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Show JUSTICE FOR THE IDU. Tno-r Who have Investigated the sulject of the "Indian Messiah" movement among the aborigines seem to be of the opinion that this religious phenomenon among them is not liab'e to lead to an uprising Its tendency and genius are the reverse, being, according to the assertions as-sertions of its most ardent votaries, decidedly pacific The "Indian Christ" has taught those who have seen him the doctrines of Christianity, Chris-tianity, pure and simple to cease shedding blood, stealing, bearing falsu witness and the practice of all bad habits. There is. however, a cauc that might lead to trouble the mi'treatment of the Indians. That is the only source from which danger may be feared. It can be remo ed by a strong effort to mako right the wrongs which have been inflicted on thered men. TheJfew York irortd of the 2nd insL contains an elaborate correspondence from Pine Riage Indian Agency, South Dakota. From it we take the following fol-lowing extract purporting to describe de-scribe the disgraceful treatment accorded ac-corded the Sioux- "The opinion in this part of Dakota isthattheSIonx have been so badly treated by the Government lately that their disflfectlon has much to Justify It. The settlers along the edges of the great Sioux reservation are undoubtedly undoubt-edly alarmed. "These are the facts, to which there is abandant testimony, on which it is said the Sioux make out a strong case In equity against Uncle Sam. Ic June, 1S:3, the Sioux signed a treaty for the cession of a part of their reservation reser-vation to the Government. They have not yet received one cent of tho consideration con-sideration due them for that cession. Gen. Crook was with the commission that secured their signatures to tho treaty, Gen Crook had been their conqueror, and afterwards their benefactor bene-factor and friend. They know him and believed in him, and there Is no doubt that it was owing very largely to his influence that ths treaty was ratified ' It was Gen Crook who promised the Sioux that the Government would pay thorn in full and promptly for their lands and that their rights should be respected. The Sioux have been repeatedly deceived by agents of the United States Government, notably when the attempt that so nearly resulted re-sulted in 1373, In war, was made to remove them by force to the Missouri River but they trusted Crook. Xow that Crook is dead the chiefs say that his Government has failed absolutely to carry out his promises. "The recent census of Itasebud Agency and here was grossly inaccurate, inaccur-ate, my Informer declares. The number num-ber of Indians was counted down Instead In-stead of properly enumjrated and as a result their allowance of .rations has been greatly limited. K"F ' Owing to the delay 'n the passage by Congress of the Indian Appropriation Appropria-tion bill not only the Sioux, but the Indians of the entire country have been and are suffering for food. It is now October and the supplies due in July have not been fnt out to them As a result they listen all the mure eagerly to the emissaries who have come from that part of Montana where the Messiah Is said to have been seen. The Idea of an approach Ing millennium and the extinction of the whites renders the reservation Indians all the more witling to cat heh-breedlngsbeep, cattle and fowls and quit work of every kind. The Sioux at these two great agencies-Pine agencies-Pine lUdge and Rosebud are receiv ing scarcely anything at all, even under un-der the reduced census apportionment, Instead of the full rations they are entitled en-titled to ".Ml this time since July the gov-ernmnnt gov-ernmnnt supplies out here have been, of course, diminishing There will soon bo nothing at all on hand to feed to the Indians except scanty rations of beef Suppose, as has been the case in tho past, extra rations of beef were issued to take the place of the rations of flour, eta, for which there Is now no material on hand The result re-sult would bo certa n starvation, for then the beef also would give out. It is useless to attempt to reason with starving Indians, especially when the mysterious apostles have succeeded In convincing hundreds of the Sioux that when the Messiah Appears Ap-pears their struggle for their -rights wdl at last be crowned with success, and the hated whites and lying government gov-ernment agents will be punished as they deserve. Why should they and their children starve in a land of plenty? Indeed, a man officially acquainted with the Sioux for twenty-five years said to me yesterday 'Broken treaties, delayed appropriations and religious frenzy have combined to make the Indians feel that tho worst has come to the worst, and that even if no messiah came they might as well die fighting, with their -wives and children chil-dren around them, as see their dear ones pinched and starved by a government gov-ernment that owes them a living and has abundant means to pay that debt if were it so disposed. By the very failure to deliver them their supplies in July, when they were due, the government has, as a last stroke of cruelty, deprived the sioux of tho opportunity op-portunity to earn money by freighting freight-ing these supplies. There was nothing to haul, so they have been deprived not only of their government food, but of almost their only opportunity to make money enough fo buy their food elsewhere.' " |
