The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1856-04-07
NUMBER 205

to be unjust, unprovoked, and unnecesary.-
In regard to the cause of the hostilities, OF
correspondent declares they have grown OF
Iof the treatment of the savages by the white
The former have been, by repeated outrage
put upon their defense, and this defense hst
been seized upon by the whites as an excus
and justification of further and greater, outrs
ges The Indians of Oregon are as shrew
and intelligent as any on the continent. The
have striven to learn the language adopt tn
dress, and initiate the manners of the whites
They have courted their society and beef
proud of their friendship, and it is said havt
never been the first to commence an attack
On the other hand, the laws have been made
to bear with unequal severity against them
and unprincipled individuals have subjected
Them to imposition and oppression. Their wo
men have been violated, the honest earnings O.
the men taken from them by fraud, and muir,
ders have not been unfrequent. The chief
instead of passionately counselling revenge
for their wrongs, are reported on good author
Iity to have exhibited forbearance and to have
Ideplored the necesrity for resistance, and they;
have refrained from it further than their own
safety required.
On the part of the whites, however, the war
has been carried en- with ferocity and indis-
given to the sick or yielding, and the helpless
Eess Of women and the innocence of childhood
have alike plead unavailing for mercy. The
Indian is pursued like the wild beast of the
forest. He is termed '4back" and q t'red
skin," and the killing of him is regarded as
fun or sport like the shooting of buffalo
or wolf ..z
1t is in view Of the character of these Indian
wars as we know them to be on this side the
mountains, and as we have them represented
to US from the other, that we depreciate ap-
propratious to carry them on. Such appro-
rriations are but indictments to fresh outrages.
They stimulate diaholical stirit already too
rampant They encourage murderous exces-
ses into which the unthinking traveller and
settler on the plains and borders are but too
ready to plunge. So far as we can judge, all
that the Indian tribes ask is treaty of peace,
and for protection in their rights. If we are
to believe testimony that certainly has no in
ducement to partiality toward the red men,
we must believe that in the existing war it is
the whites aud not they who are the savages.
If anybody should be protected, it is Indians
women and children ruthlessly murdered by
barbarous foes. We believe the Proposed ap-
preparation of three hundred thousand dollars,
now under consideration by the Committee o.
Ways and Means, to be no better than
wholesale swindle in behalf of wrong and out
rage. Let Congress, instead of making it,
make an appropriation to defray the expenses
of Commission of Cancellation to be sent to
the Indians with whom we have gone to war.
Such commission, composed of judicious and
honest men, would find the tribes but too
willing 70 ehtef into terms OF, edation,
and but too gald to seize the proftered hand OF
peace. Let the interests of humanity as well
as national economy be consulted; let the
bloody shemes of the war advocates be reject
ed and frustrated. @