Vermont daily transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1868-1870, 1868-11-24
Gen. !sH ei'jii0H ana the Iudi0Ii
DHcSfiOU.

Gen. sherman, in his annual report,
d, claros that there is no hope OF per-
mancnt peace and no chance of saving
the Indian race from destruction, unless
we place all the tribes on reservations,
and to do this the Indian affairs must he
managed by the War Department.
We make the following extract from
the report:
Ii is idle for us longer to attempt to oc-
cupy the plains in common with these
Indians, for the country is not suscepti-
bic OF close settlement with farms like
Missouri and Iowa, and is solely adapt
ed to grazing. All of our people are ne
cessarily scattered, and nave more or
les cattle and horses which tempt the
Indian, hungry, and it may be starving;
for the want of his accustomed game
he will steal, -hewill not hesitate to kill
Therefore, n Joint occupation of that dis
tlict of the countyby these two classes Of
people, with such opposing interest, is a
simple impossibility and the Indians
must yield. The peace commission has
assigned them Il reservation, which if
held for fifty years will make their de-
scendants rich, and in the meantime
they are Promised food while they are
learning to cultivate the earth and to
rear tame stock. j, o labor with their
own hands or even to remain in one
place initiates with all the hereditary
pride of the Indian and force must be US
ed to accomplish his result.
1T was or this reason that the peace
commission at its Chicago session in
October, after the events before describ-
ed occurred and were known to them,
was forced to the conclusion that the
management of the Indian affairs
should be transferred back to the war de-
partment, where it belonged prior to
lS40. This department of our Govern
m.nt is the only one that can use force
promptly without the circumlocuton
now necessary, and no other depart
ment of our Government can act with
promptness an vigOr enough to give
any hope that the plan and purposes of
the peace commissioners will be carried
out. Even then there is uoubt that the
Indians themselves will make the neces-
sary personal efforts to succeed, and
fear they will at last fall upon our hands
amerc mass of helpless paupers.
~ am fully aware that many OF our
good people, far removed from contact
with these Indians, and dwelling with
a painful interest on the past event, such
nesota in 1868, and as the Chivington
massacre Of 1864, believe that the whites
are always wrong and that tne | ldians
have been forced to resort to war in self
defense, by actual want or by reason OF
our selfishness, | am more than con
WINGED that such is not the case, in the
present instance, and hope that | have
made it plain. | further believe thai
the only hope of saving any part of these
Indians from utter humiliation is by {
fair and prompt execution of the scheme
suggested by the peace commission
which can alone be done by Congress
with the concurrence of the Indians
themsel, es. Even then it will require
much patience and hard labor on thu
part of the officers who execute the plan
which / do not wish to assume myself o.
impose on other army officers, but it il
certain that the only hope to find an!
end of this eternal Indian war, is in the
transfer of the entire business to the wa
department and ior Congress to enact TIT
, laws and provide the necessary money
, at least year before it is required to b.
expended.