“The Indian Commissioner (Mr. Reed) has taken every opportunity--and he took an opportunity in his recent speech at the Council Board--of twitting the people of Fort Qu'Appelle with encouraging the File Hill Indians to give the Government trouble, or to cause a disturbance to keep the soldiers here. ("No, no," and "It's false.") You who knew the danger there was of an Indian uprising throughout the country; who knew the means that had to be used by men of in- fluence to keep the Indians from rising, know how dastardly false such an asser- tion is. (Hear, hear, and cheers.) Nothing of the kind was ever done. He became very anxious about the File Hill Indians. What has he done with them because of their turbulency, because they showed a disposition, perhaps, to rise up and join the Indians of the North in fighting? He has reduced them at the present time to that state that in the case of one Indian (I am prepared to prove this, and to give the name of the man, too), within two months seven of his children died because they had not the necessaries of life. (Cries of “Shame!”) I tell you what I know to be a fact. The Indians on the File Hill reserve believe that if one of their number fall sick there is no use in trying to make him get well, they have not sufficient nourishing food and they must let him die. The man I speak of came down to the fort the other day absolutely in rags, with his two squaws, and said to a man in Fort Qu'Appelle (I do not mention his name now, but at the proper time, if necessary, I can produce this man):-- “What can I do for anything to eat? We are dying of starvation.” He was told:--“You had better go to Regina, and the Lieut.-Governor may be able to do something for you.” (“Oh Oh.”) The old squaw had an old piece of tea-chest wrapping, which you could throw hailstones through, to serve as a blanket. These are the wards of the Gov- ernment! The man was so thinly clad that he was
FROZEN BELOW HIS KNEES, and yet he was going to Regina to try and move the heart of that man whose heart is stone--to move the heart of that man to give something to keep life in him ("Shame.") Is such the proper conduct of the man who has charge of the wards of the Government. Why, he deserves to be hooted and hissed, and driven out of the country. (Loud cheers.) I charge further, that the Commissioner had a knowledge of the Indian uprising, that he knew the Indians of the north were discontented. In August last, when Big Bear had a pow-wow at Duck Lake, he said he would make the people of Canada suffer through the settlers of this country, and make the settlers suffer through their children. What did that mean? That they would commence a war of extermination; that they would strike at the white people through the children and make them feel the power of the Indian. And why? Because THE TREATY OBLIGATIONS HAD NOT BEEN CARRIED OUT.
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