Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1865-07-07
TREATMENT OF THE INDIANS.

n belief OF loyal men.
TREATMENT OF THE INDIANS.
There is one class of evils that the peo-
pie of this State and the n~eighboring
Territories are suffering, and suffering
supinely, and that is the Indian depreda-
tons which are constantly being COM
mitted. The dispatch from Humboldt to
the News, yesterday, shows that travellers
to or from Boise can no longer travel in
safety even in quite large parties. The
known hostilities of the tribes all through
the West, has for the past two years de-
tered small bands from travelling far away
from the settlements Yet no action at
all commensurate with the evil has been
taken by our proper authorities, and in
the treatment of the redskin foe, our mill
tary have acted wholly on the defensive.
If the savages have fallen upon and horri-
bly, murdered q party of prospectors or
band of emigrants, q score or two OF
soldiers with three days rations in their
knapsacks have been dispatched from the
nearest military post to the scene Of the
bloody encounter, which is usually
reached when the Indians arc q hundred
miles away. Sometimes they return
directly to their post; at others they fol-
low up the trail of the fleeing murderers
till their grub Is gone, but seldom do they
encounter them. The Indians are thus
emboldened and led on TO commit other
atrocities and cruelties. Since the break
ing out Of the Sioux war on the plains OF
the Upper Mississippi, more than two
years ago, the savages throughout the
entire West have been on the alert to kill
and scalp, and have never allowed an OPP
portunity OF satiasing their savage natures
with q carnival of blood, to pass by unim-
proved. Since they have found that in
Jury can be lone to the whites by tearing
down the telegraph wire, they have made
repeated onslaughts upon that, and for
the past several months the people Of the
Pacific States and Territories have re-
peatedly been without news from the
operations of the miserable redskins. But
while they have been committing
murder upon murder and heaping
outrage upon outrage. what have
our military being doing Nothing or
what amounted to nothing. With the ex-
ception of the expedition Of the citizens
and soldiers Of Colorado which drove the
hostile Indians from the immediate vicin-
ity of their threatened settlements and did
slightly punish them for their temerity,
they have received no punishment at all.
Now and then, i: is true, one or two might
be caught and suffer for their crimes, but
they have never been followed up and
made to feel the full force and weight Of
the power of the Government. Our SOL
diers have been employed in acting on the
defensive, guarding certain points, while
others were left open to their ravages.
This n of dealing with the Indians
evidently will not do. They must be fol-
lowed till they are caught, and must be
punished without mercy. Amy mercy
which may be shown them, they will re-
gard as weakness. They will have to be
thoroughly subjugated; their chimerical
ideas of their own prowcss and greatness
be broken; and they must be made to
know their masters, before we will be free
from their d%epredations. 1t is true, it
will be no boys play to deal with them
as they should be dealt with but though
it will take many a long and wearisome
march, and will cause many q brave man
to bite the dust, before they can be driven
from their forest and mountain Businesses
and compelled with humble submission to
sue for peace. it is, nevertheless, the cor
rect way to deal with them and the only
manner to treat them that will secure
peace and free US from their constant out
breaks, murderous attacks and ruinous
lo-.ol,t;o1o |