Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1864-09-01
OUR INDIAN SYSTEM.

We have repeatedly called the attention Of oul
readers to the organic defects and practical abuses
OF the present Indian policy of the Government
We are glad to know that this subject was, some
months ago, brought to the fresh notice of one
branch of the Administration in an elaborate re-
port, under date of February 9th, in the present
year, made to the Secretary of War by Major Gen.
Pope, commanding the Department of the North
west The deteroratipg influences brought to bear
on the savage under the control of the indian Bu-
reau in this city notorious and great that
Gen. PoPE does not hesitate to ask that the mill
tary be left to deal with these Indians without the
interposition of Indian agents. He makes this re-
quest because he believes that any permanent peace
with the Indians depends upon it, and because he
is convinced that the condition of the Indian in his
wild state is far better tLan his status under the
present Indian policy.
The results Of our Indian policy are thus reca-
pitulSted by the General:
There do not and have not lacked occasions when the
Indian eosded by swndlng and wrong and maddened by
drink broken out ayanst the whites
and committed those horrible outreges at which the coun
try has stood sghast think it will be found almost with
exception that Indian late years have broker
directly traced to the conduct OF the white who
swipdied them out of their money and their goods.
by our system OF reservations also have gradually
trapspaned The Indian tribes to the west and have dca
ed ihem from north to south along western frontier
building up by these constantly increasing barrier
to travel and emigration westward Through this bar
rer all emgrauts to the Territories and the Pacific
States are compelled to force their way aud difficulties
Leading to rObb and violence otentim.s to extern
sye nassacs both of whites and Indians of not un
frequent occurrence
,ha
are Immediately demanded and thus begins an Indian war
which the greed Of contractors and specuators
IN its continuance playing upon the natural appehensions
of the people, and Influencing the press makes 1t yery
difficult to conduct successfully or bring to an end
Both in economic and humane view the prese MT Indian
policy has woefu failure Instead of preventing
has been, beyond doubt the of all Indian
which have occurred in late years So long our
present policy the money aud the goods
to the INDIANS will be constant and sufficient temptston
to uns rnPul US white and long must expect
outrages and Indian outbIesks the frontier 1t not
to be denied that he expense of this system the United
states has greatly exceeded what would have been neces
say keep troops enough the frontier to peace
with the Indians.
'It is equally certain that the condition of the Indian
80 far from being improved has been greatly injured He
has lost all the high qualities of his native state and has
simply been reduced to the condition of le drunken
gambling vagabond The mortality among these annuity
Indians living reservations has far exceeded among
the wild tribes bids fair to exneuish the whole race
in wonderfully short period tbink it will not be dis
puted, by those familiar with the subject that ur Ind an
policy Las totally failed of apy humanzDg effect the
Indian has worked him cruel wrong and has entailed
very great and useless expense upon the Government
have ten years OF life In service the from
tier AID the facts stated the result of observa
ton and eIperi NOE aud fsmar to- every officer Of
the sray who has served in the West
However wise may have been the theory of our In
dian system it readily be substantated that in its
pfactca operation has worked justice aud wrong to
the lndsn has made hs state worse morally
physically than it in his native wilderness and
eutaed heavy and useless expense upon the Government
Some change, therefore, to be demanded by well
established facts resulting from experience of many
years"
These views of the General are fully confirmed
by the representations of other witnesses who
have knowledge of the facts in the case The phi
lanthropic Bishop WHIppLE, of Minnesota, who
has done SO much to arouse the conscience of the
country to sense of the fearful wrongs done to
the Indian by Government agents under the pre-
vailing policy, recites the following story, which
shows how those Indians who have already taken
to agriculture, and to steady life, are para zed
the momenta Government agent approaches them
with treaty:
During the last summer visited the Indians at Red
Like After the services the head chief came to me aud
said You have spoken good words to you are the
servant of the Great Spirit want you to 10 and ses nv
ople's gardens, aud then will ask your advice took
the ches pony and rode four miles through cornfeIts
every OF which cu ivated with the hoe / ate
aod potatoes from these gardens the 6rst
week in August My Interpreter counted twenty-nlne
sacks of list years 10 lodge aud ba dy ouud
a lodge without plenty Of old corn. On my return the
chief said: You have seen my people; they have plenty
they not hungry; Great Father about send
commissioner here to buy land haze noticed that
,oheneper Indians sH their lands the Great Father then
ni,ogps perish. should be sorry TO my people be
come like the Indiaus at Grow Wing Viii the Bishop
tell me all he has in his head n !"
Another chief said to the Bishop, "Woe to us,
for the day we hear the big-knives words we 20 to
our graves"
And the prevalent system is as unjust to the
country as it is unjust to the Indians On this
point the New York Evening Post of Friday last
forcibly remarks as follows:
THE people of the United States furnish the Indians
wi the weapons wherewtb they murder and lain sue h
OF they get When the warriors Of tribe
determine war, and their faces with the hdeuus
wsrpant, the pigments they have come {, them di
recy from the Indian Bureau part of the annual dona
ton Of goods. When they themselves with muskets
they the gifts of the United States Government which
furnishes also the powder and lead to load them with The
whskey with which the warriors make themselves furious
Traders authorized by the Government to deal with The
Indians. When The tomahswk is uubured il is a toma-
hawk sent to their tribe by their Great Fabe and
those Minnesota who had relatives not merely killed but
scsped, during the last Indian il have been
peculiar satisfaction to know that the scalping knives
used by the savages also furnished by the Indian
Bureau In the advertisement TOR Indan supplies last fall
requiring bids for one huDdred dozen scaping
knives Reading this advertisement wonder wbe ther
there any special and favored model this