The New York Herald Newspaper, November 29, 1875, Page 5

THE INDIAN QUESTION, Annual Report of the Commissioner of Indian Affairs. REVIEW OF THE SITUATION. The Rights and Wrongs of the Indians Outlined. IMPORTANCE OF THE BLACK HILLS Suggestions for the Improvement and Amelioration of the Tribes. NECESSITY FOR CONGRESSIONAL ACTION, ‘The following is the annual report of the Commis* sioner of Indian Affairs, to be submitted to Congress at ite next session, The report treats at length on the Indian question and gives the official survey of that important question, together with suggestions and re- quests for prompt action on the part of Congress:— Devanraent ov Tux LxTKRIOR, Orrick ov INDIAN AFParRS, Wasuixeton, Nov, 1, 1875. Sm—i have the honor, ia accordance with law, to submit herewith the annual report of the Indian Bureau, accompanied with reports of superintendents and agents, Only one agent has failed to forward his report, The attention of the honorable Secretary is eepecially invited to the general encouraging tenor of these reports, conveying unmistakable evidence of a year of advance in the civilization of Indians. This testimony 18 entitled to great weight. It comes from competent witnesses on the ground, men of ordinary intelligence and common sense, speaking out of per- sonal knowledge and experience of from one to five years. With few exceptions, abundantly accounted for by untoward circumstances, their testimony is uniform to the fact that the civilization of Indians is not only entirely practicable but is fairly under way. While publi¢ attention is being directed principally to the great Sioux tribe in its disturbed condition tho larger portion of the remaining 226,000 Indians, who have beon comparatively unnoticed, have furnished the fleld of labor from which the encouraging facts are gathered. A comparative statement made from statistics cover- ing a period of five years gives ample concurrent testi- mony to a steady progress year by year. ‘Tho statistics of the present year, gathered with more than usual care, furnish important facts for consideration, By the number of Indians returned they substantially verify the count and estimates of last rear, making a total as now enumerated of 278,963, This population is deter. mined by actual count of the tribes, with the excep- tion of the Nayajoes, Papagoes, Puelos, Mission Indians (roamers in Oregon), the Blackfeet, Peigans, non-treaty Sioux and a portion of the Utes—in all, less than 50,000; and for these 50,000, with the exception of not exceeding 10,000, the estimates have been based on Jong acquaintance with the condition and habits of their tribes, and cannot be far from correct. Taking labor which Indians undertake for them- selves and its results as a standard of progress, the reports show 42,000 able Indians, representing not far from the same number of Indian fam- lies, undertaking self-support by labor with their own hands. A portion of them have labored hardly enough and with little profit to themselves, except that which comes from the effort, but the majority of these laborers have procured the larger portion of their means of living, as represented in the crop of 2,404,000 bushels of wheat and other small grains, and 471,530 bushels of potatoes and other vegetables, The field under cultivation by mdividual Indians planting for themselves aggregate 323,885 acres, a larger area by 7,000 acres than ever before reported and nearly 225,000 acres more than were cultivated in 1871, again of 145 per cent in five years and of 600 per cent in ten years. Additional lands broken and ready for cultiva- tion next year aggregate 23,146 acres. Five years ago 10,329 Indian families were living in houses; there are || now 19,962—a gain of 92 per cent. ‘This report would have shown still more gratifying results, but for the fact that for the want of later re- turns the statistics for five civilized tribes in the Indian Territory are taken from the reports of 1872 There is every reason to suppose that among these 66,000 peo- ple there has been a larger proportion of gain for the three years than among any other Indians, For gen- eral information concerning the different tribes and the condition of their agency affairs, reference is made to a summary statement given bereafter. INDIAN WARS, In my last annual report I ventured the statement Uhat, except ander extraordinary provocation, or in circumstances not at all tobe apprehended, tt is not proboble that as many as 500 Indians warriors will ever in be mustered atone point for a fight; and with the conflicting lntorests of the different tribes, and the occupation of the intervening country by advanc- ing settlements, such an event as a general Indian war can never occur in tho United States,’’ During the year panies in review there has been Jess conflict with Indians than for many previous years, With the exception of the Cheyennes and Comanches, who, at tho close of the period covered by my last report, had sull refused to surrender to the military, there has been no hostile engagement with the United States troops, and complaints of marauding have been much less than usaal, ‘This fact is signifl- cant, According to all experience in the management of Indians this year should have been marked for bloody conflicts, “ White setslements have been brought nearer to wild Indians than ever before. Many dis- turbing questions have arisen, and with the most war- like and powerful of all the tribes there has been a constant series of irritations which in any previous year would bave raised the war cry along a large ex- posed section of the frontier. The Sioux have been many times represented as about to go out on the war path, at other times they have been reported as dis- affected by bad management of bad agents and goaded by desperation of hunger and cold to an outbreak, Nothing shows the utter want of truth in all these reports more clearly than the fact that when they were brought cheerfully to rehnquish a cherished hunting and roaming privilege they re- quested that nearty all the $25,000 received, in compen- sation for this reinquisiment should be ‘pended in cows, horses, harness and wagons, Such use of money indicates anything but a hostile intent on the part of Red Cloud and Spotted Tail Sioux. It will probably be found necessary to compel the northern non-treaty Sioux under the leadership of Sit- ting Bull, who have never yet in any way recognized the United States government except by snatching ra- tions occasionally at an agency, and such outlaws from the several agencies as have attached themselves to these same hostiles, to cease marauding and settle down, as the other Sioux have dono, at some point. This may occasion some fighting between this band of Indians and the soldiers, There is also a possibility that the Utes in Northern New Mexico, who are withs out a home, and are transiently fed at Cimarron and Abiquiu, may before long require coercion by force of arms. But neither of these bands can bring 300 men into the field, and I led not only to repeat with in- tement made last year, that wer to occur in the United opinion that ighting with ir be of rare occurrence aud separate tribes will he only in the naturo of skirmishing. THR #IOUX PROBLEM, For a full discussion of the question of the future of the Sioux attention is respectfully Invited to my last annual report, It is with no little gratification that I am able to allude to the fact that the obser- vations and conclusions reached at that time upon this subject bave been fully sustained and confirmed by tho report of the Red Cloud Investigating Commission, after many weeks spent in the Sioux country in careful inquiry into the condition and prospects of these Jadians. The problom for these people has not ap- roached a solution during the year, unless it shall und that the discussion arising from the Black Hills excitement and the investigation at Red Cloud agency have go awakened the public wttention to the present necessities and hopeless condition of the Sioux as to Jead to immediate, appropriate and vigorous measurcs for their relief, by removing the indians at Red Cloud and Spotted Tail agencies to the Missouri River and by driving out the squaw men who in- vest tho Indian country, aud by compelling Jabor as a return for rations, These three impor- tant essential undertakings will require three things, 1. Largely increased appropriations for the Sioux dur- ing the next two years, which may thereatwr be stoadily diminished till they cease altogether, 2. The most éfficient and hearty co-operation of the War De- artment. 