| Show JUSTICE FOR TH DIAN THOSE who have investigated the subject of the indian messiah mot movement ement among the aborigines seem to be of the opinion thet that this religious phenomenon among them is not liable to lead to an uprising its tendency and genius are the re revere veree being according to the assertions sert ions of its most moat ardent votaries vot aries decidedly pacific the indian christ has taught those who have seen him the doctrines of christianity ti pure and simple to tg cease shedding blood stealing bearing false witness and the practice of all ali bad habits there is however a cause that might lead to trouble the mistreatment of the indiana that is the only source from which danger may be feared it can be removed by a strong effort to make right the wrongs been inflicted on the red men the new york world of the 2nd and dinst contafi contains no an elaborate correspondence from pine ridge indian agency south dakota prom from it we take the following extract purporting to describe the disgraceful treatment accorded the sioux the opinion in this part of dakota is i that the sioux have been so badly treated by the government lately that their disaffection nas has much to justify it the settlers along the edges of the great sioux reservation are undoubtedly alarmed these are theaotis thea theJa ets to which there is abundant testimony on which it is said the sioux make out a strong stron case cabo in equity it against dinst uncle sam in jane Juu 1179 the t e sioux signed a treaty fw the cession of a part of their reservation to the government they have not yet received one cent of the consideration due them for that cession oes sion gen crook was with the commission that secured their signatures to the treaty gen crook had been their conqueror and afterwards their benefactor and friend they knew him and believed in him and there is no doubt that it was owing very largely to his influence that the treaty was ratified sit it was gen crook who promised the sioux that the government would pay them in full and promptly for their lands and that their rights should be respected the sioux have been repeatedly deceived by agenda agent of the united states government notably when the attempt that so nearly resulted in 1878 in war was made to remove them by force to the missouri river biver but they trusted crook now that crook is dead the chiefs say that his government has failed absolutely to carry out his promises the recent census of rosebud agency and here was grossly inaccurate my informer de declares the number of indians was counted down instead of properly enumerated and as a result their allowance of rations has been greatly limited owing to the delay in the passage by congress of the indian appropriation 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 sent out to them As a result they listen all the mure more 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 approaching millennium and the extinction of the whites renders the reservation indians all the more willing to eat their breeding sheep cattle and fowls and quit work of every kind the sioux at these two great agencies pine ridge and rosebud are receiving scarcely anything at all even under the reduced census apportionment instead of tue full ra ratio rib they are entitled to all this time since july the government ern ment supplies out heie have been of course diminishing there will soon be nothing at all on hand band to feed to the indians indiana except scanty rations of beef suppose as has been the case in the past extra rations of beef were issued to take the place of the rations of flour etc for which there is now no material on hand the result would be certain starvation for then the beef also would give out it is i useless to attempt to reason with starving indiana especially w when hen the mysterious myat erious apostles have succeeded in convincing unconvincing hundreds hundred so of f the sioux that when the messiah appears their struggle for their rights will at last be crowned with success and the hated whites and lying shelo government V i gents will be puni punished ss 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 de delayed abod appropriations appropriations and religious beligio us f frenzy ie n y have ve combined to make the indians feel that the worst has come to the worst and that even if no messiah came they might as well die fighting with their wives and children around them as see their dear ones pinched and starved by a government that owes them a living and has abundant means tu pay that debt ifwers if were it so dispo disposed med Byth by the very every 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 the opportunity port unity to earn money by freighting these supplies there was nothing to haul so ab they have been deprived not only of their government food but of af almost their only op opportunity their y to make money enough to fo bluy buy their food elsewhere |
