St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1865-03-09

Civilization is tender plant. Gen.
turies of contact with the Roman pow
er left our ancestors still savases.
When, at last, the spark Of civilization
was warmed into a little fame, how
many slow ahd Weary ages did it take
to light up the horizon with its blaze
The lapse Of thousand Of years cx-
tends between the nomad of eastern
Europe, who carried the scalp Of his en-.
cmy at his saddle bow, and the highly
refined citizen of England or America.
Shall we then hope that by the mere
power of the human Will and the force
of few Legislative enactmcnts We shall
in fortnight, turn a band OF savascs.
collected on their reservation like cat
tie in an inclosure, into civilized men ?
The government seems to have pos.
sessed some faint conception Of what
was required Of It. 1t employs far
mer for the tribe, it hires blacksmith,
and it furnishes some agricultural ill.,
plements. These a,e, it is true, Slimr-
ses Of tho truth J.; but there it stops.
What is the result? The Indian who
has industry and energy enough to cul-
tivate field and raise CROP of lies at
the mercy of every roaming vagabond
Of the tribe, who, returning bootlcss
from his hunting excursions, dcsccnds
upon his store Of maize and potatoes,
and rc-enocts-
"rhe good old rule, the simple plan,
That they shall take who have the power,
And they shall keep who can"
There is no military or police force
to protect industry against robbery
What white man would overcome all
the rrcjudices Of education, all the hab-
its Of years, all the teachings Of super
stition, aud endure the cold winter and
the heat OF summer, to tind, at last, the
results Of his labor swept away from
him by some idle and savage neigabor.
Nor is this all. This Insecurity ex-
tends to the very fields the Indian cul-
tivatej. 1t has been the policy Of the
government to withhold from him that
encouragement to labor which accom-
panies possession Of the soil. 1t it is
true, os believed by some, that system
Of periodical redistribution of the land
among all the members Of the clan ar.
rested the growth of civilization in the
British islands for centuries, what shall
we say of this system, which dcprivcs
the Indian of his field, not periodically,
but at the bidding of distant and un-
seen power, or which leaves him mere
occupant and squattcr, open at any ino-
ment to invssion by his more powerful
white neighbors Again, I ask, what
white man could be induced to labor to
enhance the value of his fields if the
very increase Of their valuc TEL dcd only
to hurry him more rapidly from them !?
Who is he that tolls willingly tor the
advantage Of another?
But even this is not all. 1t was SAID
by some one OF old, "If vice were on
the whole profitable, then the wise men
would be the villains" The essence Of
virtue is that it meets with its own re-
ward. Hence any system OF govern
nent that rewards equally vice and vir-
tue. Incidence aud industry, is corrupt
and rotten, and can breed only the
most disastrous consequences. And
yet this is the sy-tem adopted by US in
our treatment Of the Indians! ! he an-
nuities are distributed among the men,
bcrs of the tribe without any regard
whatever to the conduct of the rccipi-
ents The rufian, who robs his indus
trious neighbor, draws an equal share
with the poor wretch he has despoilcd
Nay, more, he may 80 outside Of the
reservation and prey upon the adjacent
white population, and the claims Of the
man for the damages he inAicts are
paid by the agent out Of the total fund
of the tribe; so that the many who arc
innocent suffer for the one who is
guilty. In such a state Of society the
highest premiums are offered for crime
aud disorder; and it may well be be-
lieved that the most sagacious would
find it to their interest to become the
most vicious. .'j -'.5' h. ... q. ~ =; :,
need not here enlarge upon that
other evil, und parent Of many evils, the
unjust treatment of the Indians by their
SCENTS. do not assert that Ill those
who occupy or have occupied such po.
sitlons have proved themselves dishon.
est; but I do believe that; under the
present system, the temptations are too
!. atrnnu tor ordinarv human uiriue The