Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1869-12-16
GRANTS INDIAN POLICY.
The Indians and the Friends.

The Indians and the Friends.
At the commencement of Grants ad-
ministration, in answer to the generally
oppressed conviction that there should
be change III the method of treating
the indians, the President in his inau-
gural address said that he would ''favor
any course towards them which tends to
their civilization, christianization, aid
ultimate citizenship" After cOnsulta-
tion it was decided to place, to very
great degree, the management of Indian
affairs into the hands of the Friends, or,
as they are familiarly called, "Quakers. +"
Indian agents were appointed from the
various societies of Friends. and they
have been discharging their duties now
for nearly two years, and there is some
anxiety to know how far the policy is
successful. .-.. ---. .-.. s. -.
In order to satisfy curiosity upon this
subject as well as to furnish a considera-
BILE amount ofinteresting and instruct
i've information in relation to the GUS
toms aud character of the Indians, we
will publish the REPORT of the Joint
Delegation sppointed by the. Commit
too,s,,, tha Jnd;., oonearn oftba va.r-
n,.,,.1,-.-
~ meetings oi paaliipore' niiaoeipi ID "a
and New York, respectively, to visit
the Indians under the care of Friends,
in the Northern Superintendency, State
OF Nebraska, OF a' least SUCH portiohs
of it as weshall think ofgeneral interest.
tn The oommiaee on the Indian Concern. of Baut-
more, Philadelphia and Nes0 York Yearly Meet
fn9', respecsiretyi
DEAR FRIBNDs.-Your delegation,
consisting of Benjamin Hallowell, of
Baltimore Yearly Meeting, Franklin
Haines, of New York Yearly Meeting,
John H. Dudley and Joseph Powell, of
Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, met in
Omaha by previous sarrangement,ont the
sixteenth of seventh month, to enter
upon the important duties which you
entrusted to our care, and we are now
about to endeavor to report our proceed-
ings the condition of the Indians at the
Reservation under the care our friends,
the needs of the Indians and their
agents, and the incidents of Indian
character and life which we witnessed,
so as to place the subject before you as
nearly as you would have seen it had
you been present, as lies in our power.-
I The distance from washington city to
( Omaha is about fifteen hundred miles,
and near the same from Philadelphia
and New York. After travelling TO
Western Indiana, the country is all
open prarie, many times not tree to be
seen in the whole landscape around,
which would include distance of from
six to ten miles-the timber existing
only along water courses.
The prairies are very fertile, produ-
cling large crops when cultivated, and
where unbroken, yielding prairie grass
in abundance, and wild flowers in the
greatest profusion and variety, and of
the most beautiful aud delicate colors-
frequently reminding us on witnessing
these bright, delicate structures expand
ing their petals to the warm sunshine
OH a lonely prairie, where not a single
human habitation was to be seen, of
Gray's beautiful and applicable lines:
.sFuII many a flower is born to blush unseen,
And waste its sweetness on the desert air."
On arriving safely at Omaha at time
fixed upon before leaving home, and re-
ceiyipg a cordial welcome from Samuel
M Janney. the Superintendent. our
hearts were rendered in thankfulness to
our Heavenly Father, for our preserva-
tion during this long and ar,iuous Jour-
ney. rendered particularly dangerous at
this time by the unusual amount ofrain
which hal recently fallen, causing many
accidents and detentions on the rail-
roads in that vicinity. e. at
J An expositiop of the reasons for the
President having selected members of
the Society of Friends for Indian Super
intendents and Agents, which had been
Dubiished In the Baltimore American,
it was Thought best to have published
in the Omaha daily papers, which was
done. ..
A meeting for public worship was
held on the afternoon of First Day, the
eighteenth, for the citizens of Omaha,
which was solemn and impressive, CIV
ing evidence of being favored with the
presence of the Great Head of the
Church. -',.t.i
On the nineteenth we went out to Co
lumbus, Nebraska, on the Union racine
Railroad nipety-twO miles, where Jacob
NJ. Troth, agent of the Pawnees, met us
to take us to the Pawnee Agency, twen-
ty-three miles further, by private con-
veyance. We were gratified to find at
this agency, brick building one hun
dred and twelve feet long, by forty-six
wide, for an Industrial school, with base
ment, in which are located the kitchen,
dining room, store room, laundry, etc.,
ETC., quite reminding us of West-town.
JACOB VI. iroti anu ia'hiiy, anu also
1 ".