3. In order to afford a suitable location for Reed Cloud and his people, the removal of the Poncas from their present reservation, which is a part of the Sioux country, and their consolidation with the Oma has in Nebraska Sooner or later these radical measures will be adopted, the only alternative being to continue to Fation and clothe the Indians as tdle and indolent vagrants and paupers. I do not believe it possible to subsist tho Sioux many years longer apon the suore- 1% ‘NEW YORK HERALD, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 29; 1875.—TRIPLE’ SHEET. jons wbich Congress ean Be induced to make for we only. The whole ‘of our people revolts against any pro- purposes only. and of rican institutions cose pn to or taxation for the sup- that pauperism port of idlers The bringing of these Sioux under such Litem + Lipase L. Oe Fae aa ded = the process of civihzation now in other bands of the Sioux along the Missouri River, upon whom ft has as ‘been impossible to enforce proper discipline in requirement of labor for rations, because of the proxisaity and example of Red Cloud and Spotted Tail agencies. But the reports of agents along the river, with the exception of Standing Rock, show that it is entirely feasible to ctvilize the Sioux, provided @ suitable coun- try can be found for their occupation, and the govern- ment and its agents are capabie of continuance in well doing At Cheyenne River bands of Sioux, who, three years ago, were as intractable, as impatient of labor, and in other respects as far from the steps of civiliza- tion as Spotted Tail’s immediate followers are to-day, have been induced to erect log houses and open farms to such an extent that the agency is able to report 240 Indian families living in houses, So male Indians who have labored in civilized pursuits with their own hands, and 188 children in school, The report of the Crow Creek agent, as an account of the first successful year’s effort in ctvilization, is. equally sneourseing. The reports of the Yancton and Santee Sioux are still more hopeful. Amo rine latter Civilization is an accomplished fact, and if the Yanc- tons could plant crops with ordinary certainty of & harvest they could. shortly provide their own subsistence, Such progress indicates unmistakably. that the difficulty of the Sioux problem does not inhere principally in the Sioux nature, bot in the barrennces of their country and the absence of necessary control, THR BLACK HILLS, The public excitement mentioned in my last report, occasioned by the discovery of gold in that portion of the Stoux reservation known as the Biack Hills coun- try, increased to such a degree in the opening of the spring season ag to require action looking toward the purchase of this country from the Sioux proprietors and the opening up of the Big Horn Mountain countr: for settlement and mining. Sor this purpose, as well as for completing the negotiation for the relinquish- ment by the Sioux of their hunting rights in Nebraska and Kansas, « large delegation of this tribe, composed. of representatives from those agencies, was brought to Waebington in May last, for an interyrew with the President It was not expected that this interview would conclude the purchase, but that it would be @ preliminary step by which thé Sioux uribe would be- come acquainted with the wishes of the government and 18. purposes relative to their own necessities and interests, Accordingly, at the request of the delega- tion, the President sent a commission, of which Hon. W. B. Allison, of the United States Senate, was made chairman, to negotiate at a general council of the tribe in their own country. No report has yet been received, but I am informed that the negotiations have failed on account of a wide disagreement as to the value of the rights to be re- linquished by the Sioux. The report of the Commis- sion since received, confirms this statement; mean- while, notwithstanding the stringent prohibitory or- ders by the military authorities, and inthe face of the large military force which has been on duty in and around the Hills during the summer, probably not less than 1,000, miners with the number rapidiy in- creasing, have made their into the Sioux country. A mining association has been organized, laws and regulations have been adopted for mutual protection, individual claims staked. out, in the right to which they expect hereafter to be protected by the govern- meat or to protect themeelves. 1n this serious complication there seems to be but one alternative for the government; either to so in- crease the military force and adopt such summary means as will insure a strict observance of the treaty rights of the Sioux by preventing all intrusion or to re- new the effort of negotiation. However unwilling we may be to confess it, the experience of the past sum- mer proves either the inefficiency of the United States troops, or the utter impossibility of keeping Amert- cans out of a conntry where gold is known to exist by any fear of orders or of a cavalry patrol, or by any consideration of the rights of others. ‘The occupation and possession of the Black Hills by white men seems now inevitable, but no reason existe for making this inevitability an occasion of wrong or injury to the Sioux. If an Indian cau be possessed of rights of country, either natural or acquired by treaty, this country belongs now to the Sioux; if the Sidux were an independent, self-supporting people, able to claim that hereafter the United States government should leave them entirely alone, in yearly receipt of such gunuities only as the treaty of June guaranteed, they would be in 4 position to demand to be left in undis- puted posséssion of their country, and the mbral sense of mankind would sustain the demand; but unfortn- nately the facts are otherwise. They are not capable of self-support, They are absolute pensioners of the government in the f $1,250,000 annually, above allamounts specified in treaty stipulations A ure to receive government rations for a single season, p seo reduce them to starvation, They cannot, there- re, demand to be left alone, and the government, in granting the large help which ‘the Sioux are obliged to ask, is entitled to ask raps of them in return. On this basis of mutual benefit the purchase of the Black Hills must proceed. If, therefore, on the plan of going first to the Indians, all attempts at negotia- tion haye fuiled, I should respectfully recommend that legislation be now sought from Congress offering a {air and fall equivalent for the country lying between tha Rorth and south forks of the Cheyenne River, in Da- ota, SURVEY OF THE BLACK HILLS. In order to provide for the question of a fair equiva- lent for this country, by direction of the President a topographical and geological survey of the Black Hills was ordered, the preliminary report of which, by Walter P. Janney, mining engineer in charge, will be found herewith, It (urnishes many interesting and 1m- portane facts respecting a region hitherto almost un- nown. Professor Janney and his assistants are en- titled to large credit for the conscientious diligence and thoroughness which are apparent at every point in the work. The aid renaered by the War Department, by the courtesy of the General of the Army, and by Colonel Bruce, commanding the escort, has been invaluable to the success of the survey, without which aid no satis factory results could have been obtained, on account of the limited funds available for this purpose, The report confirmed in a large degree the statements of travellers and explorers, and the reports of General Custer’s military expedition of last year, and opens a gold field of the area of 800 square miles, And around this gold region, principally, to the nor! an additional area within the Black Hills country o! 8,000 square miles, and this latter, bracing along its streams an area equal to 200 ry, miles, dnely adapted to agriculture; while the hillsides and elova- tions continuous thereto are Squall adapted to pur- poses of grazing, making the whole area of 3,000 square miles of timber, grazing and arable land of great value for agricultural purposes, According to the findings of this report, if there were no gold in this country to attract the eye of the whito man, and the Indians could thus be left to undisturbed occupation of the Black Hills, this region, naturally suited to agriculture and herding, is the ‘one of others within the boundaries of the Sioux reservation best adapted to their immediate and paramount necessi- ties. I doubt whether any land now remaining in the possession of the heap government offers equal ad- vantages, but it will be found impracticable to utilize the country for the Sioux. So long as gold exists in the same region the ‘ieultural country surrounding the gold fields will be largely regained to support tho miners; and to attempt to bring the wild Sioux into proximity to the setuers and miners would be to invite provocation and bloody hostility. These facts respecting the country which the Sioux seem