Is nearly ex-
hausted, while the mouths to be fed
are increasing. They have passed
through a winter that has DESTROYED
what little stock they had, and are
absolutely without food. They are eat
ing the dead carcasSes left on the
prairie; they are cracking the bones
and chewing the hides of the animals
they kill; they have eaten their horses
their dogs, everything that was eatable
which they had; and now they are
eating the stock which belongs to the
! white man-and who can blame themq
The demands from an Indian stomach
must be appeased from some source
and there is no source but the cattle
of the whites. This demand must he
satisfied. Efforts to stop it by scat
tered settlers will only goad the IN
dian to last, despairing struggle for
existence struggle which will be a
narrowing tale, wasting in its effects,
and which our government is calmly
and cody inviting by its suicidal policy
Of denuding this country, so exposed,
Of its troops.
1.-THE Indian must be tied to the soil
or exterminated II the first, we need
1000 more troops to execute It, If we
do it ourselves we must organize at
once; and that will cost us our sum-
mer's work, destroy our incipient in
dllstrieS, cost us lives worth more than
all the indians in North America. It "a
out Of the question. We must have
more troops, not less. We must have
them where they are needed to pro
tect. or defend. OK attack; not where