The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1868-12-05

TheIndian policy ofour government
has so long been cause Of dibgust and
shame that nobody ofordinary stomach
likes to discuss it. We turn from II
as long as We can, and handle II, when
II must be handled, much as men pick
up dead cats. .c
But the thing Will not be ignored. It
forces itself upon the attention, not
only through the sense of smell, but
by touching the pocket-Rn Americana
most vital point. We must stop this
Indian swlndle or il will stop our nat
ionRl credit and strsnRle our business
by onerous taxation. We must stop II,
or our progress westward will be stop
ped; and the ..star of empire" will
never get to San Francisco by rail. II
must be stopped-but hoW7
There are two classes of physicians.
One, not knowing the causes of a dis
ease, merely puts into the patient one
dose after another until he hits the
right one. The other uses no dose at
all until he has formed some notion of
the disease 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
cloth, powder and whisky, in the most
iudiscriminate manner. On the homeo-
pathiC plan, perhaps. when Indians
were fighting, our agents would give
them powder and ball, and when they
were at peace somebody like Chiving-
ton would put In a little massaere by
way of variety. Six months In the
year we swindled the Indians, sold
them bad powder and tried to kill them
of with bad liquor; then six months
more we fought them, and enjoyed the
advantage of capturing our own guns
back again. Ali these doses have not
stopped the disease, and it is high time
fr,y "A ret tn fol a q a N hand
who will stop TO find out what is the
matter.
Just now the case requires such he
roic treatment las Sheridan can admin
ister- But his surgery can only give
temporary relief We shall need Sher-
idan and q 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 in the recently published report
is altogether the best that has yet been
presented. He does not believe that
the Indians have been honestly and
he does not waste any time In worship
ping the imaginary mobile red man" of
the novels. The Indian is on the whole
a scamp. and great many OF the
whites who get pushed out of civiliza-
ton to the border are quite as decidedly
scamps. II he has parbarism, they
have what is retrospective deyiltry.
he steals cattle; they steal land. BE
shoots at small provocatioD; they shoot
at no provocatiou at all. For the rest.
both drink bad whisky, and both
cheat and both would render civfIiza-
ton an immense service by getting
rubbed out" altogether. The steady
and honest settlers have these two cur
ses to bear either is bad, but both are
intolerable. The white scamp, howe
yer, can be caughtand lynehed, but the
red scamp has treaty With the govern
ment, and war Rvenges him if killed.
Hence the settler demands from the
government a war or determination
against the Indian.
GenerafSherman strongly urges upon
Congress the plan marked ont by the
Peace Commission, and especially the
transfer OF the control of Indian affairs
to thetDepartmento OF War. His recon-
mendations deserve the more attention
as they come from one of the ablest
men in the country, who has given the
\ question a 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
Nevertheless the report deserves care
full exanlinatioui not only by Congress
but also by the people who make OIL
unmake Congress, and have the taxei
to pay.--St. LOUD Democrat.
I