about to be compelled to surrender for tho sake of promoting the mining and agricultural interests of the white men have an important bearing upon the question of compensation that shall be allowed for their jands; for it must be borne in mind that unless the Sioux nation becomes extinct, of which there ts no probability, the time is close upon them when they must bave just such an opportanity for self-support as that which is now known to be offered them im tho Black Hills, and if for the want of another such coun- try they are obliged to begin. civilization under in- creased disabihties, humanity as well as equity de- mands that such disability shall be compensated by in- creased aid from the government; and to avoid the pertis of future legislation, or want of legislation, the compensation should be provided for ana fixed at the time when wo are taking away their valuable lands. ‘The fact that these Indians are making but little if any tse of the Black Hills has no bearing upon the question of what is a fair equivalent for the surrender of these | rare facilities for farming and grazing, They are children, utterly unable to comprehend their own great necessities just abead; they cannot, therefore, see that the country which now only fur- nishes them lodge poles and a few antelope has abun- dant resources for tueir future wants, when they shall cease to be barbarous pensioners upon the government and begin to provide for their own living. ‘Their igno- rance of themselves and of true values makes the stronger appeal to our sense of what is right and fair, ‘Tho true equivalent to be offered the Sioux as heip- less wards of the government for tne Black Hills will be found by estimating what 800 square mites of gold fields are worth to us, and what 3,000 square miles of timber, agricultural and grazing lands are worth to them, THE TEMECULA INDIANS, ng on the tract of land known as scnla, in the county of San Diego, have, within the past two months, been thus dispossessed, The Teme- cule che was confirmed by the District Court of the United States for the southern district of California to Louis Vigues in 1853, No steps were taken to disturb the Indians until 1873, when a judgment was recovered in the city of San Francisco against these Indians who were at that time living miles away all unconscious that any person was seeking their possessions,and on the 17th of August last the owners, under Vigues, procured a writ trom the Court in San Francisco for ejectinent of Indians and for the satisfaction of the costs by the personal property of the Indians. The execution of ‘this writ hag not only deprived the Indians of their homes and of their crops just maturing for harvest, ‘but has taken their little personal property in satisfac- tion of cost of judgment It is hans f to understand the exasperation and despair produced among the Indians by such an order enforced by the authority of the State, Their remonstrance and threats under the provocation Were interpreted to mean violence, and the aid of the United States military was evoked against them, Their forbearance and Peaceful disposition was, how- ever, soon manifest and the fears of white citizens allayed. But meanwhile the do- artment is powerless to make satisfactory provision for the necessities of these Indians, The agent has been instructed to procure if possibl uitable rancho which may be leased temporarily with privilege of pur- chase, the embarrassments under which the de- partment bas labored for the past two years in its ef- forts to save these Indians from their present condition still continues, There are no adequate funds for their relief either in purchasing small tracts of country or er ranches or for rations. In 1870, on the representation of the agent, Lieu- tenant A. 'P. Greene, United States Army, indorsed by u juperintendent, 8. OC, Whitney, six townships were set apart for the permanent: homes of these Indians, and the Jands by Executive order were withdrawn from public sale, At that time a few setilers had made im- provements of Combarativaly email valine within these as the six townships. This tract of country, known jn to the Indians’ wants ana contained lands sufficient to furnish homes for all the Indians in California, who were lable to be dispossessed of the homes they were beered yy A But the setting apart of these reservations received the ‘MOst strenuous, united and persistent opposition of the citizens and press of California. The proceeding was represented as an énormous swindle upon the govern- ment and eshardship and outrage upon the lodians, and numerous petitions and remonstrances, signed by ading citizens, were forwarded to the President, And the Indians themselves, for whose benefit alone the reservations had been created, were induced to ask not to be sent thither, but to be jet alone upon the lands they were then occupying, and which they were left to believe would remain permanently their homes. In accordance with the demand of public opinion fn Califorata, Commissioner Parker suggested to the de- peemens the propriety of restoring tae Pala and San asqual reserves.to the public domain, which was ac- cordingly done; by executive order February 17, 1871, and this last oppopeantiy of furnishing these Indians with homes, by sul weifait ai | public lands in California for those in the title of which government bad failed to protect them, was lost, A resistance to the public demand, in strict conformity with justice to the In- dians, would have enabled the government, thei slight cost, to have made ample provision {or the sion Indians, Thus matters remained until, in 1878, the de ent, anticipating for the Mission Indians what lately happened to the Temecula band, called the attention of Congress most earnestly to the subject. The necessary appropriation asked for this pur- pose not being granted, attention was again called during the last session of Congress to the same subject, and a} ap riation of $100,000 asked for the Indian service of California, by which great reliet was brought ‘to these Indians; but that estimate was reduced in the Dill the usual amount granted for the other Indians of that State, leaving a small amount which could in any case be used for the Mission Indians. In my Judgment the best method of meeting the ne- cessities of these Indians will be to secure to thi st M4 withdrawal from sale, all the public lands upon whic! they are now living. Under directions from the office the agent has employed a surveyor to indicate such boundaries as will enable the Presi- dent to issue an executive order makin the proper withdrawal. This course, however, will provide for but very few of the Indians, from the tact that nearly all of the arable lands in that section of the country has been sought for, and are covered by Mexi- can land grants or entries in the United States land office, For the remainder it will be necessary to pur- chase small tracts of land at different points upon which the Indians may locate permanent homes, and where tney will be tn the vicimity of the planters and ranchmen, who will give them profitable employment aslaborera For the purchase of these tracts and of the improvements. which may be found within other tracts desirable for smail reservations, an appropriation of not less than $150,000 will be required, and I re- spectfully suggest that the attention of Congress be again called to the importance of this subject. HOMESTRADS FOR INDIANS. In my last annual report ! iaid special emphasis on the importance of securing for Indians the privilege of a homestead act, by which those disposed to abandon tribal connections‘and Indian life migat be able to se- cure homes for themselves on the public lands, By legialation of Congress a paivilege: looking to this end was procured, but in order to secure the highest benefit such modifications of the Indian Homestead act are required as shall guard against the attempt by speculators who will seek to induce Indians, mot yet Caiposbe for a homestead, to avail themselves of its privileges, with a view to secure an easy partition of the tribal funds which in many in- stances are of amounts as to make the Indians a prey, te the avarice of his white friend and attorney.