Viewing page 30 of 53

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

A Petition to His Excellency the President of the U. States and Senators & Representatives in Congress.

Minutes of a Convention held by the Omaha Indians in their Reserve, June 5th 1879.

A Convention of the Omahas having been called, Yellow Smoke was elected as Chairman and Frank LaFlesche Secretary.
The following resolutions were adopted.

Resolved 1:  that we have learned with great satisfaction of the resolute stand taken by his Excs. the President of the United States, for the purpose of adhering to [[strikethrough]] the [[/strikethrough]] treaty obligations and for preventing the encroachments of White Settlers upon land in the Indian Territory

Resolved 2: That our relations, the Poncas, have our heart felt sympathy in their great afflictions resulting from their removal from their old home, to a southern land and clime; and that we will spare no pains or sacrifice on our part, to aid them in the effort for the recovery of their rights.

Resolved 3: That we are confident that his Excellency, the President of the United States  is not, himself fully acquainted with all the facts of the Ponca case, and we hereby respectfully petition him to allow the bearer of these minutes an opportunity of holding a personal interview [[strikethrough]] with him [[/strikethrough]] for the purpose of presenting to him a full account of the wrongs of our relations, in order to obtain permission for the return of the small remnant of the Poncas to their own land in Dakota.*

Adjourned till tomorrow morning at ten oclock.

* At this point Yellow Smoke remarked, "This is very important business we are working at and it seems as if we are playing with it, and we wish to do it in a right way instead of trifling with it.  and we want to try to go to the whole tribe together and attend to it in a proper manner.
When the convention adjourned as noted.

Transcription Notes:
Sent note to staff regarding (:) after "Resolved 1,2,3" as colons are not listed in the original document. Left alone until response received.