The Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn. Territory) 1849-1855, 1850-02-13
THE MINNESOTA PIONEER.
st. PAUL, Minnssota,
Wednesday Morning, Feb. rs. 1850.
The Indian Policy of Government.

II we had the privilege OF regulating the
Indian policy of the Government it would
undergo some very radical changes. To
US, it looks wrong, from the beginning.
Government starts wrong, in assuming that
the various tribes are independent nations.
What can be more ridiculous than to talk
about treaties (for q treaty implies SOW
reignty in the parties making i.) with bands
Of poor, half starved people, whose main
reliance for subsistence, is the supplies fur
nished by Government, the charities Of
white settlers on the frontiers and the ad.
vance of necessaries furnished to them, at
great hazard of ultimate loss, by the ira
ders! England might as well pretend to
treat with those whom poverty makes the
occupants of her hospitals and poor-houses.
1t is folly to'stuff up these tribes with false
notions Of their importance and their indie
pendence. They need the paternal, au-
thoritative guardianship ofthe Government.
What would lie thought Of guardian who
should say to his ward, "you are wholly
independent of me, follow your own inclina-
tions, be idle, profgate, ignorant, learn
nothing, do nothing, but what you please.
There is school, if you choose to attend
it, church il you desire to frequent it, a
farm and farming utensils, if you wish to
use them-but do as you like; and when
you get embarrassed by debts resulting from
your idleness and improvdence, come to
me and sell your lands-then go to a new
region and run the same round over again.
No; Government ought to make provision
for taking every papoose when weaned
from its mothers breast, and placing it in
an English school-where it may asssoc-
ate with whites only-learn the habits, and
customs of the whites; industry and the
useful arts-acquire artificial wants aud the
habit of supplying those wants. This sys-
tenn and nothing short of it. will make
civilized Indians. Thus educated and
trained, they would in no material respect
differ from the whites, except in color-and
woul.l, in short time lie dissolved, by
amalgamaton with the whites, in the Vast
flood of Anglo-Saxon population that is
SO rapidly overspreading this continent
Civilization is the roller to "dstribute color'
Ito borrow printers phrase Give them
territory, ample, productive. remote, and
make it forever theirs. Why should Gov
eminent be removing these tribes and re-
removing them, year after year at an enor-
nous cost? Once more and be done with
it. The Sioux will have to 60. 1t is inn
possible to retain them in their present pos
sessions. 1t is too late. Their lands must
be bought and they must be removed-the
sooner the better. What objection can there
be to surrendering, say all the Territory
north of latitude 46 degrees, and from lake
Superior westward, to be permanent In
dian Territory, to which all the Indians Of
the free states may be removed; Then let
the system be commenced, Of training to
habits of civilization, from the breast. One
short generation would annihilate the bar
barism Of all these tribes and qualify them
for constituent portions of a self supporting,
self governing state. AS to the expense of
system like this, it would yearly dimin-
ish, although it might at first be considera-
BILE, and in a few years it would support
itself and relieve the Government from an
enormous burden of bounties and annui,ies,
and elevate whole tribes Of human beings
from barbarous heathenism to civilized
Christianity, and in great measure atone
for the injustice done to the Red man, from
the landing Of Columbus on our shores to
the present hour.
The Concert last Wednesday night.
Unquestionably there is much music il,
the 9th Regiment Band. What triumph of
Art, seems more wonderful than this THAT
fifteen men with instruments Of music as
different as their own faces, can produce
such perfect harmony Of sweet sounds, that
each seems par. all? threading as it were,
by separate avenues the wide wilderness Of
sounds, over undulations, chasms, CLASSY
lakes and wild recesses, suddenly, all the
instruments seem to emerge together in the
next staff, ready for another Of these WON
derful evolu,ions-fllng the listener with
amazernent. Hearing this bands perform
ance of several Of the standard operas, and
the highly artificial compositions Of Belini,
Rossini and others, and contrasting it with
the three simple notes of the Dacota,
blowing upon his reed, we were never more
poverty impressed with the moral sublmity
Of Art. What does Nature afford, half rs
grand as these achievements of human skill?
We can find enough to praise and to adj
mire in this band, without inquring whether
i, is equal to Gungl's. Some Of the per-
formers are equal to the best living. 1t is
well known throughout the length Of the
Mississippi river. His performance upon
the bugle, was fully equal to himself, aud
this is all that can be said for him. We
consider this band as we'll as the whole gar
rison, with its high intelligence-but es-