The Mountaineer. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1859-1861, 1860-11-10

TESS thp M0ttiF ~ NJ w HAlVvsts Wy
filed.
We.had serious thoaghtsot planting !
suit IN ths Cont Of Claim against gov
eminent Tor remuneration II the lands
.of Utah were put in market, they would
Of course be offered for sale 10 the high
est bidder, irrespective Of oil claims. The
stranger who had just arrived, would have
an equal chance with the old settler.
But what are the factss The present
permanent settlers Of Utah have paid, by
contFibntioas 10 the Indians, Fifty times
the price that even the VAST couscicuces Of
even our money loving departments could
place upon their lands Hence they are
not only entitled, when the great treaty
by our magnificent uncle Is made, 70 The
permanent occupancy d the soil, after The
ahorigines are paid their dues, but are
moreover entitled 10 q restitution Of their
lpast disbursements, and security for the
future. ti5 2.i
The subject i not yet exhausted
I"1o he H6n "A, ID. Gress.sqod, C6mslis.
sioner IF INDIAN A6airs, Wasaiagfon,
II ~. c. st tsll sf'3
i Tho undersigned, actuated BY a sense
Of duty, respectfully call your attention,
and through you the attention Of Con.
gress to the pressing necessity Of taking
Immediate steps towards bringing the In.
dians Of the Territory Of Utah under
tFeaty obligations.
IL d believed that this Territory pre-
SCENTS the, only Instance Of the organization
fof Territorial g oyefnment By Congress,
wberethe country has been thrown open to
scttlemcnt, without measures being first
adopted toextihgnish the Indian title. The
result has been repeated, aud almost con-
slant depredatiohs by The Indians uponIhe
settlers, the destruction of whole fields of
grain, stealing and driving away stock,
uid 10 many instances the most wanto1
aud cruel murder OF peaceful aud pnof-
Tending citizens Those more kindly dis
posed have rosorted 70 pstty theft. aud
begging; oil, however. urging ID justiticat
ton Of their course, thai their own conh.
try was taken possession Of without their
consent, their grass and water used, their.
game driven %, and they left TO suffer.
aud stGrye. ~ 80 s.s. 4
''fhe blrthens 81 ar this. to the amount
Of thousands Of dollars annually, have
been borne ly The people Of this Terrific
ny, Which has operated very oppressively
when taken ii connection with Other hard.
ships incident @ tbs settiencnaof new
country. 50 far In tbe Interior. 4. Il, + ~ 4
Yonr ineiiofiallsls need not refer ia l
detail 10 the murder, OF Capt Gunnisonl
and party by tie Indians, while Engaged
In q government exploration and survey,
or tile more recent aud atroeious murders
in Western Utah, by which number Of
valuable lives were lost77elIot which we
doubtlnut would have been prevented, had
the Indians been treated by the govern
Iiient as other tndmns in settled Terrific.
kries, and placed under treaty Appropriateness
Why, We may HSk, has TIE goseTnmehtI
neglected to make treaties with the Utts,
tie Diggers, the Stoshoass, and left the
settlers Of Utah at their inercyl and in the
meantime formed treaties withother tribes,
paying them tens Of thousands annually
in the way of anpnities and presents. The
argument, We believe. in Justification Of
the course pursued towards the Indians
of Utah, Is that, as the country was OBJ
tained from Mexico, aud as that nation
never recognized the Indian title, the
United States wonld adopt the same poll.
|cy, and sif necessary, take possession Of
the country BY force.
- We would respectfully submit whether
this Is not too enlightened, too great, and
too humane d government, to borrow and
adopt the errors aud barbarities OF any
seInisayage nation. Besides, the country
was purchased with the incnmbrance Of
the possessofyright Of the Indians, and
Ewheti thrown open TO settlement, il Mex
leo does not remove the incnmbrance, il
seems but reaspnahIe that the United
States should ;Issa;t f, ss.,sts. :. y
Tho first great dnty Of the government
Is 10 protect the citizen IN the fnll enjoy
nient Of all his civil aud political rights
NltA " ttAC VII vi ~ ItEIttot u u
invites settlement, derives revenue from
the sale of public lands, and Is presumed
70, follow the citizen with its protecting
arm, lbs duties are two-fold.--as the
guardian Of the Indian, 10 must see that
his rights are preserved, aud . fair com.
pensation rendered for the possession
which the government seeks 10 Appropri.
ate, and as the protector OF the citizen,
Il must guard carefully his life, liberty
and property. h- sll.el. iF.is. ,1,i si.t
"All Indian treaties have been based
upon the grou9d Of policy jGsiidc to the
savage, not title in him Upon the ground
that it was more just, more llurnaae to
purchase their possession, and dispossess
them peaceabiy. than to take possession by
force. The Indians Of Utah have a pos
session which TO them is as valuable, MS
sacred as that OF any other tribe with
which the government eFer treated To
tsay 10 them that the country Was derived
from u nation that did lot recognize their
fright Of foccnpancys and therefore The
I Unlted Siates would not, would be hsiiIg
logic, Which thry would neither regard
luor understand. Il Its Sufficient Tor them
To know that the Great Spirit gave this
ceuitry 10 their fathers, sent thetlecF and
antelope here for their food. ald that
while all that renailis OF their fathers are
their graves; The hunting gnoand, Us their.