Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1865-03-18
THE INDIAN QUESTION.

IhE 1NO1AN 9UESI4ON.
If there is any species of abSurdity to
which the expressive phrase of "played
out" is more peculiarly applicable than to
any other nonsense, it is the making Of
treaties " with the Indian tribes of the
plains. The ridiculous holding Of pow
vows" with q horde of naked, painted
devils whose only religion is murder,
theft, and arson, and whose passport to
the happy hunting grounds is string OF
yellow-haired scalps of women and chill
dren, is a broad insult to common sense.
We recollect one Of these pow-wows' held
near Grass Valley, some dozen years ago,
between General Wool and Captain
Weber" Chief of the Diggers. Much
beef was eaten, and much whisky drunk
on the occasion. Then General Wool
made a long speech, and then old Tom
Henley, the war-horSe of Democracy,
made another longer speech, portraying
the delights of the Nome-Lackee Reserva-
ton. These speeches were translated by
Capt. Storms, the interpreter. Then old
Weber made long harangue. took an
other drink, and sat down. What does
he s-a-a-y, Cap'n Storms :" inquired Cen
eral Wool. He says you can alb go to
He'll the Indians came here first, and
they II stay here as long as they please.
This was old Webber's @ItimGtuna, and
there the pow-wow ended. With truth
full interpreters, we imagine such would
be found to be the platform of every tribe
between the Mississippi river and the Pa
eifc ocean. The savageS look upon the
whites as intruderS, and regard their
slaughter as the chief end o; the Indian.
We may hold pow-wows with them to all
eternity; but so long as there are living
Indians and unprotected settlements, so
long shall we hear Of the horrible maSsa-
cres which constitute at once the duty and
the happiness of the noble red man..
Eastern sympathy, and Congressional IN
reference in these matters, amount simply
to the aiding and abetting Of these blood
thirsty murderers. We find the following
sarcasm upon this subject in the Rocky
Mountain Nstcs, Of February 22d:
The world stands aghas;. The sun is
darkened, The moon turned to blood
Dreary storms sweep DER the earth. The
future is dark and dreary. Col. Collins, a
veteran whose locks are silvered BY the SHOWS
of MANY winters, mas wantonly slaughtered
some scores or hundreds OF iuofenSive,
" friendlv," "paciic" noble red men.
Though citizen o: polished Ohio, and not
rough, uncuItivated preacher, nor an uncouta
General Harvey, he has dared TO initiate
the example set by the latter at Ash Hollow
and followed up by the former At Sand Creek
He has dared to Undue his hands IN the
blood Of his red brother. He must suffer the
consequences. We have here in Denver an
investigating commisSiOn-miiltary-o Hoard tnat
will be out OF business and ready for MS case
in about a wear. THEY'LL attend to his case.
II is true that the Indians had committed
some trifing depredauons burned tele-
g-aoh station, driven off couple of hundred
head OF cattle and whole herd Of horses,
but that was doubtless Unsuitable. We pre-
sumo they had been provoked. Probably
somebody hurt their feelings.
Il is also true that they surrounded small
force at Mud Springs and made some demon
STATIONS which were interpreted as hostile,
though they must have been intended in 4
perfectly friendly spirit. It is also true that
they surrounded Col. Collins and frightened
him so with their friendly gestures that ne
corraled his wagons and dug holes IN the
ground for his men to occupy. Some may
think-and he doubtless did-that this would
Justify him in firing upon them and he seems
20 have acted upon that thought Other 9TH
GERS followed his example, and our inconslG-
crate CORRESPONDENT, whose letter appeared IN
Yesterdays Ne,cS, has the blood-tairsty dlsPo-
sition 10 commend them for 1t.
The writer of that paragraph lives IN
the midst of the Indian Territory, and
knows that whereof he writes.
The Union Tedette, published by our
soldiers at Camp Douglas, speaking OF q
proposed general chastisement of the saw
ages, says:
/. is proposed to enter upon this arduous
undertaking at the earliest practicable mo-
ment, SO as TO strike the Indians before their
horses can have the benefit OF the new grass,
and while they are weak and uuserviceable
from the meager subsistence furnished by
their winter pasturage. Iuconvenient as this
seems, and undoubtedly is, it is the only way
successful campaign can ever be conducted
against them, unless, when rendered reckless
by numbers, they may venture to risk bat
tie under circumstances more favorable to
civilized foes. We only hope they may sue
coed in assembling force sufficient to in
duce an open encounter with the troops I'M
der General Conner, in which event we think
it may be safely predicted that the survivors
will have reason to remember the occasion
70 he last hour Of their lives.
The Indian troubles are approaching our
immediate vicinity, and if the Government
will allow our people and our local troops
to attend to the matter, it will soon be
disposed Of, and forever.
Tup VrpnrCT OF POSTERITY.-A HIGH