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United States. Office of Indian Affairs / Annual report of the commissioner of Indian affairs, for the year 1864
([1864])
Dakota superintendency, pp. 259-293
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Page 260
260 DAKOTA SUPERINTENDENCY. towards the subjugation of the Indians.. These two expeditions were imnensely expensive to the government, and ought, in my opinion, to have brought about uraore decided results. I am not prepared to say why they were failfres; I leave this subject where it properly belongs, to the War Department, to make the inquiry; of the fact, however, I have not the least doubt. ITS EFFECTS UPON THE PEOPLE OF THIS TERRITORY. The effect of the continuance of this war upon the prosperity of this Terri- tory has been most damaging and deleterious. It has retarded its settlement and development to an extent unprecedented in the history of the early settle- ment of any of our northwest. Territories. It has confined our settlers to narrow limits bordering on the Missouri river, and those of necessity have bad to confine their operations, for mutual safety and protection, to little towns at intervals of twenty or thirty miles, in order to retain the country at all, it not being safe at any time for the past two years to reside at a distance from the towns, by reason of the prevalence of roving bands of hostile Indians, who seem ever present and ready to steal the horses and stock of the settlers, and kill the owners in cases where resistance is made. Our settlements can but be looked upon as a picket-guard to hold this country until such times as peace can be restored between the government and these Indians. This, in my opinion, can only be brought about by permitting such persons to visit the Indian country, and have int rcourse with them, as will scrupulously regard their oaths, the laws of Congress, and the regulations of the Indian department, in their dealings with them. This, I believe, necessarily is the first step to be taken towards bringing about a permanent and lasting peace. Men who knowingly and wilfully violate the laws of Congress and the regulations of the department in their dealings with Indians should be prevented from visiting the Indian country. If men will not regard the obligations resting upon them in this respect, in my opinion they will not be found scrupulously honest or exact in their dealings with the Indians, and will not hesitate to pamper their appetites, especially when in doing so they are enabled to make better profits out of them. That the laws of Congress are totally disregarded by large numbers of persons in the Indian country as soon as they get above the settlements, I am perfectly convince'd is true; indeed, I have the information from such a variety of sources, as leaves me no ground to doubt. Then, again, the Indian country is overrun with men from the border States (Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Kansas) who are either rank secessionists or in sympathy with traitors, and they take delight in stirring up sedition among the Indians and inciting them to open acts of hostility against the government, in the -hope that their friends in the south may be partially relieved in the diversion of troops thus created for their benefit. That there are many true and loyal men in the States named above I do not doubt; indeed, abundance of proof is at hand to establish this fact beyond a doubt; but that any considerable portion of the persons found in the Indian country from these States are loyal to the government I very much doubt; indeed, proof is not wanting that a large majority are at least in sympathy with the rebels, and many of them are outspoken secessionists, and in some cases bushwhackers, who dare not be seen at this time in Missouri, or the other States named, where our troops hold the country. Owing to the severe drought which has prevailed in this Territory for the past two seasons, which has utterly neutralized the expenditures on account of agriculture made at the different agencies in this superintendency, all the efforts and labor of agents and the Indians have been from this cause a total loss; worse than a loss, in fact, because of the discouraging effect, from this cause, upon such Indians as have acquired habits of industry. Every possible effort has been made by the superintendent and agents to
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