Show gen brisbin interviewed about the In indians kalls general bris brisbin n di did d not know of a tingle pingle treaty ever made with an indian tribe by this government which hadnot has ha snot not in some particular been broken there there may have been such but certainly none out west within my knowledge by treaties we keep the indian in a constant state of confusion and doubt towards his government we call the chiefs together recognize their tribe as a separate power and oner offer to treat with them yet the chiefs know very well the white men have lied to them so often that they will probably lie again and BO so attach little importance to what they sign they sign generally for the presents offered at the time and do net not know if they will ever get anything more they know that if they do not sign the white man will take their land anyhow and so make a virtue of necessity how are the treat treaties les leg broken B ilour our settlements are co continually antin spreading and no matter where the indian goes white men soon come itliong along and go upon hla hia land he notifies the white men to get off and more come presently the indians indiana kill hill a few and the troop troops are ordered out of course the indians defend thele villages and there Is fighting finally an a new ew treaty is patched up the indians sent off somewhere else and fand the white man is allowed to keep their land Is there any way of preventing this B none that I 1 know of in this country the people are the government and will do as tho they please the east ea stand alid arld arid west are as widely videly divided on the indian question as was the north and south on the negro question the people of the easta east aru are rein in favoron favor of a humane and generous policy toward the tho indian while the people of the west are unanimous in favor of wiping out and exterminating the indian what makes the indians EO to bad B bulter butter utter Ut tvr cusse eusse cussedness duess pure and simple it is born and bred in them and the natural instinct of the savage to steal loteal and murder is the it sends out men who are to act as agents of the indians aud and carry out treaty stipulations but most of these men spend their time in defrauding fra demoralizing and abusing the indians in every conceivable manner ido not belleve believe one half possibly not more wore than one fourt fourth of the supplies annually voted by Congress ever reach the indians the abuses that are perpetrated by these agents are perfectly shameful ful land laud and still stir it goes on from year to year and there appears to be no relief from these thede c public thieves why vb y if I 1 were an indian I 1 would ich whet t my tomahawk and sink it into the brain of bf the first white man I 1 met if one has to choose whether he will dle die by starvation ar or fall fighting he had better night fight for his rights like a man than starve like a dog I 1 care are there any noble iud fud indians ians lans gen general brai bral such arwe as we read about in the books P B yes plenty of them and greater chiefa chiefs now living on the plains th than anever ever even were powhattan logan nogan red bed jacket or tecumseh I 1 think Sitt sitting irig bull as a warrior is a a greater indian than has ever appeared in america the late campaigns on the yellowstone show that he be is equal if not superior to th the obest best generals in managing bati battles batties ibs lbs A A few years ngo ago he was a blanket lil Ili indian dlan dian without in flue ilace fico or wealth anday and by his own energy he be has kaied himself to the head of the most powerful indian tribe on the plains and is the acknowledged leader leade cof of all the hos tiles red bed cloud will vill compare favorably to any chief that ever lived and spotted tail tall is not far behind him in ability I 1 remember washakie chien chief of the tho sho bhones who if ho he had been born white instead of red zed would have been a leader of the people in any state estate h a governor or a senator in p personal appearance this chief I 1 strongly strongly resembles the father fattier of his country as painted by peale tall straight white haired and dignified be he is the person personification lOcation of a noble red man I 1 have had him to dine at my house and I 1 never entertained a more agreeable old man baan ho he will not mot eat until he has washed dressed his hair and liared pared lils his nails nalls ho he is polite to ladies ladles and children aro are his delight going to him instinctively aotoa as to a brend it is almost impossible ibo ibe to disturb his repos reposo while his placid replies in coun council CT would do to the most dignified senator has great abilities and treats question presented to him with such auch coni comprehensive knowl knowledge edge edgo to astonish white men he is as julius caesar and fal lal ini every sense a s avage savage statesman nj orator warrior what do you think could be done with the indians B first I 1 would abolish all treaties and give the indians to understand that they are part of the people of the united states and not separate nationalities they should be made subject to the laws the ame game r as white men treated justly and punished when they offended ded the great nations should be allowed to send their chiefs to washington and be heard before congress at every session when they desired to represent the wrongs or wants of tribes congressmen would then have an opportunity of hearing bearing from the lips of those chiefs their desires or grievances without the intervention of the interior bureau or indian ring and could act intelligently and justly the indians indiana idea 0 of power is that of a warrior and for that reason I 1 would hav have only military men for agents A man mall who never fights Is to the indian the most despicable of men then yeu you think the tho quaker policy is a failure B 11 undoubted and it ought never to have been tried what we want to do is to gather the indians on small reservations so small in fact that white men would not dare disturb them no we give little bands of a few hundred persons reservations hundreds of miles square and the cupidity of white men leads them to steal the indians indiana land I 1 think acres of good land to each head of a family would be ample and then if it a white man attempted to take one foot of this land I 1 would go for him the boundaries of these reservations should bo be clearly marked by mounds posts etc so that the indian would know just where his land lay jay and he be should be told to report if any white trespassed upon his land tc how would you secure these B il by jaw law and not by treaty As many ai possible should be sent to the indian territory and the rest put on small reservations with permits sto to hunt bunt upon unoccupied united state states 9 bands one thing I 1 think is very bad and that is issuing or allowing semi hostile bands to purchase breech loaded loading g guns and fixed ammunition let the press take tahe up tip this suggestion and congress longress J will soon bo be lorcey to its adoption lt chicago tristine j |