Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1864-06-24
The Indian War Hu,nbus.


The Indian War Humbug.
"These Missouri river Indian Expeditions
are regarded by the people In this locality a.
the most cunsummate humbugs OF the age.
Troops may be required to protect the frontier
settlers in Minnesota from hostile tribes in that
state; but as far rs the Missouri river country
Is concerned, one regiment OF men, distributed
among the various posts above sioux City,
would be ample force to keep the indians In
ten thousand able-bodied, well-drilled soldiers,
wasting their time and the Governments mon
ey in gigantic expeditions against imaginary
ranged SO that these expeditions will no longer
leave greenbacks In their train, and see how
mS1yellous win be the effect upon the Indians n.
represented as peaceable and friendly" -
The foregoing we extract from the
Council Bluff Nonpareil, and embrace
the opportunity to give it's opinions our
hearty concurrence. From the hour that
John f. Duncombe stood in his place
in our State Senate, during the session
of 1862, and read what we have always
believed to BET bogus telegraphic dis
patch from the Spirit Lake country, we
have believed the quartering of large
bodies of effective troops upon our Mis-
souri, border, in its relation to the gov
ernment, was downright swindle.-
That belief has been confirmed from
time to time by the reports of those who
reside in and have visited that section
of country, and our views are now cor
roborated by one who lives sufficiently
near the seat OF war to speak intelli-
gently upon the subject.
That military force is necessary in
Minnesota we have never entertained a
doubt. But when we heard from relia-
BILE sources of the visits ofcertain sharp
ers and spectators, who rode hot haste
through the sparsely populated counties
of northwestern Iowa, conveying false
intelligence to the unsuspecting foreign
settlers, who were already sufficiently
alarmed, and these No. sharpers were
soon followed by No. 2, who taking ad-
vantage of the fears and alarms of their
victims, bought farms and crops at a
mere song, we We're fully satisfied Of the
desperate character of some men, who
would not hesitate to provoke friendly
Indians to acts Of hostility now and
then, that they might find home mar
ket for their ill gotten harvests. We
don't blame the honest citizens of the
northwest for desiring a home market.
We don't blame them for desiring the
presence of 10000 men and horses, who
in the course of ayear consume no small
amount Of this country's products. But
we do blame those army officers and
government agents, who have the oppo.
tunity and do know better, for insisting
upon maintaining so large force, whore
| one-tenth is sufficient. Careful esti-
mates of the number of adventures
who are crossing the plains the present
season, place them at 100000. Not a
man of them but goes armed. Not one
but passes through country alleged by
these leeches to be threatened by hostile
Indians. These emigrants are Of them
selves sufficient protection, and yet the
government is called upon to keep.a
force of 10000 veteran troops on the
frontier. We hear of military escorts
for emigrant trains, and yet, as the Non
pdriel truly states, two-thirds of those
who are this season crossing the plains
and mountains are sneaks, who left the
States to avoid a probable draft.
The time was when Indians were
| much more numerous than now, and
much more hostile. AT such time the
whole army of the United States did not
exceed the number of troops now main
| tanned in Minnesota, Iowa and Nebras-
ka. Indian depredations were of rare
occurrence, not more so than now. A
regiment of cavalry would protect the
route from the Missouri to the Pacific.
One regiment is sufficient for that work
now. We insist that 5000 veteran
soldiers should be released from duty
| distasteful in the extreme to them and
be permitted to go where they desire to
60, and whore the nation may reapsome
benefit from their services. This war is
for the suppression of great rebellion,
and not to provide market for any Sec
ton of a State. Millions of money have
been expended to sustain this great In
dian humbug. We do not implicate the
entire population of our northern bor-
der, or any considerable portion thereof,
for we are satisfied they too have been
most outrageously swindled.
|
Lost but not Abandoned.
The proposed amendment to our Ma
fioro1 Constitution u,borobx,