Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-02-09
Oblo Statesnrarr.
[From tho Cincinnati Gazette,l
A Word About Indians.
COLUMBUS, January 81.

COLUMBUS, January 81.
In your issues of the 18th and 18th inst,
you published some startling disclosures"
furnished by your Washington correspon-
dent, Al. v. N. b." in the nature of ex-
tracts from report made by a Commission
consisting of Senators Foster, DOolittle
and Nesmith, appointed in the spring of
1865, to visit the whole Indian cOun-
try and inquire into the condition and
management of our Indian affairs in gen.
eral. Your correspondent states that the
report of this Commission was suppressed
because of the disgraceful nature of the
facts developed, and that 1t has been lying
in the Government printing office for more
than a year, carefully withheld from all"
The statement of this fact Is not very cred
table to the American Senate. and it is
amazing how respectable Commission of
that body could submit to such indignity,
and quietly acquiesce in the suppression of
report made by them, and containing
such Il narrative of "robbery and general
rascality," such gross frauds against the
helpless denizens of the forest, involving,
as they do, not only the honor of the Gov
! ernment ITSELF but that of all its good citl-
Zens.
Aware that Senators Foster, Doolittle
i anu NeSIDlIH Hdu DcGH w IuC uuLJ
referred to nearly two years ago, it has
often been query with me whether they
had made report of their doings, and II
so, what had become of it. Having some
knowledge of the powerful influence exer-
csed by the lobby at Washington, in mat
ters pertaining to Indian affairs, | will not
| be surprised to be told that IL had made
herculean efforts to suppress such report;
| but it is matter of surprise that the Com
mission, all having seats in the Senate,
could be induced to submit quietly to the
suppression of their report; and this sur
prise is increased when the fact is stated
| that, so far as the world knows, no member
of the Senate-a body to be selected, ac-
cording to the theory of the fathers, from
| the ablest and best men in the respective
| States--was found to call the attention of
the people of the United States to this re-
| port, and thus arouse their attention to the
Nervousness of the crimes therein exposed.
| Shameful as the facts in these statements
are, from somewhat familiar knowledge
of Indian affairs in former years, am pre-
pared to say that the treatment of Indian
tribes is much worse, in the general, than
the reader will infer from reading the ex-
tracts given from the Senatorial Commits
sion's report in your columns.
We are accustomed to read, at short in
| tervals, terrible stories in the newspapers
about the depredatiOns and murders COM
mittcd by Indians, but we never get the
other side of the question; the one side is
highly colored, but we never get the other
| side. ....-..
Indian massacres and depredations are
| terrible. and their mode of warfare to lis
civilized people very revolving; notwith-
standing, | have no hesitation in saying
that no Indian massacre" occurs, no " In
dian depreciation is committed, without
cause, and that cause, viewed and judged
by Indian law, is defensible. Some act pre-
vious to the massacre or depreciation has
| been committed by the whites, justifying
| the subsequent conduct of the Indians ac-
cording to their law, Notwithstanding the
Indians may destroy the property or take
the lives of innocent whites, for they do not
recognize individual responsibility for
crimes committed, but take compensation
or visit retribution on the race or tribe to
whom the offenders belong. Thus it is not
unfrequent that the injury and wrong done
to Indians by unprincipled whites is re-
venged by the murder of purely innocent
and unoffending persons, without regard to
aye or SEX.
| If the reckless and unprincipled white
men who push themselves into the Indian
country in advance of the regular settle
ments, and the more reckless scOundreli
who contrve to get tup Indian disturbances
| for the gain that is found in Indian wars,
were all excluded from the Indian coun-
| try, it would be rare occurrence when
we should be startled with Indian =" hos
tlities."
This body of men, though unknown to
the country generally, is formidable, being
| nj tal, htyth thA Wng tnfr
ton lobby, whose pockets are periodically
suit of these "Indian depredations, in
dian hostilities," &c. &C., produced by the
Infamous conduct of the body of men re-
ferred to, in their intercourse with the Red
men. . ..
If Indian agents and employees were all
honest men, and the reckless and unprinci-
pied class of men to whom have referred
were kept from the Indian cOuntry-driven
out, il need be, by force, when necessary
the Indian would be regarded by the mass
of men in different light from what he
now is. With proper treatment aud effort
feel very certain the Indian could be do
mesticated and civilized. Twelve years age
the tribes in Kansas, who had emigrateG
within the 20 years preceding, from Ohio
Indiana and other States, were much
further advanced in civilization than they
now are. But the disorder which succeed
ed the introduction of the whites was very
fatal to the interests and well being OF the
Indians; and in all the conflicts there be-
tween the New England colonists, and
those from the South in reference to the
negro population, l think it would be diff
ficult to show an instance wherein the In
dams OF that territory were injured and
their rights trampled upon, and there were
many such, in which there was not perfect
harmony of action between these other
wise belligerent parties.
repeat, as my firm conviction, that with
proper instruction, attention and care, oil
the assurance of permanent home, many
! "a majority of the present Indian youth
could be domesticated and civilized and
made reasonably useful members of society
and that like effort through few genera
tions would make them all such members
with no greater per cent. of worthless ones
than there is in white communities.
But how can the Indian, under present
treatment, be expected to be otherwise
than he is? What is his condition.? Who
cares for him or his-,Uhere has he a friend
AS things stand now, he is viewed rs q
monster to be eXterminated, and no voice Il
lifted upin his behalf.
III Jne JcSIlHOuJ luIuisnSu ouo pOH"tS
Commission, and with which the Gazette
was supplied, it is asserted by intelligent
Indian agents and army officers on duty In
the Indian country, that very small pro-
portion of the money annuities nominally
paid by the Government TO the Indians Ii
received by them. To the question, "Whai
proportion actually reaches the Indians9 2
! Colonel Sprague says, "Very little, !
any," Gen. Carlin says, ga very small
proportion Gen. Hoffman replies, -
have no doubt they have little or no bene'
fit from it," (the annulties). Gen. Sully