moonei REDUCTION OF SIOUX RATIONS *27 



portion. "The people said their children were all dying from the face 

 of the earth, and they might as well lie killed at once." Then came 

 another entire failure <>!' crops in L890, and an unexpected reduction of 



rations, and the Indians were brought face To face with starvation. 

 They had been expressly and repeatedly told by the commission that 

 their rations would not be affected by their signing the treaty, but 

 immediately on the consummation of the agreement Congress cutdown 

 their beef rations by 2,000,000 pounds at Rosebud. 1. (KM). Olio at Pine 

 Ridge, and in less proportion at other agencies. Earnest protest 

 against this reduction was made by the commission which had negoti- 

 ated the treaty, by Commissioner Morgan, and by General Miles, but 

 still Congress failed to remedy the matter until the Sioux had actually 

 been driven to rebellion. As Commissioner Morgan states, " It was 

 not until January. 1891, after the troubles, that an appropriation of 

 $100,000 was made by Congress for additional beef for the Sioux. - ' 

 The protest of the commission, a full year before the outbreak, as 

 quoted by Commissioner Morgan (see page 829), is strong and positive 

 on this point. 



Commissioner Morgan, while claiming that the Sioux had before been 

 receiving more rations than they were justly entitled to according to 

 their census number, and denying that the reduction was such as 

 to cause even extreme suffering, yet states that the reduction was 

 especially unwise at this juncture, as it was in direct violation of the 

 promises made to the Indians, and would be used as an argument by 

 those opposed to the treaty to show that the government cared noth- 

 ing for the Indians alter it had obtained their lands. It is quite pos- 

 sible that the former number of rations was greater than the actual 

 number of persons, as it is always a- difficult matter to count roving 

 Indians, and the difficulties were greater when the old census was made. 

 The census is taken at long intervals and the tendency is nearly always 

 toward a decrease. Furthermore, it has usually been the policy with 

 agents to hold their Indians quiet by keeping them as well fed as pos- 

 sible. On the other hand, it must be remembered that the issue is based 

 on the weight of the cattle as delivered at the agency in the fall, and 

 that months of exposure to a Dakota winter will reduce this weight by 

 several hundred pounds to the animal. The official investigation by 

 Captain Hurst at Cheyenne River agency shows conclusively that the 

 essential food items of meat. Hour, and coffee were far below the amount 

 stipulated by the treaty. (See page 837.) 



In regard to the effect of this food deficiency Bishop Hare says: 

 ■•The people were often hungry and, the physicians in many cases said, 

 died, when taken sick, not so much from disease as for want of food." 

 General Miles says: '-The fact that they had not received sufficient food 

 is admitted by the agents and the officers of the government who have 

 had opportunities of ktiowing," and in another place he states that in 

 spite of crop failures and other difficulties, after the sale of the reser- 



