Daily Iowa State Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1856-1859, 1857-02-16

snaian Trsacs .na umclc snss.
Many persons, both in this country
and in Europe, are totally ignorant Of
the manner in which our government
strives 10 ameliorate the condition of
the untameablc red men, the real Ma
tive Americans" now living upon the
unsettled territories Of the far West.
Much has been written and said upon
the subject of some effort being made
that will be ctlcctual in ciylizing and
chrlstianizing the poor untutorcd lndi-
an. Missionaries have laborcl in vain
to open the mind OF the child Of the
forest, but there seems to be some mys-
terious law which controls the destinies
ofthesc Indian tribes. They can nci-
thcrbc cnslaved nor enlightened. The
exciting sports Of the chase and the
hunt is all that seems to engage their
attention in times Of peace, and ven
geancc and horrid cruclty, their de
light in time of war. ntamcahIc,
they have melted away before the light
Of Saxon civilization a. the snow be-
meath an April's sun. They will waste
away, littleby little, but never lose their
identity by amalgamation or absorp-
ton, any more than will the Jews, to
whom, some spectators in history, say
the North American Indians are close
ly allied, as a part Of the ten lost tribes
Of Israel.
Our government has fought them oft
and bought them of, ofnearly the whole
of their original possessions, and IT has
been absolutely necessary to so deal
with them, on account of their trcaci-
crous characters, and cruel dispositions.
The system of paving the Indians
for their lands by annual annultlcs has
had tendency to degrade the Indian
character, and render them more idle
and therefore more vicious than they
were before the United States paid
them these annuities.
Instead of following the chase, and
keeping up constant and valuable
trade in fnrs, with white traders. they
now rely more upon the money OF I'm
cle Sam than upon their own efforts to
obtain the means Of subsistence. This
has advanced the price Of all kinds Of
fars, and especially ofbuffalo skins aud
robes, from the former price of three oil
four dollars for single skin, to six al,
ten dollars. The numerous cmigran
trains going overland from the Eastern
Statcs to the Pacific Coast and Il
Utah and New Mexico, have been al,
are subject TO robbery and plumber from
rowing bards Of red skinned vagabonds
and massacrcs often occur on all til
routes.
Aud yet, out Of all the numeron
tribes Of Indians once in possession c
this beautiful country, less than half
million remain.
Our government is paying annual an
nuities to all the remnant tribes witt
whom treaties have been made, the sun
oftoe5.2ls, while the whole aggregat
future annuitics under treaties amoun
TO tho round sum of sl2,7l7,540.--
These annuities appear we'll upon paper
and but for the leaking sleeves tArougl
which they pass, before the poor Indi
ans get the money, it might be Of som
practical benefit. But the India
agents are pretty apt to get the lion
share Of these annuities. The Who'll
amount Of stocks held in trust for sun
dry Indian tribes by the Secretary c
the Interior, amounts TO the sum c
e2,020,676, IL, and Of this sum tn
ChickaAaws own u, %s2,o47,87. Thi
aum i drawing An annual interest G
six per cent. 40 that this one tribe ha
yearly interest income ofsse, s7s,ll
which they arssmploying in educatin
and oiviliaing the tribe. This larg
amount Of interest b paid on the frs
day Of July in each year. The Choc
tawA CreekA Chsrokees Kansas an,
Chippewa are the only tribes wher
schools have been successfully estab
!ishsd. Atdiisersnt times, certain por
tions Of the public domain have beer
~ apart tor the Indian tribes, but tn,
wAitsp'oassn ars constantly snsroaoh,
Ing upoa their landA and the time |.
not tas distant when they will be ariy.
~ farther Wet until they arc finally
destroyed altogsthsr by the rapid adj.
vAnssMsas a Yankee oivilisatioa,---
Our govssamsat has ussd every sisor.
n psesstvs tAh doomed rsoe ft,n III.
~ Assshllatioa, hu. the effort Ia INA.
yalliah Ncasys lAbss Mid .aiislaaa.