- pn ac Led to hergee the following at bate om jons in my last annual report respecting the necessity of such additional legislation as will secure a suitable government for Indians. First—By providing that the criminal laws of the United States shall be in force upon reservations and shall apply to all offences, including those of Indians against Indians, and by extending the jurisdiction of the United States Courts to enforce the same. Second—By declaring Indians amenable to the police laws of the State or Teirtory for any act committed outside a reservation. Third—By conferring upon the President authority, at his discretion, to extend the Jurisdiction of the State courts, or any portion of them, to any réscrvation whenever in his Judgment any tribe is propared for such control, Fourth—By providing sufficient force of deputy mar- shals to enforce law and order both among and in be- halfof Indians, ‘Fifth—By giving authority to the Secretary of the Interior to prescribe for all tribes prepared, in his Judgment, to adopt the same, an elective government, through which shall be administered all necessary police tegulationa of the reservation. ‘Sizth—By providing a distinct Territorial govern- ment or United States Court wherever Indians are in sufficient numbers w justify i These recommendations failed to receive favorablo netion, and, as a consequence, the department has had apother year of experience in the effort to govern over 10,000 people without any law punishing crime com- mitted among themselvea Several instances have gocurred in which the State courts have been asked to take an Indian prisoner arrested and delivered to them and to try him for murder or other high crime, The evidence of guilt wag abundant, but the Indian has always escaped punishment tor want of jurisdiction of. the Court; and practically the crime of murder, where only Indians afc concerned, committed off a reserva- tion and thin State or Terrtory, cannot be punished, either from want of jurisdiction or trom indifference on the of the local. authorities. This state of immunity for ermme of Indians Is unfortunate for them and embar- rassing to the service, and becomes increasingly so as a tribe fepconshens civilization, (rom the fact that every step in that direction loosens and disintegrates the old tribal government of authority by chiefs and furnishes only anarchy im return. Such legislation ig absolutely required for the motion of further progress among the Indians as shall modify radically their relation to the government in the following particulars:—First, to make ap Indian as amenable to law as any other sub- ject. of the United States; second, to encourage and, if necessary, to compel him to abandon tribal relations and act for himself as an intelligent individual, So long as the government allows an Indian to live with out law, and continue inducements for bim to remain one of a herd, with only sommanity nerems, instead of coming under personal responsibility for good be- havior, and into individual rights of property, he will be found disabled and oppressed with needless difficul- ties, By appropriate legisiation recognize each man no longer usa member of a ene tribe, but as capable of individual manhood, and on that theory provide for his necessities and capabilities, and a very important step has been taken inthe advancement of the work which now lingers waiting for this ald. RELATIONS OV THR INDIANS TO THN STATES, The theory of Indian sovereignty had practically placed the Indians at a disadvantage In their relations to the several States where they are found, being held by the State authorities to be neither citizens nor paupers nor criminals nor wards in any sense, they como easily to be regarded on all hands as outcasts and intruders, and a pormal prey for anybody strong or canning enongh to defraud them. The most potent and sure remedy for this evil will be found in committing tho Indians at the earliest day possible to the care of the State. 1t is not probable that the State authorities will be found ready to scoapt this care with {ts responsibill- ties except in cases where the Indians have attained to such a degree of civilization as to become self-support- ing and in other respects ready to mingle with the citi- zens of the State, and be subject vo tho same municipal control, or in cages where sufficient (unds are provided for by the annuities of the tribes or by the surplus lands within their reservations, or occasional appropri- ations of Congress to meet all probable expenses incident to their care and preparation for citi- zenship. These conditions already exist among the Indians of New York and Michigan and North Carolina and a portion of those in Wisconsin, lowa and Mimi sota. There can be no question that the interests of parttes concerned would be benefited by a transfer the care of the Indians apon the Seneca reservations in New York to the authorities of that State either directly or by declaring suid State the guardian or agont of the United States in their bebalf, The funds belonging to these Indians, $4,000 per year, would then be disbursed under the care of tho officers of the county in whioh the indians reside, and could only be applied for schoo! purposes, support of orphans or for meeting such other common want of the Indians, instead of being expended, as it is at present, in the purchase of annuity goods amounting to a few yards of calico and cotton cloth to each person. With the responsibility of these Indians thus as- sumed by the State, it is not at all probable that there would Jong exiat in the heart of New York seven In- dian reservations, existing as separate kingdoms, one of them forty miles long and one mile wide, within which the laws of the State relating to highways, schoola, taxes and the collection of debts have no jurisdiction The interest which the authorities of New York have shown in the protection and education of the Indians within its borders leaves no doubt as to the benellt which would arise to the Indians from coming under the immediate care and entire control of the State, among the first of which would be immediate steps to bring the Indiana into citizenship qualified or entire, What is true of New York is also true of Mich- ay although not to so marked a degree, Four-fifths of the Indians within her borders are prepared for qualified en the others are in such # eondition of advancement as to be quite unlikely to receive any further govern- ment aid than is provided In their treaty stipulations Iy is, therefore, largely for the interests of Michigi ‘fag well as for her Indians, that she should take charge of this people and small weaty tunds still due them, 80 expended through her locai officers that the most benetit shall be derived therefrom, in the direction of the civilization and preparation for citizenship of a people who are a part of her body politic The same is true of the Chippewas, Oneidas and Stockbridges in Wisconsin, They belong within this State, and there is no prospect or proposal for remov- ing them, The property of these Indians is in annul- ties and lands, and the timber standing on their reser- vations is ample to create a fund whieh will secare the State sgninst any burden of taxation in their future care and control, and {t would seem ft that the State having them in charge and tho ultimate disathiityof thoir presence, whatever tt may be, Is entitled now to take charge of their property and so to manage ft as to rovide fk the largest liberty to the Indians wwhin her borders, What ts true of Indians in Wisconsin and their property may be said without qualification of the Chippewas in Minnesota, T recommend that legislation be sought from Con- gress looking toward the divorcement of the United States and Indians as “citizens of a domestic sov- ereignty wit) our berders’ and the transfer of the Indians a ir property to the States where they re aide as ra, 1s both the States and the Indiaus repared \ucretor, but the pr jones of such legis tion should be specific as to the States and not in gen- eral terms, TRANSFER OF THE BURKAU TO THR WAR DEPARTMENT. ‘A question bas been raised in many forms during the yearas to the expediency of transferring the Indian Bureau from the laterior to the War Department, In 1868 this subject was anita thoroughly discussed and ship, living in their own houses and farms, and | fe treated of at length im the annual report of the Commissioner of Indian Affaire for that sear, During that year also a Peace Oom- mission was appoin' + A the President, under act of Congress, To remove, | » the causes of war; to secure, aa far as practi: our frontier setuements: and the safe building of our railroads looking toward the Pacific, and to suggest or ate some plan { the ee a of the Liege pied bce ema composed of eight persons, three om were civi- Naas of acquaintance with Indian matters and five were officers of high rank and wost fam)- liar with the subject of whieh they treated, after visit- ing the most warlike and unmal able of all the tribes and making treaties with them, their opinion on ane subject as follows: — “This brings us to consider the much mooted ques- tion whether the Indian Bureau should belong to the civil or military department of the government, To de- termine this properly we must first know what is to be the future treatment of the Indians, If we intend to have war with them the bureau