Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1937-07-31

This was proposition which Congress
man Thomas Carter of Montana had
worked into his Indian bill, but was
intercepted by Sen. Frank Pettigrew
of South Dakota when it came to the
senate, and provided that the Indians
might go anywhere they desired. A
spirited contest arose between the Mon
/ tana and South Dakota delegations IN
congress, but it was stated that SEN
ator Pettigrews idea prevailed.
The then present scheme, said the
dispatch, looked toward the settling
of the CheyenneS and Sioux in Dakota,
and that it was the intention OF the
interior department to carry out the
program whether the Indians would
go or not. 1T is claimed" continued
the dispatch, that these Indians are
still in the hands Of the government
and can be sent TO any reservation
the department may see fit to decide
upon. The Indians having broken away
from the Indian territory and swept
across the country to their old home
in Montana, they are virtually in the
hands of the department as prisoners
of war, and the government can send
them where it decides proper.
This will cause racket OF large
dimensions, as Senator Pettigrew viii
make a bitter fight against such trans
fer. Senator Noble has not got any too
much use for Pettigrew and he is not
likely to be moved by any mere protest
on the part Of the Pickerel statesman,
but there will be q time about it before
the Indians are transferred to the
Dakotas."
The problem was approached from
two angles by the business mems or
ganization Of Miles City, both Of which |
were successful. The first was to secure
a favorable attitude on the part of the
commission personnel, and second, to |
influence the CheyenneS themselves
to express a preference. j. B. Collins,
secretary of the chamber Of commerce, |
was in correspondence with his old !
friend, Mai. @. e. Pearce Of st. Louis, |
chairman of the Cheyenne Indian COM
and through the major con-
tacted George II. Harris of Washing !
ton, and A. r. Appleman Of Columbus, |
o., the other members Of the commits |
sion At the same time he enlisted the |
active support Of widely known Mon
tana men, including Joseph M Dixon,
Thomas II. Carter, Wilbur F. Sanders
and Thomas n. Powers to join in the
conference with the commission per-
sonnet when they met at Miles City.
Little Chief and other leaders of the
Cheyenne Indians were interviewed.
During the middle Of July, Capt. John
Tully visited In Miles City from the
Lame Deer agency and reported that
nearly all Of the Pine Ridge Cheyennes
had moved towards the agency and
expressed desire to live there The
inter-tribal visits were producing the
desired effects. About two weeks later
Captain Evers of Fort Keogh made
trip to the agency. He reported that
Little Chief and his band had permits
sion to visit their friends at the agency.
and were being impressed by the system
of the issuance Of rations. Gradually
the Pine Ridge CheyenneS became more
intimate and eventually found It TO
their advantage to merge with their
brethren, since the federal government
decided not to extinguish the Lame
Deer agency. Early In September it
was reported that the commission de-
cided that the Cheyennes should not
be removed to South Dakota, but that
they should remain on Tongue river
and protected in their rights. The
chamber of commerce lost In their con-
tention that the agency at Lame Deer
should be abandoned, but won the
point that the Pine Ridge Cheyennes
should remain In southeastern Mon
taua