| OCR Text |
Show 18 REPORT OF THE COMMISBIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. tho8 ~nteredin to inovidetl for subsisting the Sioux on a stated ration "~ltilt hey sl~ouldh rrome r t . l f . * ~ ~ ~ , ~ ~ o r t it~'u~rg~;~f io.vit lis~cl.gll oola, H I I a~ll neeesxar.~a i,l and i~larr~lctiui l~l la gr i c~~l t~al1r11r1 fhr r o ~ ~ ~ h a ~uritc*,a l and for the allotment of lands in severaltv. The agreement was ratified - ~ t o a practioal eo~lsideratiolo~f the subject of rerlloval thither: ~ h e t h & it is probable that by following up the matter ou the returu of the delegation, any portion of the Indiallx of those agencies could.have beet) induced to adopt as a home thecountry which the.y vixited, I aza unable to say. Any etfort iu that direction was pro~nptlg forestalled by s pro. vision in the act of E'ebruary 28, by which Cur~gresse xl)licitly pvohibited &'the emo oval of any portion of the SiouxIndia~t~os t he Iiidian Territory, until the same shall be authorized b j at1 act of Ool~gressh ereafter eu. a~ted.'~ i - REMOVALS. REMOVAL OE-&iW&CLOUD AND SPOTTED TAIL ACTERCIEB. I n May last D.H. JQTOUof ItPhe, Board of Irldian Comlsissiol~ers, Lieutenant-Colollel P. Lugenbeel, First Inlkntry, U. S. A., and J. 8. Hammond, superintendent of Indian affairs for l)akot,a, were appoiuted a commission to select locations on the Missouri River for the new Red Cloud and Spotted Tail agencies. lqor t.he for~llert,h e site chosen is the jnnction of Yellow Nedicine and Missouri Rivers. and at that point agency buildings have just been erected. For the latter, the old Ponca reserve was decicled upon, where the ageacy dwe.lliugs, store-houses, one hundred aud'fifty indial1 houses, and five b u~~d r eacdr es of cultivated fields, left vacant by the Po~lowso, ffer sprcii~la dvantages for present quarters. Notwithstanding their collserlt given to the cornmirsion, to herenfter receive supplies on the Missouri River, the Spotted Tail aucl Red Cloud -. Indians persisted in ulaking strenuous objectiot~ to such removal, in wbich they were seconded hg the surre~~dere"dho stiles," who were lrot . parties to the agreement. Their earnest desire to talk with the Presi-dent in regard to the matter was finally gr;rtified, i~ud a delegatiou of b twenty.three chief# and leading men of the Sioux alld Northern Antpa-hoes visited this city for t,hat purpose, in the latter part of September last. The interview failed of results satisfactory to the Sioux, since by " law and treatv uo concession coublbe made by the Presidrut or the de. partment beyolld a ~romiseto examine. next-spring, the wu~l t ryly ing along the Cl~e y e~~anude W hite R~versa, nd to erldeavor to find ou them suitible locatious for farming purposes. The removal of fourteen thousand Sioux Indians at this season of the year, a distance of three hu~rdred miles from rbeirold agencies in Ne-braska to theiruew quarters llear ttle Missouri River, ix not a pleasant matter to corltemplate. Neither the present Secretary of the Interior, nor the present Commissioner of Indiau Affairs is responsible for the movement, but they have carried out the law faithfully, though reluat-lantly. The removal is being made iu accordance with the act of Au-gust 15, 1876. (Stat. 19, p. 191.) It is proper to say here, that I can-not but look 011 the necessity thus imuoeed by law on the executive branch of the government a s i n unfortnnrlte one, and the consequences ought to be remedied as speedily aa possible. |
