Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-06-14
The Indian War7-A Word About It
so lCSrrsspoadsnce Of the Cincinnati Gazsttsll T
~ lftf T. CaY riafptrc Iuoa Q

3 I = =
ICSrespOadsnce Of the Cincinnati GazsttslT T
.e1A1lAE.A CoLUMBGs, June 8.
t;s Concurring in all you say in the Gazette
of Nay 81, and June /, against the prosecu-
tion of the war with the Indians into which
we are drifting, beg leave to differ with
you In your conclusion, that this impend-
ing war is the result of injuries and frauds
perpetrated on the Indians, by the civil
agents in the service. That many of these
are great rogues, L am prepared to believe;
that many have taken the advantage OF and
cheated the simple denizens of the forest
land the prairies, Iawill not dispute; but
this impending war is not the offspring of
the want of fidelity of the civil agents in
THE rognes in the civil service connected
with the Indians are not fools-far from it,.
Their interest Is for peace, for the very mo-
.ment the army enters the field the occupa-
-tion of these gentlemen ceases They are
set aside, and the anpuities, both money and
goods, are cut of, and thenceforward their
occupation is goae until the war is over
So also with the traders. War cuts them
,soff from their business. - ~ IS ~. ~ -.
UTes1 think also you err in relation to what
Syou say about the Secretary of the Interior
and the late Commissioner of Indian Af-
fairs. I,haveno acquaintance with the Sec
retary or the late Commissioner, Mr.Bogy.
In my judgment the country and the In.
dians lost much by the rejection ofthe lat
Ter by the Senate. with q somewhat close
scrutiny into his official acts. am of the
opinion that it was very, unfortunate that
he was not retained in Office. may be
mistaken. but such is my honest opinion.
= AS to the Secretary retaining him tempo
rarily in the service. that is easily explain
y ed. Some one had to be employed to in
spect, receive ana forward the Indian
goods to be furnished this spring, and to no
man could this duty be more appropriately
: assigned than to ex Commissioner Bogy, If
he be an honest man, able and willing to
take care of the interests of the Indians
and that as understand it Is the only duty
that was confided to him. Eia l2 r-y
-5s The predecessors of Mr.. Browning in the
Interior Department, both Usher and Har-
mlan, each shamefully surrendered the law
1ful authority of that department over In
diam affairs to the army and thus he
si(BroWning) entered the service hampered
BY this surrender the civil officers of the
Bureau In the Indian country were in many
instances shorn of all power and authority,
hand as a consequence, of all responsibility
Mr.. Begy during his brief term in the In
dian Bureau made laudable efforts to re-
d, cover the lost ground, and urged that the
army should be restrained. since its inter
ference in all cases coming under his obSer-
=, iration had been, to use his oWn words, I'M
perious, and unless checked it would lead
said he, co the most disastrous consequences
He predicted, ,if the army was permitted to
go on in the way it was moving, a general
Indian war. Neither the President, Secre.
Cary Browning nor Congress appear to have
e1given any attention to what Mr.. Bogy
urged, and here, in my opinion, is where
the censure should come in, there being ne
effort made to restrain the movements o.
bf the army. 1t has moved ahead not only
without, but in violation of lawful authori.
-fty, yet with the passive permission of the
Executive and Congress, until, by success
Tlsion of the most wicked and cruel wrongs
a and outrages against the Indians, it il
rapidly inauguratiDg crisis when the Re(
man must 60 to war in resistance to a set
tied and vigorous policy for their extermi
nation, which is now the watchword. TIL,
country ought not, nay, must not, be de
ceiVed as to the animus OF the Indian war
- All the stories about the combinations o
tribes to go together on the war patti
against the whites are mere fabrications
made for common purpose. By these ant
kindred stories the public mind is infiame(
and made bitterly hostile to the Indian
race. By these the public judgment is 81
warped that it does not calmly scrutiniz
what is really going on, and thus crime
the greatest of the age an organized anC
! systematic attempt to exterminate the In
dian race, by means OF the military forct
and money of the United States is not only
tolerated, but is really popular with larg
class of people. --...-....-..,
There is class of persons who have al
ways protited by Indian wars, and thes
are the army contractors and camp follow
giers, and those who stir up Indian difficul
those who speculate in the war debt thu
incurred. In this debt there is always ricl
picking. The officials in new States an
territories always take hand in these war
before they progress far, by calling upo
their free hooters, as Gov. Meagher has al
4srno w IN thfo All fha w n
men inthis treebooting service, transporta
-Ciou, subsistence, &C., &C., are settled a
enormous rates, and paid for by scrip, eac
man for his services and contractor for hi
supplies perhaps getting twice or thre
eItimes the amount he is entitled to. Her
7Hthen steps in another class, who buy u
this scrip at a heavy shave, which the par
ties holding it can we'll stand.9 These pur
chasing parties represent the Washingto
lobby who successfully put the whol
thing through Congress at his face bot
principal aud interest, many memb ber
having a. wonderful weakness Tor sue
things.
In this present contemplated -''exterm
! mating" Indian war, there is, in my opinion
q new and very Influential interest, whic
is extremely anxious that all the Indian
x should be killed off instanter; and that
the two grand political and financial com
binations who have possession of and ow
saotfe rival railroad lines now being rbui
westward from the Missouri river. The
hscannot watt They want to realize upo
ei the magnificent land grants to those rroaC
before the Indian title is extinguished
fheT ordinary way, averaging as they q
about thirteen thousand acres to the mil
And the most speedy way, in their opinio
TO to get the avails of this land is TO kill o
the Indian. The experiment may cost Il
Federal treasury hundreds and hundreds
millions of money and thousands of live
hrrtf that don't matter This last Stnnpnf
GUS interest, which is half building tv
sElines of railroads, has clearly captivatt
General Sherman, SO that he cannot wri
aletter any more, on any subject, witho
eizmagnifying them. 1t seems, for ye
past, the grand idea in his mind has bet
81, The thew road to Montana" and the s.tv
great railways destined soon to span I'll
continent" It is true the Indians still oW
the country through which the railwa
are now progressing, and also the countl
turouyn WHICH the new road to Montan
must go, and no proper arrangement h
been made by the Government Tor 1t. The
tracts of land have been the homes al
hunting grounds OF the Indians from tin
immemorial. and their title has not be-
extinguished. An unsophisticated min
8 acting under the influence of old fashion
honesty, would come to the conclusion tn
..,iustiee required that the Indian title to tt
tracts referred to should be eXtinguisht
by the United States before we attempts
to possess the country. And proper Sc
timent Of humanity would say that, in a.
dition, new homes should be provided
these people, which, on retiring from ii
o land referred to, they could occupy al
shpossess as their own.
s II But no such idea of humanity and justi
sr-appears to impress itself on Gen. Sherma
AS early as last November he propose
- and General Grant approved of, plan
20 restrict the Sioux Indians to the count