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Show 8 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. I and agricultural lauds given in the dispatches of the commander and explorers and correspondents of the expedition intensified the eagerness of the people all a.long the border to take possession of this country. Notwithstanding the subsequent correction of these exaggerations by statements on reliable information that no indications of mineral wealth were found, and that the lai~dsw ere undesirable for mhite settlements, together with the strict prohibition by the War Department of any in-trusion into the Territory, exploring and mining expeditions have been fitted out at Yankton, Bismarck, and other points, and have started to theBlack Hills. Some have been driven back by the Indians with loss of life and aroaertv. and others are suanosed to be on their wav. It is nor beliereh, l;owe;er, that any deriou; ;.on~~lieatiowni ll nrise from this sourcr. If neither tlre military nor 1ndi;ins should be able to gl~nrd their country, the explorers themselves wlll probably soon become sat-isfied of its undesirableness to them, and will voluntarily relinquish their projects for mining or settlement. It is not improbable, however, that legislation will be sought, meanwhile, by which to procure the opening of this country to settlement. Snch a course cannot be too strongly deprecated, and should be opposed in every form. Scarcely a greater evil could come to the Sioux people than the disturbance and demoralization incident to an attempt to d!spossess them of their oo~lu-try. A NEW AGENCY NEEDED. The Jlionecoujo~lS, ans Are, and Two Kettle hantle, ~ h i e bha re made the lllack Ilills mu~ltryth eir home nud special retreat, rlre fortlle most nart wild ant1 uou-treats Indians. thoucl~1 1rounblra ~ ~ ~ a i u r( Ii€ ttrl ~ r u ~ I have been accustomed for severil yea6p-ast to 'receive" more or less rations during the three or four mouths of the winter at different agen-cies, but mainly at Red Cloud and Spotted Tail. Their presenae at these ageucies causes disturbance and irregularities of many kinds, and the agent has not heretofore had for his support a sotticient force to enable him to prevent them from taking for themselves, from the Gov-erulnent stores purchased for other Indians, suOh quant,itiesof rations as they have demanded. This has required additional snpplies and necessitated annnal deficiency appropriations. To remedy this evil Congress at its last session was reqi~estedb y the Department to estab-lish a new agency in the region of the Black Hills, and provide support for these Indians by themselves; but, the necessary legislation was not secured, and these wild Indians are already coming from their partially successful buffalo-hunts to the Red Cloud and Spotted Tail agencies to spend the ensuing winter. The presence of the military force now es-tablished at these aoints will arobablv ureveut anv serious disturbance or violent demandsat these <gencies"fir rations lyke those of the last winter; but it will not prevent the desperation which would come from starvation, and the consequent depredations upon settlements in Ne-braska and Wyoming. For it is not .to be supposed that wild Indians, numbering from seven to ten thousand, will long suffer fkom hunger .within two days' ride of the herds and granaries of white men. There can be no auestion as to the exnediencv of suanortinan Indians bv reat- I;.I :,. I ~ B U ~i iS rations when the d~ternnth.ri s ilieir S&~ )OI . ~b y l ~ i ~ ~ ~ ( i Ar~da s all the rearnuus heretofore urged tor the es tabl i s l~n~neo~d~ nt alb uort of an aanencv for these non-treafv Bioiix are stilluressinan. aud with ihe inc!re;~s&fl &ce which fi~rtlwro l;ierration and edprricu& have fur- ~~i sheId r,e ~pertfullgs clggesr tllalt Congress he a ~ a i rrr~cl o~!$tcdt o pro-vide such ah aane~rcv. a d also to make the deficienevaoarouria~ion " - - necessary to pro&le"for their subsistence during the ensuing whter. |