The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1867-01-23
DAILY PRESS.
PORTLAND.
Wednesday Morning, January %, 1867.
Indian KIOstiIities.

A noticeable feature of the military reports
submitted to the Secretary of War by General
Grant at the beginning of the present session
of Congress, is the uniform reference to In
dian hostilities from Minnesota to California.
Gen. Halleck is especially emphatic upon this
point, insisting that "hostilities will not en-
tirely cease till these Indians are killed or
captured" Gen. Pope writes, 81 do not con-
slider the treaties lately made with the Sioux,
Cheyennes, Arapahoes, KioW as and Canaan
ches worth the paper they are written on, for
reasons which have given so often that you
must be sick of hearing them" Gen. Sher-
man proposes to restrict the Sioux north Of
the Platte, west OF the Missouri river and east
of the new road to Montana, and the Chey
ennes, Arapahoes, &c, south of the Arkansas
and east of Fort Union, leaving for the use of
the whites the. broad belt between the Platte
and the Arkansas in which lie the two great
railroads and over which passes the bulk OF
travel to the mountain Territories. Finally,
General Grant suggests the proprety of trans
felring the Indian bureau from the Interior
to the War Department, believing that cit
would result in greater economy of expendi-
ture and diminution of conflict between the
Indian and white races" ''g =
The recent massacre Of troops near Fort
Keaney, within the tract from which Gen.
Sherman proposes to exclude the Indians, has
served to call public attention still more point
edly to these perpetual troubles. Neverthe-
less that horrible affair was only striking
manifestation of the habitual state Of things
on the border. Wherever our pioneers come
in contact with the aborigines there is perpet-
ual hostility. As the land they occupy is
wanted by settlers, the Indian claim is bought
up by the government for annuities Of money
and merchandise. The payment of these an
nuities furnishes IN opportunity for the Indian
traders, who in partnership with the land
Spectators, and not unfrequently with, the
government agents themselves, contlive to Sc
cure the greater part of the bounty for them
selves. The Indians, worse off than ever, un-
dertake a little robbery on their own account
though of course they manage it less skillfully
than their white brethren. Then comes an
Indian war, ending in a treaty, with general
largess of money and merchandise, which the
unrefecting savage regards as reward of
merit, secretly determ ining to have another
war at the first convenient opportunity
To say that this is all wrong. is ridiculously
mild. Gen. Pope reported last August that
the Utes were suffering for food; that their
harndifarxy f1aC 4 ~
ennes, had shut them up in the mountains
where they found no game; that the Indian
bureau had refused to provide them with food
In a word, that no resource was left them but
to prey upon the herds and focks OF the near
est settlements, or starve. The Cheyennes
are the people upon whom Col. Chivington and
his men committed their horrid outrages
about two years ago. The Congressional
Committee on the Conduct of the War re-
port that Chivington's men deliberately MUIR
dered" a hundred unreslsting Cheyennes of a
friendly band, men, women and children,
under circumstances of "revolting barbarity
such as, it is to be hoped, never before dis
graced the acts OF men claiming to be civiliz-
ed" The Sioux, who appear to be associated
with the Cheyennes in the attack upon Col
Carrington's command at Fort Kearney, are
the tribe against whom the campaigns of 1863
and 1864 were conducted-campaigns which
made great figure in the newspapers at the
time, but which really accomplished very lit
tie. The Sioux number $4,000 or 10000; the
Cheyennes about 5000. .....-t-
These wild children of the woods need to
be treated as children. At the stage of devel-
opment which they have reached, they regard
and respect nothing but power. They need
to be controlled with steady flrmness. Vio-
lence and laxity are alike out of place. They
need to be protected from the landsharks who
prey upon them. General Grant is right
The Indian bureau should be transferred to
the War Department. The officers of the ar
my who are to restrain their violence ought
also to be empowered to prevent it by remov-
ing as far as possible the provocations and oc-
casions of violence. The military comman-
ders, as rule, are not so likely to be corrupted
by the chances Of peculation as the Temporal
ry appointees OF the civil government. From
every point OF view it is evident, that the pro-
posed change should be made-for the better
protection of our own people, out ofregard to
the Indians, nay, in order to secure our own
selErespect by the substitution of settled
policy for the present pernicious makeshift.