INDIAN WAR. 



INDIANA. 



406 



MMmhle ;it Fort I.aramie at tin- time appoint- 

 .1 the meeting \v:is po-tpoiied to tliO 1st 



bar. 



In October the peace ( miadonen 



. d in endeavoring to bring about the 

 . I ;ippo'mtcd with tin- southern tribes for 

 tin- l.".tli:it Fort I.arned. The Kiowas, Caman- 

 :md Apaches, \vlio had not ln-.-n ensured in 

 ('tin- outrages upon the plains during the 

 summer, were easily induced to meet the com- 

 inis-ioiu-rs and a treaty of peace was signed 

 with tin-in on the 20th of October. The 

 Cheyenne-; anil Arrapahoes had been continu- 

 ally on tin- \var-path, indulging in indiscrimi- 

 nurdcr and plunder, and hail been hunted 

 down by the soldiers wherever they could be 

 found. They were consequently suspicious of 

 the motives of the commissioners, ;md shy of 

 'ng them. An interview, however, was at 

 length obtained, and a joint treaty concluded 

 with the southern Cheyennes and Arrapahoes. 

 The commissioners then proceeded to the 

 north to t'ullil their engagement with the north- 

 ern tribes at Fort Laruraie in November. A 

 ion of Crows awaited them at that point, 

 b'it Ued Cloud, the terrible chieftain of the 

 Sioux, who was the leader in the war of the 

 north, refused to hold any conference with the 

 whites. The Crows as a tribe had not been en- 

 gaged in the hostilities which bad spread terror 

 through that region. The utmost efforts of the 

 commi.--ioners failed to induce Red Cloud to 

 them, to treat upon the terms of peace; 

 but he assured them that war would cease 

 whenever the military garrisons were with- 

 drawn from the Powder River trail, and their 

 hunting-grounds were left to them free from 

 molestation. The commissioners, having no 

 authority to promise the withdrawal of the 

 -. tried to obtain a cessation of hostilities, 

 and the promise of Red Cloud to meet*them 

 next spring or summer. This proposition was 

 reluctantly acceded to, and a general suspension 

 of hostilities now exists, in anticipation of a 

 final adjustment of all difficulties in the course 

 of the coming spring or summer. 



The northern tribes of Indians to the east 

 of the Rocky Mountains number upward of 

 60,000, and include the powerful bands of the 

 Sioux, Crows, northern Cheyennes and Arrapa- 

 : e-ides numerous less important nations. 

 The southern tribes include the large nations of 

 the Cherokees, Creeks, and Choctaws, as well 

 as the Kiowas, Camanches, and southern Chey- 

 enne-, and Arrapahoes, and various lesser bands, 

 forming a sum total of more than 85,000. 

 Each of these two grand divisions it is proposed 

 t" collect on a reservation of their own; the 

 northern district to be bounded on the north 

 by the 46thparallcl, east by the Missouri river, 

 south by Nebraska, and west by the 104th 

 meridian; the southern district to be bounded 

 north by the State of Kansas, east by Arkansas 

 and Missouri, south by Texas, and west by the 

 100th or 101st meridian. 

 This whole important subject of the manage- 



ment of the Indians for the future is still be- 

 fore Congress, and the treaties already made 

 for security of the railroads traversing tho 

 plains, and tho settlements on the front i.-r, 

 await the action of the Senate (January, 1808). 

 IN hi AX A. Tho Legislative Assembly of 

 Indiana, which holds ii~ session biennially on 

 thefir-t Wednesday in January, met this year 

 at Indianapolis on the 2d day of that month. 

 Tho constitution of the two Houses stood thus : 



Senate. Ilirose. 



Republicans 80 61 



Democrats 20 89 



Soon after the opening of the session, Gov- 

 ernor Oliver P. Morton sent in hi- re-imiation, 

 in consequence of having been ele--ted to the 

 United States Senate, in response to which a 

 joint resolution passed both branches of the 

 Legislature, highly complimentary to the char- 

 acter and abilities of that officer. Since that 

 time the chair of the State Executive has been 

 filled by Lieutenant-Governor Conrad Baker. 



One of the earliest measures of the session 

 was a joint resolution ratifying the amend- 

 ments to the Federal Constitution, proposed 

 by Congress to the Legislatures of the several 

 States, which were intended to constitute all 

 persons born in the country or subject to its 

 jurisdiction, "citizens of the United States, 

 and of the State wherein they reside," with- 

 out regard to race or color ; to reduce the 

 congressional representation in any State in 

 which there should be a restriction of the ex- 

 ercise of the elective franchise, on -account 

 of race or color ; to disfranchise persons, there- 

 in named, who shall hav'e engaged in insur- 

 rection or rebellion against the United States ; 

 and to declare that the validity of the pub- 

 lic debt of the United States authorized by 

 law shall not be questioned. This joint reso- 

 lution was referred to a committee, the majori- 

 ty of which reported in favor of its adoption; 

 a report was also submitted by the minority, 

 taking strong grounds against the ratification 

 of the proposed amendments. The report of 

 the majority was adopted by a decisive vote. 

 An act was passed dividing the State into 

 eleven congressional districts and apportioning 

 the representation thereto. One of the most 

 important measures of the session provides for 

 the registry of voters, the punishment of fraud- 

 ulent practices at elections, and for the appoint- 

 ment and compensation of certain officers to 

 constitute a board of registration. This board 

 is to. consist in each township of two free- 

 holders appointed by tho board of commis- 

 sioners of the county, together with the town- 

 ship trustee of such township; in cities, these 

 freeholders are to be appointed in each ward 

 by the city council. The members are required 

 to file with the auditor of the county, or with 

 the city clerk in cities, an oath to support the 

 Constitution of the United States and of the 

 State of Indiana, and faithfully to perform the 

 duties assigned them by this law. Twenty 

 days' residence in a township, city, or ward, is 