should go to the Sec- retary of War. 11 we intend to have peuce it should be tm the civil department. Inour judgment such wars are'wholly unnecessary, and, hoping that the govern- ment and the country will agree with a8, we cannot now advise the change. It is possible that, in despite our efforts to maintain peace, war may be forced on us by some tribe or tribes of Indians, In the event of such an occurence it may be well to provide for the re- vision of the Intercourse laws, or where, at that time, the civil jurisdiction shall cease and the mili- tary jurisdiction’ begin. If thought advisable, also, Con- gress may authorize the President to turn over 0 the military the exclusive control of such tribes as may be fscrninjnteg Psp or unmanageable, Under the plans which we hav, ited the chiet duties of the bureau will be to educate ‘and instruct in the peacoful arts; in other words, to civilize the Indians. The military arm of the government is not the most admirably adapted to discharge duties of this character. We have the highest possible appreciation of the officers of the army and fully recognize their proverbial integrity and honor, but we'are satisfied that not one in @ thousand would like to teach Indian children to read and write or Indian men to sow and reap. These are emphatically civil and not mil occupations. “But it is insisted that the present Indian service ts corrupt, and this change should be made to get rid of the dishonest, That there aremany bad men con- nected with the service cannot be denied. The records are abundant to show that agents have pocketed the funds appropriated by the government and driven the Indians to starvation. It cannot be doubted that Indian Wars have originated from this cause. The Sioux war in Minnesota is supposed to have been proauced in this way. Fora long time these officers have been selected trom partisan ranks, not s@ much on account of honesty or qualification as for devotion to party inter- ests and their willingness to apply the money of the In- dians to promote the selfish scheimes of local politicians. We do not doubt that. some such men may be in the wabeenys the bureau pow, Vee sig lence = 2 Suggest that Congress pass an act fixing a day (not later than tne Ist ct eebouary. 1869) when the offices of all superintendents, agents and special agents shall be vacated. Such persons as have proved themselves competent and faithful may be reappointed. Those who have proved unfit will find themselves removed without an opportunity to divert attention from their own unworthiness by professions of party zeal,” ‘This wise expedient recommended for ridding the ser- vice of unworthy agents already in office was not adopted by Congress, but has been virtually oy Into effect by the order of the President requiring the no ination of all Indian agents to come from sever: religious bodies of the country. This opinion respecting the transfer to the War Department was rendered before any well defined plan for civilization had been adopted, and at atime when the Indian ser- vice, under ctyilian management, was in its most unsat- isfactory condition, and when open héstilities of a very recarious condition of peace existed among more than f'the Indians of the country. That the conclusions thus reached by military officers of the rank and expe- rience of Generals Sherman, Harney, Terry and Augur Wore safe and wise, the experience of the last seven years has fully demonstrated, and if the ctvil arm of the government was best adapted to the work required then, it is difficult to soe how it can be otherwise now, when, with the exception of a portion of the Sioux Indians {n Montana and Dakota, and three or four thousand vagrant Utes and’ Apaches in New Mexico, the whole Indian aiation is quiet and except under the most blundering and grossly un- Just treatment wili cause no apprehensions of war-or ‘serious difficulty hereafter, At five-sixths of the Indian ncies no soldier ig ever seen or needed, At one-half of the remainder soldiers are only required to act asa posse to assist the agent in making arrests of turbulent men, and even this posse could be much more cheaply and efficiently provided by dispensing with soldiers and increasing the force of United States marshals wherever needed for the control and discipline of Indians) So far, then, as eleventh-twelfths of the Indian agencies are concerned, the question of putting them under the con- trol of the War Department has no more pertinency than that of putting the alms. ouse and city schools under the Metro-° Ley police, A standing army and an ordinary ndian's agency have no common end in view. On the contrary, whenever it 18 at all possible to control the Indians without force, the priboess sought to bo accomplished, under a policy of civilization, are always materially hindered by the presence and example of soldiers. The first. lesson to be given the Indian is that of self‘support by labor with bis own hands, the last Jesson which @ man in uniform teaches. But. more, and above all, the inevitable demoralization of intemperance and lewdness which comes to a reserva- tion from a camp of soldiers makes it of ihe highest consequence thet the connection of the army with the Indians be kept atthe minimum consistent with their necessary control and the safoty of the frontier, DIPFICULTINS ENCOUNTRRED, The difficulty which this bureau has experienced heretotore in dealing with Indians of this class tn con- nection with the military service has arisen quite largely from the unreadinéss of army officers to furnish aforce to act merely as a posse to a civil agent, and the want of acquaintance on the part of the agents with the requirements of military routine and regulations. This source of friction, however, among officials at the front isnot serious, and can be largely overcome by the cultivation of a spirit of forbearance and the common purpose of their superior officers, both military and civil, to bring the whole service of the country to its Sabo condition. ‘here is, however, a sphere of service now under- taken by this bureau, which might to its great re- Nef be transferrea to the War Department Fhe sup- plies of clothing and subsistence required to be pur- chased for the Indian service, amounts to about $2, 000, much the portion of this sum is expended in purchasing for the Sioux and several other tribes a few articles in large amounts, The In- dian Bureau has never bad an adequate appointment | for making such large purchases and for transporta- tion of the articles to the distant parts of the coun- try, The Quartermaster and Commissary depart- ments of the agency have such appointments in complete organization through whieh the War De- partment would be able to purchase, inspect and transport the goods anda supplies required to subsist Indians, and fulfil the treaty obligations with much more regularity and system than is possible for this bureau, as at present organized. And while a comparison of purchases made by the army with those made by the Indian Bureau of the same article at the same sas does not Indicate that the transier will, on the whole, lead to economy of funds, but rather other- wise, it will yet tend to allay suspicion, and will fur- nish checks and tests for ready application whenever charges of fraud in the service are made, either on good grounds or for partisan or selfish purposes, or by persons of repute and acting in good faith, who are themselves victitas of such purposes on the part of others,” If it shall be deemed advisable to transfer this portion of the service to the War Department rather than to furnish the additional clerical ap- pointments necessary for its proper ndministra- tion in the Indian Bureau, I would respectfully recom- mend for the consideration of the honorable Secretary the procurement of such legisiation as will allow the President, In his discretion, to direct that any portion ‘of this service of buying and transporting Indian goods and fBypiies be performed by the War Department But if the transfer suggested is made without lodging this discretionary power in the President, it should be limited in its operations to the purchasing and forward- ing of supplies of which the value of any one class of article at any one agency shall exceed tho sum of $1,000, This limitation is quite in order to allow the disbursement through the agents of such limited amount of funds as may be required in porshare of articles for immediate use, in cases where delay would bo damaging to all interests concerned, CO-OPERATION WITH RELIGIOUS BODIES, It is with groat gratification that [ record the hearty goodwill with which the several religious bodies ot the country have in general aided the work of civilization during the year, and the close relations of confidence and co-operation which bave