Year: 1875

WASHINGTON, May 27.-Thc deter


mination Of the administration toforce


the chiefs Of the Sioux nation 70 make


a now treaty and surrender The Black


Hill country becomes more and more


apparcnt cvery day. The Prosident's


defiant course Yesterday In his inter


view with the Indian delegation show


ed plainly that he had made up his


mind TO get possession of the Black


Hills either by negotiation or force


His dictatorial manner did not please


the chiefs, and instead OF intimidating


them he seemsJrathcr to have CON


iirmcd them inthcir determination not


to surrender what they. believe TO be


their Just rights These Indian rulers 3


are not the simple, unsophisticated


children of the forest Of whom novel


lists treat, lut on the contrary they ap-


pear to be unusually shrewd, intelli-


gent men. They are not disposed to


give up their country and take up


their abode in and unknown land with


out some extraordinary Inducements


are held out to them. Like all their


race, they are cupidious and supremely


selfish. They would not hesitate to


betray their own people and sell their


birthright if the mess of pottage was


only made sufficiently large and at


tractive. They may be bought, but ]


cannot be frightened. They did not


care the snap of their fingers for


Grants positive talk yesterday, but


when Secretary Delano began to talk
to them to-day ebout money they ut
once showed their eagernoss to nibble
at the bait. Delano Is better Indian
diplomat than Grant, and although he
apparently made but little progress in 4
the negotiations to-day, nevertheless
he very slsillfully felt the Indian pulse
and discovered that by arousing the
eupidity of the sayages success might
yet attend the efforts of the ring and
the Black Hills be gained. The braves
were told that there were twenty-five
thousand dollars lying in the treasury
which could be divided up amongst
them, provided they agreed to surren-
der the country oil the north fork of
the Republican, but they have only
thirty days in which TO make up their
minds II they did not come to q con-
clusion in that time, the money could
not be paid. This intimation had an
and powerful effect Indi-
an like, Spotted Tail began to chatter
fer more, but ii is quite evident that in
the end the tempting bait will bo
swallowed. As long as the Secretary
and Commissioner talked about money,
the Indians were eager and attentive
listeners, but when they began TO speak
of possible bloodshed and wars the
savage blood showed itself Just as
plainly rs their cupidity had. The
mistake made by Delano and Smith
was in telling the Indians that Con-
gress was their masters as well as the
Indians. This at once suggested the
notion TO the Indian mind of dealing
directly with the head men, Congress-
men. They seemed intuitively to
catch the idea that there was another
great father which was the big daddy
Of all the fathers in Washington, and
accordingly they said they didn't want
to make treaty now but wanted after
a little further pow-wow to go home
and then come again and have grand
council with Congress. 1t is not i'm
possible that the reputation of our
Credit Mobiler Congressman has tray
eied out to the Black Hill country and
Red Cloud and Spotted Tail have con-
ceived the notion Of trying their hand
at lobbying. They might make ten
strike, who knows? II there is really
rich gold placeis, big bonanzas in the
Black Hills, of course these shrewd
Indians know the choice ground, and,
by placing few good claims where
they would do the most good, they
might drive good trade with the
treaty-malsing branch of Congress-
Hon. John j. Patterson, Spencer Dor
sey Clayton, West and all the carpet
bag crew, would prick up their ears at
the sound of Red Clouds cultural
whispers of golden nuggets as big as
goose eggs, which his dusky children
could point out IN some sequestered
vale in that new Eldorado. While tho
Indians were at dinner to-day, some
one entered their room and stole eight
shirts from the Minneconjou band, five
dollars from Spotted Tail, five dollars
from Swift Bear, nineteen dollars from
Face, and FIVE dollars from Pawnec
Killer