16 Conservative.
at the fort , and that then we shall have
good houses , plenty to eat and good
clothes. "
After the foregoing barbaric satire
dinner was served. General Crook said
that ho helped all the guests , the dis
tinguished white pel-sons being on his
right ( among them Webb Hayes , son of
the President , ) and distinguished
Indians on his left. Every trencher had
been filled. All were "falling to" with
avidity. But Spotted Tail sat with
folded arms , his plate of food steaming
before him untouched. General Crook
said to him , "Why do you not eat ? "
The Indian responded , "Will not these
men pray before they eat ? " General
Crook answered , "No. " Spotted Tail
smiled grimly and said , "I am glad of
it ; for then they will not steal what is
on my plate. "
At another time Spotted Tail , after
listening to a long speech as to the im
portance of the Indian emulating white
jneu and thereby becoming a Christian
gentleman , deemed it his duty to show
that the Indians were much better off
before they were introduced to the civ
ilization of the XIX century. A part of
liis speech as repeated to me by General
Crook was something like this :
"My brother , you say that if Indians
would do as you do we would be
better than we are now. But we never
had any trouble until we came to be
friendly with the white man. He has
taught us a great many things which
you say are good. He brought us fire
water to drink. He brought us cards
with which to gamble. He does not
know how much better we were before
he became acquainted with us. He can
not say that we did not raise everything
to eat that we needed before we saw
any of your people. He can not deny
that we raised all lands of fruit in tin
cans. He can not prove that our squaws
did not have hoopslcirts and silk drerses.
He knows nothing about what we were
before wo had the bad fortune to meet
white people and become accustomed to
their ways. Certainly we did not have
rats that would get into warehouses and
eat up butcher knives , frying pans and
tin cups until such articles were sent
out. hero by the government for tis and
stored in the warehouses. Then we
flnd when we come to get our goods
that from knives , blankets , paints ,
beads , red broadcloth and from every
thing else there is a good deal missing.
Wo complain at this loss and the agent
looks black and with a very bad tongue
says : 'The rats in the warehouse ate
up or destroyed those things. ' The
Sioux do not wish to become so good
and civilized as to have such rats among
them. "
Further answering the labor-praising
speaker Spotted Tail said : "If you had
all the horses , clothes , guns , ammuni
tion and food that you wanted , and a
good house over your head , with plenty
, of squaws and cliildron to wait on you ,
and you did not want for anything else
in the world , would you work ? "
The learned commissioner and elo
quent missionary of labor promptly said
that he would not , under those circum
stances , work , whereupon Spotted Tail
continued :
"Well Great Father at
, my Wasliing-
ton has to pay me for my lands so nrach
every year , and besides that I have as
good a house as I want and cverytliiug
I wish for to eat and to wear. So I am
just as good as you would be and as you
say you would bo if you had everytliiiig
that you wanted ; and I will not work.
There is nothing to work for. I have
all that I want. Why should I work ,
when you say that you would not if you
were in my place ? Why do you tell .me
to do a thing which you say you would
not do if you were an Indian ? "
IIUFFALO CIIIKF was one of the fore
most braves of the Otoe tribe. He did
most of the talking at a council in what
is now the city park of Nebraska Cityiu
the fall of 1855. George Hepner , the
agent for that tribe , was present to
make partial payment of the annuity
promised them under the treaty of 1854.
Hepner told them that he would give
them one-half of the money due them
that year just as the muter of 1855-56
was beginning , but that the other half
would not bo paid to them until about
planting time in the spring of 1856 ,
when it would be useful in buying seed
and implements and animals for farm
purposes.
To this the Indians very generally
dissented. Buffalo Chief , in making an
argument in favor of the immediate ,
cash down payment of the whole sum ,
said :
"Your way is not right. It is not the
way we gave you all these beautiful
lands. We did not give you part of the
lands one day , some more of the lands
the next day and promise to give you
some more lands by and by. But we
gave you all the lands south of the
Platte river , east of the Big Blue and
north of the mouth of the Nemaha.
This is no way to do to pay a part now
and a part by and by for a thing which
you got all together , at once. "
MEDICINE HORSE Was also a leading
man among the Otoes and took part in
the same debate. During the discussion
he told Major Hepner that the latter
was a liar , whereupon the Major , rising
from his chair , took that useful
piece of furniture and broke it over the
oratorical cranium of the aforesaid Med
icine Horse with such violence that the
orator was laid out breatliless and ap
parently lifeless for some moments.
After his revival , however , ho showed
great respect for Agent Hepner and be
came for more tractable and deferen
tial.
tial.In
In another paper it is intended to give
further samples of Indian oratory as de
veloped along the frontier during the
early settlement of the Territory ol ? Ne
braska.
The accentuated characteristics of
Indian eloquence are terseness , adapta
tion , and the constant prominence of the
intention to convoy distinctly a given
thought or set forth a desired policy.
A STEADY The following letter
GROWTH , from W. F. Porter , sec
retary of state , gives the official figures
as to the increase of population in the
Territory and State of Nebraska from
18GO to 1890 , both years inclusive. This
data-Ms frequently asked for by inquirers
in other states and countries and it is
given in this compact form for the ben
efit and use of the numerous readers of
THE CONSERVATIVE.
The estimated population in the year
1897 for the whole state of Nebraska is
1,200,000 , although the governor in an
official paper estimated the population
in 1897 to be 1,250,000. The school
children in Otoe county numbered 7,490
in 1897 , as against 6,996 in 1890.
In another number of TIIE CON
SERVATIVE , we shall give Otoo county
statistics on wheat , corn , cattle and
hogs :
DEPARTMENT OF STATE ,
LINCOLN , NEBRASKA.
MAY 18 , 1898.
TIEE CONSERVATIVE : The population
of the territory of Nebraska in 1860 was
28,841 ; Otoe county , 4,211
1870. . . 122,998 Otoe county 12,845
1880. . . 452,542 " " 15,786
1890. . .1,058,910 " " 25,403
There is no data for the population in
1898. The school census of 1890 was
882,243. School census for the purpose
of apportionment , 1897 , in December
was 854,929. Going on the basis of one-
third for school children would make
the present population about 1,200,000.
The governor in his message to the leg
islature of 1897 estimated the popula
tion of the state at 1,250,000. The Otoe
county school census in 1890 was 6,996 ;
in 1897 , 7,490. We cannot separate
Nebraska City for you in the census of
1860 as it covers a large number of pages
and is not tabulated and the postoflico
of nearly everyone in the county is
given as Nebraska City.
In regard to the statistics on wheat ,
corn , cattle and hogs , will say we have
referred your letter to the Bureau of
Indiistrial Statistics who will give you
the information desired.
I , W. F. Porter , secretary of state of
the state of Nebraska , do hereby certify
that the above figures as to the popula
tion of the state of Nebraska and Otoe
county , Nebraska , are correct as appears
from the records in tliis office.
In witness whereof I have hereunto
set my hand and affixed the great seal
of the state of Nebraska this 18th day of
May , A. D. 1898.
[ SEAL. ] W. F. PORTER ,
Secretary.
By O. C. WEESNER , Deputy.
RIGHTEOUSNESS All history
EXAITETH A teaches that na-
. .
NATION. fc.onnl exaltatiou
and power achieved by physical force ,
by sword and flame , have ended in dis
aster. The paths of peace lead to pros
perity. They are the ways of practical
patriotism. Spain was a conqueror.