existed between them, and the agents Soeur by them, and this office, The advantages dorived from the nomination of Lag by religions bodies aro manifest on every hand. It so- cures a better class of officers than could bo had by political nomination; 1t brings to tho aid of the govern- ment the sympathies and co-operation of a large num- ber of the best citizens of the country; it enlists a kind of aid for which the government has no substi- tute, and without which all effort for civilization will drag heavily until it is abandoned. No movements for changing the character and habits and prevailing condition of a people or aclass can attain anything worthy the name of success without calling for the help which a volunteer benevolent or religious organi- tation outeide of the government alone can give. The sanitary and Chrisvian commissions of the war, prison associations, children’s aid societies and the multitude of benevolent organizations which the government and tho States call to their aid whonever any work of humanity or recovery of man isto be undertaken bear abundant testimony to the prevailing opinion on this subject, which has grown out of experience. Indian civilization presents a complication of ques- tions and difficulties which require to be studied, and which form a point of view entirely ditferent trom that which any routine official administration of the Indian Bureau can give. Tho agents who have the work in immediate charge must be more than government agenta. They must be fille and animated with a personal interest in their wo: and inspired by the constant fear which comes from tho consciousness of being an associate and representative of those who cheerfully contributang timo and thought and making personal sacrifices for the work they bave in hand. No desire for church propagation on the part of any religious denomination, with one excep- tion, has in any way interfered with the purposes of the Cones and such interference on ihe part of the man Catholics bas arisen evidently, not (rom Intent Wo produce such effect, but from the tncompatibility ex- isting between ‘ict adberence to thejr religious tem and any provision for public schools other those taught by themselves, At the sevon age! ces assigned to the care of the Catholics no | restriction has been placed upon their system and mothods of education and no other religious body, so far as | am aware, bas in any way attempted to intor- fore, I regret to say that this is not true, so far as the Catholics are concerned, of some of the agencies assigned to other religious bodies and, in some in- stances, the interference has been a material hindrance to the efforte of this office, through its agenta, to bring she Indians ander comirol and to enforce rules lookina toward civilization. INDIAN OLVILIZATION, The question of Indian givilization is deeper and broader than is to be found im the inquiry and answer as to whether an Indian can be civilized, The question tm that form has been long since answered and the only torm remaining which is interest to the Amer- fean people relates to the methods which are essential to any extended and successfal effort for civilization, and I believe thas the present unsatisfactory condition in which Indians of this country are still found, not withstanding the and increasing outlays of money which the government hag been making for @ half century, is due to the fact that by tar the largest portion of the expenditures have beem made with no practical reference to the question of civilization. An Snnuity ip money or blankets or bacon and beef ma; have ® tendency to draw the Indians within the reac! of the government and Prepare them tor the beginning of & work of civilization, and also to render them dis- pelined to take up arms and g° upon the warpath, but with any tribe = few years of this troatment ts sufficient for the ose, and after this end has been gained a continuation of the feeding and clothing, withouta reference to further improvement on the part of the Indians, is simply a waste of expen- diture. This has been the case with a large portion of the money spent upon Indians during the last finy ears. Itistrue that the letter of treaties may have n comphed with by such expenditures, and thus the credit of the nation saved in form, but the spirit of the treaties, which uniformly looked’ toward the civiliza, tion of the Indians, has been disreg, in that no reasonable methods have been devised and adopted for Promoting civilization, This is manifest trom the fact that the question has not been raised as to whether an Indian should be subjected to a system of entorced in- dustry, and no plan has been devised looking toward his clovation by bringing to bear upon him the ordi- nary motives of indastry which are found in the re- sponusibilities that attach to self support and individual manhood, ‘THE CALL TO LABOR MUST COME TO HIM, notthrough memorials or treaties, councils or prone, but through his necessities. He must be driven to toil by cold and the pangs of hanger. Then, when he has taken this first step toward self support, his wants, which at the beginning were regtstered only in his stomach, take on multiplied forms amd urge to in. creased ‘industry. Naturally, when man begins to toil for that which he receives he begins to learn the value of personal property rights, and thus takes the first step in separating from hia tribe and toward pom eat reaps yc ae Hap my nee ie ognizing the propriety indians, like other people, should toll for what they have, tirebted that all annai- ties should hereafter be paid only in return tor some form of labor, giving, however, to the Secretary of the Interior, discretion which aliows of exemption of cer- tain tribes from the operation of this restriction. This eminently wise legislation has beem of great avail to the bureau during the year in enforcing industry, while in some cases it has excited hostility and produced slight disturbance. It has, on the whole. worked with eminent satisfaction, The question has been raised by the Indians, and sometimes by their friends, as to the right of the govern- ment to compel them to labor as a condition antecedent to receiving that which the goveramont has promised to give thom, and without =e such restriction being named in the promise. But when it is recollected that the Indian actually receives that which the government has Eromipes him and enjoys besides the benefit of all the rod af ted ue oo pte moral effect of rome abits of tndustry, but in the improve- Seats ‘mie pe crop raised, there can be no hesita- tion as to the positive beneflt conferred upon the Indian by holding him to this restriction in the enjoyment of his funds; and when it is remembered ‘that the government has upon its hands the care and support of these Indians, not only for the brief period covered by their treaties, but until they shall be able to care for themselves, it will bé seen that the in- terests of the government, as wellas those of the In- dian, require that whatever expenditure is made in his behal! shall be so made as will tend most rapid); and certainly to his civilization, For this robin 4 would most respectfully recommend that the restric. tions placed upon appropriations for annuities for In- dians by the last Congress be hereatter continued, and that the discretion of the department as to releas- ing any tmbe from its operations be reduced to the minimum which the proper handling of wild Indians Who cannot be at once reduced to labor will al- low, and also that authority be given’ to ex- pend a necessary portion of annuities in preparing the ground for Indian labor and the purchas- Ing of seeds and implements and stock cattle. There bave been several instances where an agent bas been ‘unable to put his Indians to labor because they had no Jand plowed and nothing but their ha to work with, and yet these Indians would not consent that any of thetr cash annuity should be expended in these moans of labor. All attempts to require labor as condit‘on of receiving annuities will meet with much opposition. ‘The Indians will resist it from their constitutional dis- relish for toil, They will also be incited to such resist- ance by half breeds and squaw men, traders and other ‘Mmverested parties, who always turn up as ch piong for the rights of an Indian whenever any measure {s proposed which threatens to dis- turb their peculiar — relatioi as his next friend and entitled w hold his money and divide his annuity goods. As the means of en- forcing ¢ivilization become more available and the necessity arises to compel Indians through the moral suasion of hunger to do that which they dislike, {t will be found necessary in many instances to rid agencies of the interference of this low class of whites by ex- Lian typ from the reservation. There is