Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1868-12-10
rhe Gentlemen without Hats.

The Indian policy of our government
has SO long been a cause of disgust and
shame that nobody of ordinary stomach
| likes to discuss it. We turn from it as
long as we can, and handle it, when it
must be handled, much as men pick up
| dead cats.
But the thing will not be ignored. 1t
| forces itssif upon the attention, EOt only
through the sense of smell, but by touch
ing the pocket-an Americans most vi
tai point. We must stop this Indian
swindle or it will stop our national credit
aud strangle our business by Onerous
taxation. We must stop it, or our pro-
gress westward will be stopped; and the
'star of empire" will never get to San
Francisco by rail. 1t must be stopped
| but how?
There are two classes of physicians -
One, not knowing the causes of dis
ease, merely puts into the patient one
dose after another until he hits the right
one The other uses NJ dose at all until
he has formed some notion of the dis
ease to be cured. This Indian disease
has been treated long enough in the old
| fashioned way. We have been in the
habit of putting in doses of blankets and
| beads, capes and cotton clolh, powder
| and whisky, in the most indiscriminate
manner. On the homeopathic plan,
! perhaps, when Indians were fighting,
! our agents would give them powder and
| ball, and when they were at peace some
| body like ChivingtOn would put in u
little massacr by way of variety. Six
months in the year we swindled the In
dians, sold them bad powder and tried
to kill them off with bad liquor; then
six months more we fought them, and
enjoyed the advantage of capturing cur
| own guns back again. All these doses
have not stopped the disease, and it is
high time for some doctor to take the
case in hand who will stop to find out
| what is the matter.
just now the case requires such heroic
treatment as Sheridan can administer
But his surgery can only give temporary
relief. We shall need Sheridan and a
surgical operation every year until we
eradicate the cause OF the evil.
General Sherman has given the sub
ject much study, and his diagnosis given
il. the recently published report is alto
gether the. best that has been presented.
He does not believe that the Indians
have been honestly and decently treat
ed, but at the same time he does not
waste any time in worshiping the inn
aginary ''noble red man" of the novels.
The Indian is on the whole q scamp,
and great many of-Ghe whites who get
pushed out of civilization to the border
are quite as decidedly scamps. Ifhe has
barbarism, they kave what is WORSE
positive deviltry. He steals cattle; they
steal land. He shoots AT small proyoca-
tioa; they shoot at no provocation at all,
For the rest, both drink bad whisky,
and both cheat and both would render
civilization an immense service by get
ting rubbed out" altogether. The
steady and honest settler have these two
curses to bear; either is bad, but both
are intolerable. The white scamp, how-
ever, can be caught and lynched, but
the red scamp has a treaty with the gov
ernment, and war avenges him if killed.
Hence the settler demands from the
government a war of animation
against the Indian.
General Sherman strongly urges upon
Congress the plan marked out by the
Peace Commission, and especially the
transfer of the control of Indian affairs
to the Department. OF War. His recon-
mendations deserve the more attention
as they come from one of the abIest men
in The country, who has given the queS-
tion very thorough study. The policy
OF the Commission we have already
repeatedly urged, but it does not now
seem so clear to US that the transfer of
control would be beneficial. Neverthe-
less the report deserves careful examin-
alton, not only by Congress, but also by
the people who make or unmake Con-
gress, and have the taxes to pay.-TSt.
Louis Democrat. 4