, 1869-03-26
The IEdlaI&

TO I'll Editor Ut The Chicago I11nufe:
By oTe lit upon An srticle In your paper Of
the 18th, headed :. '.Indsan Treaties" in
which thert Is 70 much OF common sense and
50 many practical ideas thrown cut that
hope the time Is net far dtstant when the
American people may be able to induce the
government to make an cn1iro change IN our
Indiau policy. Those who hare ben longest
petso1 a1ly conyersans With tho tsue charac-
ter, nature and habits Of our Indian tribes,
cutcrtalned the views expressed in your
paper twenty -hYe years L2o but the I'M
meEse patronage which the ialse snd scandal.
ous system Of so-called "troatiss" sup
ported AID alene gave life to. completely
hushed every practical effort which honest
men tried to produce. Tho writer Of
this has spent over twenty years among
our various Indian tribes-extendiog /
all over Texas 10 California, thence east to |
the Upper Missouri River. am not an en- |
eny to the Indians; on the contrary,
| friend, for thcT hare never done ne harm. |
| hut on many occasious havu sAved me |
! ffhm Tha. seemed to be death BY hun |
Cc1 and cold. Hence my desire Is to advo- |
cate that which Is best LOT them. aud thereby !
attain also what Ia beat for rs white people.
| To COME At once to the point, then, tina ln-
dians are In NO sense Of the word eapsole OF
making "tfeatiea" with ~ intelligent, civil
lied and sovereign nstlont Tbs 1udians are
Fesher. TIE Talk about the Indian having
prior claim to the soil Is all eosn. aud
iatee; aud the Idea that intelligent,
na1d-workng Cnri,s!ans should b taxed,
year anss Tea.. to p p! money to ',.;s
lot q 1osng, maoIent heat4 nos ;oto .19n ,hs
hands Of \ set Of wLtte men dcvoid Of princl-
pe-or not-iA nothing more nor less than
huge theft under coyer OF Law AID govern
mint, The 1noians hsve no more nor half 50
! Lrhr hu rof11 ri
hayt becn paid for than you and would
IVA to get up tribe OF an hundred or 20 Of
white industrious men and womeo md 70
, and take possession OF : strip nke 9taa Or
ten times more, beeausc wo live By The sweat
: OF the brow, and try TO advance IL ali that
elevate. our race, whereas the diEty, nlthJ
pagan docs nothing, literally nothing, but
a55T s,1as so' to- b. LIZ is4 q ..a He es ''ey s5y
So0o' ttme Sl 'o1nk 81 this Is'~: IA, ~" better
! understood By the people, I'D ~ the 9 remedy
!, pilto 10 Tho present Unlted Staten senA:e, We
(. would take one step In tho right direction.
Abrogate instaute1 III Of the thlrgs called
|. treaticz-ake possession Of every foot Of our
j. don ain, Indiazs and al, end place them
+ where re c.n drive herds OF cattie g them
i. ! OF them, and govern them. Fut / stop to
q their rowing about cxcep. when Gent By au-
; thor1,y. In other words, put masters and
:. oyersecrs over thsu, and compel them, 1t
% leRst to the extent We do onf Own children,
Z | to make themselves useful and earn son1e Of
Il their hyiu9. This u no a1ayerJ-lt leads to
the OILY freedom. ...--.. -.
[. Our system a. prescut, and for half CEN
tury md more past, does the Indian most
harm, but puts money N the n.nds Of
{. that many Of Lac agent: arc
"a honest, above suspicion, &c. I deny It..
:. Neither ealnt nor sinner can BE- with the In
"a dams, eyeu \ short time. aud fail - appro-
It paiate The great bulk Of the vAlre OF what
be Is entrusted With to his and his iEteudsbcne
+ ft. They ali do It, sid thcre IS no use Of
d. longer pretending to avold 1t, Bave By
il abandculcg the whole System. Let the In.
"a aians be pu. on rcscrves, subject to military
of orders, and be supplied With corn or bread
d as our troops are, and have ,hslr meat driven
TO them on foot, and be compelled to care
" for It and use 1t with proper economy This Is
y one Of the simplest things In the world ! jet
a d legion Of hungry agents and contrAe ora
N vii yell cut, "Oh the army will eKter-
q. inmate the Indians" But all know very
"a well that no such thing would occur
II on tho contrary, while tho present generation
H. Of Indians would not learn OF practice very
s- much Of labor, yst The growing Indian chill
be tren would rapidly pick up, even In iuita.
ton Of the whites, many useful habits, such
T. as herdIng stock, sowing wheat, &c. At al
or events, It Is very certain that this Indian
z. Agents hive never Jet succeeded In Inducing
ny 4uaa S.s2feess. l3esps .ags1sS. 1os eIshtI