no reason ways @ government should continue to clothe and feed an army of men who are able to shift for them- selves, and especially does such obligation cease toward men who persist in making the terms of a treaty thetr pretext for thwarting the purposes of the government and retarding the civilization of !ts wards. A law pro- viding for their summary ejection and punishment for their subsequent return, would relieve many a reserva- tion from great embarrassments, BCONOMY OF CIVILIZATION. But the adoption of this method does not by any meaus secure civilization. It merely prepares the way for @ rational effort in that direction. Three essential conditions still require to be met, First—That the Indian shall be placed or allowed to remain in @ country affording water, timber, grass and asofl upon which a white man could make a living. In the warm and dry climates ordinary facilities for irrigation are sufficient Second—Tho necessary fund must be provided to carry the untanght barvarian through the period of bia childbood in civilization, This childish ignorance re- quires much patient and expensive teaching. The far- meror mechanic who |s to be his instructor needs to be more than an ordinary man of that calling, and must receive suitable compensation. No view can be more short sighted than that any ordinary laborer will make a profitable employé upon an Indian reservation, Awkwardness is wasteful Under the best of teaching there will necessarily be large expenditures in the first steps in agriculture or in herding No man learns to take responsibility and xcept by experience, and this with an Indian comes at high rates, The first cow or yoke of oxen intrasted to his care will quite likely be rendered valueless by mismanagement or eaten in stress of bunger, and you may be obliged to repeat the aid in several forms before you will have an Indian farmer capable of providing for his stock. Cattle were urchased years since for the Winnebago Indians in Nebraska, For years they were kept by the govern- ment at large expense, put under the care of farmers and herders, Years since it had decided to Issue them to the Indians and thus save the expense at least of keeping, which amounted annually to the value of the cattle. But few of these cattle are now remaining among the Winnebagoes, They have died for want of care or have been eaten by their owners, But in this process, expensive as {t nas been, the Indians have learned the value and care of cattle, and are now receiving anew supply, purchased by their own money, and are giving them’ the treat- | ment requisite for protection and increase. In the | erection of houses upon a reservation, it will be more | expensive to attempt to utilize the rough Jabor of an Indian than to hire white labor, but the house is worth ‘tenfold more vo him, not only for the increased inter- est with which he will always regard it as the work of his own hands, but for the lesson of labor which’ its erection has afforded him, In the same manner a | ag or wagon broken in the Indian's experiment of is useful exercise of muscle ig a very costly expendi- ture, and yet experiments which involve all these and more serious Outlays are in the end highly economical, For this pemparat ey brief training period larger anntal appropriations will be required than ff the ft: dian were allowed'to continue his life of vagrancy and barbarism. THE COST OF FURNISHING SCHOOT-HOUSRS AND TRACTERS commonwealth will be considerably greater !n any ears than to allow the childrea to run in idleness ignorance hartge period; but before that gen- eration of children has come to manhood, the cost for police and punishment will be many times greater than the sam required for their proper education. In like manner in discussing this question of comparative economy in the civilization of Indians, we must not fail to count in the cost of the ‘alternative. When settle- monts approach an Indian country, this uncivilized class comes into new relations with the government Af they are allowed longer to roam they will be a heavy expense either to the people, by marauding, or to the government by the maintenance of a sufficient military force to prevent or punish such maraudin, The Territory of Arizona presents a str Ing tllustration of the economy of et tization. By the combined efforts of the War and In- terior departments the fierce, bloody Apaches, who ‘three years ago were the terror of that Territory, mak- ing @ twenty milo ride out from {ts capitol unsafe without a guard, are now in quiet upon their reserva- tions, with the exception of # small pumber, fol- lowers of Cochise, and as yet occupy the Dragoon Mountains, are taking out ditolres for crops and making abode dwellings; and meanwhile the country is freed from hostile inourstons, and the governm=nt is enabled to reduce the military force hitherto required for peace and safety Arizona, The é08¢ of maintaining this half of the military in Arizona for a single yoar exceeds all the expenditures by the Indian Bureaa, for all the Apaches in that Territory for four years past, and from this time the expenditure will annually decrease until the Aj es become entirely self-supporting. Th The agents who stand for the government in close contact with the Indians must be competent for the business in hand. They must be able to comprehend dow far it reaches an} the mere attempt to gratify the Indiang and to keep them quiet They must be who have faith in théir fellow men; who believe that the lowest creature that God has made is capable of coming up higher, Thoy must be not only stro in integrity and able to resist the plows and machin: tions by which greedy and unscrupulous men will @eem to use them, bat far must also possess such adminis- trative ability as will sonal and official power tw bear in restraini: and curbing vicious habits and fmspiring mm with bigh motives and ing feeble beginners m a better life. Men of this character are not to be found In the ordinary way @f political appointment, Their selection must be made on no other ground than of dtness for their lar duties A mistake here ts fatal to the whole effor, For this reason the mode adopted for the iast ears of procuring nominations of agente through the several religious bodies of the country has worked mostadmirably, Not that the best men have alwava been selected ly those enable them to bring all their per- is 5 Dodies, but that the proportion of true, devoted, capa die agents furnished in tois way has been far greates than it would have been by any other method of ap pointment. When these nts. thus selected, have reached their distant fields of duty they find tn the relations which they bear to the Christian peo how they represent a constant inspiration fidelity. ‘Any man fit to receive such am appoint- ment must constantly recognize the duty w) him to be true not only to the government but to his own re- ligious convictions and to those in. whose name he bas been sent ta en, in the work of lifting mon out of barbarism. And it is exactly this element of enthusi- asm which comes from living for an tdea, from the pur- pose and consciousness of living for others which is most essential to the effort of civilization among In- dians. For this reason I most devoutly trust that the government will still be inclined to call upon the re- ligious bodies of the country to name the proper mea for Indian agents. ‘THE WORK OF CIVILIZATION. With these three essential conditions, suitable coun- try, reasonable appropriations and pene agents fur- nished and continued for a reasonable length of time, there is not asbade of doubt in my mind that the Indians af this country can be reclaimed from barbariem and fitted for citizenship, and that every year from the time of its adoption till its consummation will give in- oreased demonstration of the wisdom and ultimate suc cess of the plan. But it must be borne in mind that all these conditions, namely—men, country and funds, relatively important in the order named—are absolutely essential. If one of them 1s lacking the highest ex- cellence of the other two cannot repair the loss. You cannot civilize the Sioux on the Ajkali Plains of Dakota with any amount of funds and the best of agents You cannot civilize the Owes on the best soll in Nebraska, with their large per capita annuity without an agent capable of his high trast. You cannot civilize the Lao Court Orielle Chippewas in Wisconsin, on their fine reservation, and with all the encouragements which @ competent sub-agent can give, without the means mer ry to provide tor their first steps in civilized rr. It surely is not too much to expect that work of such magnitude, involving ag it does the wellare of so many Fer, who in ali their history have stood in such peca- jar relations to the American people and who are now attracting