The Kansas herald of freedom., 1855-04-21
aboriginal.
The indian and the waite odan.

| D'IH
The Indian and the White Man.
Although accused by some of our co,
temporaries of having our sympathies
narrowed down to the wrongs of the
black man, we cannot rid ourselves of a
conviction which has been growing upon
us for years, that among the sins which
will lie heavy and dark at the door OF
this nation, must be numbered that OF
unjust and ruthless persecution of the
red man of the forest. That the Indian
has been often reused by the usurpation
of his ancestral hunting grounds, and
the irresistible encroachments of the
whites to sudden and terrible deeds of
savage cruelty and revenge cannot be de-
MED That the swift and bloody ven-
geance which has in such cases been Wis
tied upon him has often been natural in
the circumstances, we are fully aware |;
but that the merciless system of extermi-
mating oppression which has character
lied in too many instances the conduct Of
the government, and stamped with
shame the annals of our border wars,
has been justified by the deeds of saw
age cruelty which are appealed to for
their defense We cannot acknowledge
Shocked by the revolving acts of barba-
rian retribution which have reused the
sleeping settler at dead of night to find
his cabin In flames, and tomahawk and
sealping g-knife awaiting himself and fam
lily at the door, we are apt to lose sight of
the wrongs which have kindled in the
untaught and fiery heart the flames of
savage vengeance. Robbed of his hunt
ing grounds, made sacred to him by eve
ry association which has power over his
untutored heart-driven step by step
backward from the graves of his fathers,
and made an alien and an outlaw in the
land which he deemed bestowed upon
him by the "Great Spirit, it was natur-
al that he should look upon the white
man with the hatred which is borne in
the human breast of consciousness of
oppression and wrong. The extenuating
excuses urged by the ''pale face" intru-
der are beyond bis comprehension. He
only sees that he has been robbed of all
he held most dear, and his forest born
philosophy refuses to recognize the fine
drawn. sophistries of his more subtle
brother. Though he could not answer
in kind the arguments which were urged
to justify his expatriation, yet those noble
instincts of Freedom, Equality and JUS
tice which are born of an unfettered in
tercourse with Nature by forest and prai-
rie, taught him it was wrong.
These considerations in view, an en-
lightened sense of justice would dictate
to this nation kind and conciliatory,
instead of fierce and exterminating
course of policy towards the red man.
Its aim should be to cirilize and human
ize his rough and darkened nature,
and endeavor to reeompense him for the
wrong Of the past with the blessings of
civilization and enlightenment Is this
the course which has been pursued Is
such the present policy? An array of
facts might be produced in answer to
these questions which might well cause
the blush of shame to mantle the cheek
of the patriot and the philanthropist.-
Violated treaties and deeds of red-hand-
ed violence on the part of the semi-sav-
age desperadoes who infest the borders
of civilization in the West, and south
west, and who looked upon the Indian
as fit game to be hunted and shot down
without mercy and without eompunction,
are fresh and thick in the memories of
those who have had the humanity to no.
tice, and the hardihood to protest against
them.
We copy the following from an ex-
change, and enter with it our solemn pro-
test against such outrage, past, present
and to come.
Mr.. Ejgerton, of Ohio, is doing the
State good service in exposing the abuses
of the whites upon the Indians. In a re-
cent debate in Congress; he read from
thereport of Joel Parker, an Indian Agent
in Oregon. This statement is so much
to the point, and sets forth the true rea-
son of the difficulties with the Indians so
plainly that tits worthy of general cir
culation. Mr.. Edgerton read as follows
from the report
"From the frequentrecurrenceof sim
liar atrocities againstthe Indians in south
ern and southwestern Oregon, the con-
viction is forced upon me that premed
itated and combined effort, on the part
of freckless and evil-disposed whites roam
ing through that country, has been, and
continues to be made, to plunge govern
ment into another Indian war, and car
~ out their favorite schemes of annihila-
ting these Indians.
"These n,iscreants, regardless of age
or sex, assail and slaughter these poor
weak, and defenseless Indians with i'm
punity, as there are no means in the hands
Of the agents to prevent these outrages
or bring the perpetrators to justice.
"There are many well-disposed per-
sons in that district whose sense of JUS
tice and humanity revolts at such ihhu-
man scenes; but, through fear of some
other cause, they are silent. Il is pre-
sumed that many unite and take part in
these deeds Of horror as means of self
preservation, their fears being wrought
upon by reckless and hwless persons,
lest the appearance of opposition to
their conduct might subject them to a
doom similar to that which befalls the
Indian"