St. Cloud Democrat., 1865-03-09

Ut the individual.
But how, it may be asked, are We to
avoid the corruption so generally ad-
mitted?
I answer, by some such system OF
checks rs is used in all other DEPART
mcnts to insure honesty. Why cannot
the law provide that the various goods
distributed among the Indians shall be
dealt out by the military officers Of the
post, or by the quarsernastcr Of the
post, taking til ir receipts, witnessed by
the agent? The report of the military
officer should thus bc compared with
the report Of the agent, and fraud could
only follow by the c"llusion between
them. The military officer, holding his
place for life, would have much less in
ducement t. fraud than the agent whu
anticipates removal in short period Of
time.
1t might also be we'll to locate the
reservations Of the Indians outside OF
the organized states, aud us far as pos
sible from the wnite settlements. In
this way their new customs and usages
will have attained some sol,d;ty before
they are brought into contact with the
whites. When the wave Of population
rolls round the reservation, the white
pioneer will find the red man farmer
like himself, occupying land held like
his own by irrevocable patent, and pos
sessing some share of intelligence and
education with which to understand
zen d his rights. No longer vic
ious and thieving, he will recognize in
him quiet and peaceable neighbor,
and will feel no desire and be under no
necessity to drive him from his home.
would further suggest that, while a
tract of one or two hundred acres If
land should be given to each family,
the tribe should be gathered together
in villages, with house for each fam
i'y surrounded by FIVE or ten acres Of
cultivated land. An Indian family
will not ordinarily use more than that
amount. When the ererey Of any in
dividual oversteps this limit he can cul
tivate his separate farm. 1t requires
the highest types Of the highest races
to encounter life of isolation and SOL
itude upon large farms on the frontier.
The weaker races are Sregarious.-
Moreover, thus assembled they are
more susceptible of control and instruc-
ton.
In fact, this system Of, concentration.
could, in course Of time, be applied to
all the Indians within the limits OF the
United States. Their total number is
but 3l4,623. They could be concen-
tratcd, if civilized, upon an area no lar
ger than two or three of our counties -;
they could be speedily made self-sus-
tanning and, instead Of, inf1ictin@ in
juries on our frontiers to degree vast
ly disproportionate to their number,
they could be converted into harmless
agriculturists aud peaceful citizens.
But the question may be asked, is
the Indian capable of civilization? I
answer, unhcs'tatinsly, Yes
The Indian of the American conti-
nent has proved himself not only capa-
BILE of receiving but Of originating civ
ilization.
1t may be safely said that the Span
iards encountered in Mexico and Peru
an indigenous civilization in many re-
spects higher than their own.
The conquerors of Peru found that
country, covering narrow tract Of land
along the ea-coast, four thousand miles
in length and three hundred miles in
width, and containing population Of
thirty millions; nearly equal to the en-
tire population OF the United States.
The civilization of the Peruvians was
not of sudden growth 1t had extend
ed through many centuries The peo-
pie we're agriculturists, and the pursuit
had been carried to degree Of refine
ment unknown at that time in Europe.
To this day the curious traveller finds
upon the tops Of the mountain ranges,
in some cases thirteen thousand feet
above the level of the sea and amid the
haunts Of the eagle, the crumbling walls
and vast monuments which bespeak the
civilization Of the ancient people.
Nor was this civilization crude and
immature. Of its kind it Was perfect.
Almost every foot of their vast territory
was brought under subjugation to the
labor Of man. So dense was the popu-
lation and so energetic the efforts Of
industry, that the soil of the valleys
,uas ca-ried IN on the hacks Of th., nea>,