the increasing interest of philanthropists and scholars and the commiseration of all classes, shal) ob- tain such recognition by the Congress of the United States as will remove the difficulties which have here tofore been experienced in procuring the enactment of laws and the necossary appropriations for their train- ing in civihzation, The expenditures of the year of 1875, exclusive of expenditures of funds derived from interest’ of Indian stocks and sales of bonds and lands, a8 compared with those of 1873, show @ decreaso of $1,002,947 10, The appropria- tions for 1876 are $5,436,827 70, and from present pros- pects it ia not expected that a deficiency for this year will arise exceeding $200,000, making a total of 635,827, aud @ diminution of $1,524,440 40 against fine ‘This reduction of expense bas oceurred partly by increased cheapness of supplies and decreased cost of transportation; but ora the defluitencss with which numbers and wants of Indians have been ascer- tained, waste and over issue of supplies being thereby in a degree prevented, The cost of maintaining all the Indians except the wilder tribes like the Sioux, Utes, Crows and Arickaroes will steadily decrease from this time on until they cease to be any burden to the gov- ernment, and this not through any process of extinct- ton, but bogs of their increasing self support in a civilized mode of life. It is not improbable, however,.that such additional expenditure will be required, in bringing the wilder tril through the transition from a state of almost complete barbarism into the beginning of civilization, as will make the totals of the appropriations for threo or four years to come equal to those of the last three years and perbaps greater. The problem of the Sioux, discussed elsewhere, involves even larger outlays for at least three years than are now required for the feeding process. Tho Sioux on the Upper Missonri, with the Piegans and Blackfeet, who are now procuring mach the Jarger portion of their subsistence by hunt- {ng, will before long be compelled by searelty of game to depend upon governmont ration. When this necessity comes to them and the Crows and Utes the change from a nomadic to an agricul- tural life, which must necessarily follow, will bring the temporary necessity of a corresponding increase of appropriations. These are the exigencies or the crises which come in the history of all tribes; and tho fact that the cost of maintaining Indians is growing less, notwithstanding there are more of them upon res- ervations and under the immediate care of the govern- ment than ever before, 1s very instructive as well as very encouraging. And if it were possible to show in figures the increased advantages which havo been derived from the comparative quiet upon the bor- der and exemption from pillage and marauding, and the very marked decrease in expenditures incurred in campaigning against the Indians, # most gratifying exhibit could be made of economical results already accomplished. It should also be remembered that we might naturally have expected an increase ins! ofa diminution in disturbance and depredation on the part of the Indians, with a correspondingly increased cost for police and restraint by the army, on account of the growing settlements which have pushed thelr way on every side up to the border, and sometimes into the very heart of the Indian country. Before yielding to any despair as to the future, it is welltorecall the fact that only seven vears ago tho United States was willing to make any promise to the wild Sioux, whom we did mot wish to fight, if they would allow us to push a railway across their plains tow- ard tho Pacific coast Five of the wisest and bravest. leading generals of the army did not consider it deroga- tory to the dignity of the government to solemnly stip- ulate, in order to gain this end, that the larger part of Dakota, Nebraska and Wyoming claimed by the savages should never be iden by @ white wan’s foot; that military forts and roads should be dis- mantied and abandoned; that no man wearing the United States uniform should ever be seen within thoir reservation; the Indians should receive large supplies of rations and clothing. The trains of the Union Pacific roads have been running daily undis- turbed; the surrounding country bas been occupied, while Indian depredations have Linco decreased ; the lands in Nebraska are now being occupied by settlers, the Indians having withdrawn their claim, Sotdiera are to be found in every part of the Sioux res- eryation, and the present season has witnessed thou- sands of miners and “‘pilgrims’’ swarming over the Stoux country and digging imto their sacred hills for gold. Yet there has been no Hghting under all this provocation which five years ago would have brought 10,000 warriors into the field for a war which would not have cost less than $50,000,000, And with any kind of firm treatment which bears a resemblance to justice there will be no serions contention with this powerful tribe hereafter. Tho results have, therefore, fully justified tho negotia- tions of 1868, and have demonstrated most completely that it is far better to feed and temporize and parley with a wild, unreasoning savage, until you have brough' him within authority and proper requirements, so t! ho Bag be assured from experience that on the one hand the government desires only his good, and on the other is able to compel submission to law. The estimated cost of fighting only a small portion of the Sioux in 1862, if funded, would yield an annual in- terest sufficient, even on the present unsatisiactory plan, to care for the whole nation for all time. A THREATENED RAILROAD STRIKE, ‘The assault on Martin Stanton, a laborerinthe new tunnel of the Delaware and Lackawanna Railroad Com- pany, at Jersey City, by John McAndrews, the con- tractor, a few days ago, has led toan important move. ment on the part of the employés. Stanton demanded his wages in fuil and he was not only answered by abuse but one of his eyes was nearly poked out by an umbrella, as is alleged, in the hands of McAndrews. For this alleged offence McAndrews was held for examination, the injured man being unable to leave his house, A large number of the laborers called on Justice Bretzfeld to commence i proceed- ings against McAndrews for the recovery of wages lon dua The Justice advised them to make another appe: ‘to the contractor, bat this proved unavailing. A strike is, therefore, threavened on the lst of December if the men be not paid. Most of the laborers are men with Jarge families. The strike as this tunnel » yoar ago led to serious trouble, and it ts feared that the present movement will be more disastrous if carried out, A DESPERATE SUICIDE. At about two o'clock yesterday morning a man giving his name as John Smith, a resident of Hoboken, attempted sutcide ina house in Bleecker street, near Greene, by shooting himself just below his heart He ‘was removed to the Fifteenth precinct station house, whore in his pockets were found @ photograph of a re- spectable looking old gentleman and lady, a tintype of a woman, the head and face of which had been so badly scratched as to be unrecognizable; @ lock of hair, a lady's black bow and a copy of the well known verses “Then you'll remember mo.” These articles were in an envelope, together wi’ the following letter, which bore no signature :— “In my pocket will be found two pietures and a amall paper containing hair. If the last wish of a dy- ing man will be respected, let me take these things with me to the grave, Everything else that might give only tho slightest olew about my person {s de- stroyed I have closed my account with the world; [ have nothing to live for, nothing to hope for. 1e ball that will find the heart will bring at and for- evor rest and Smith was conveyed to Bellevue Hospital in an am- bulance, whord last night he was suffering considera bly, The doctors think there isa probability of his recovery. He gives his age as twenty-nine and his nationality German. DEATH FROM CARBOLIO ACID, Coroner Woltman yesterday held an autopsy on the body of Richard Buckley, an inmate of Charity Hosp} ‘al, Blackwoll’s Island, who dropped dead on the boat Minnahanonck while on his way to visit bis family in Now Jersey on Saturday. [+ was ascertained that his death was caused by a quantity of earbolic acid, which ‘was found in his stomach, though how deceased swal- lowed tt ts as yet a mystery. Buckley was twenty- nine years old and unmarried, ACCIDENTALLY SHOT. Joseph Wiskoal, of No. 171 Attorney stteo', wae eccidentally shot in the right shoulder and tightly wounded yesterday afternoon, by Reinhart ( senmang of the same Uanatng lad accidentally discharged ¢ pistol while cleaning it in the yard. Or jmans war | Srrented ‘aud locked ap in the Kleventh or yoinet auabios 8a,