The New York herald., 1869-06-28

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vast mountain ranges ana the hunting grounds Of
| the Indians have been encroached upon and inter-
are annually iraversed py thousands OF em,grants
who XIII ana disperse the bunalo and come INTO con-
| nnuai CONFLICT with the savages. Hence the indians
nave learned TO look upon Us as enemies VINO are
cfowding them on all sides and depriving them OF
sheir means OF subsistence, and war to the knife has
been the result.
| / do not for a moment suppose that the itlnerant
warlike propenstes Of the prairie tribes az once
be eradicated and disposition for peaceful agricul
! tural avocations substituted therefor Their in
stincts education and habits OF life from time i'm
memorial have been In direct antagonism to those
concomitants OF norse-stealing, kidnapping, piag-
ing assassination scalpfng and other barbarities,
lnstieated 0y their savage nature, and sanctioned
and commended by their moral code, has been car
ried ON for too manv generations to render 1t proba
| ideas aud customs. II can scarcely be expected
thai the young men OF the present generation who
s the only honorable profession and that the occu.
patton OF farmer is degrading In the extreme,
amH See ever oe preyaea upon 70 worH IN ,ne ned
presumed that when their tribes are placed on
reservations they Will often steal away on war
or raiding, expeditions in spite OF oil the
efforts OF our authorities Indeed such
has already been the Case with some OF the Indians
who were located south Of the Arkansas They have
committed depreda0ns In Kansas, and this fact has
been adduced by the enemies OF the colonization
in my Judgment, TINS is nothing more than what
might have been expected, and believe that with
the assistance and encouragement IL Will be in the
power OI the government TO aiford these people, the
women and children, VINO are Industrious and capa
pie OF performing great amount Of labor, can be
induced 10 work III the Held and alter TWO or three
crops have been raised they Will perceive their
condition Is so much improved that it does not seem
unreasonable to predict that the next generation OF
men VIII prefer the certain and abundant products
or agriculture to the precarlous and meagre results
OF the chase
The Prairie Indians, having recently felt the power
OF the government and received u sound chasIse-
ment from Generals Sheridan and Custer, Will not
DE Kely 10 forget II soon, and the majority OF them
VIII probably be glad in future to upon their
reservations. AS a check upon the lawiess pro-
pensitles OF refractory young warriors the chiefs
should be held responsible Tor all acts of their
followers, and when any OF them cOmmt depreda
tons they should be required to give up the perpe-
traitors to our authorities to be dealt with according
to law. Many persons are fully impressed with the
honest conviction that the Prairie Indians cannot be
civilized, but this believe to be fallacious, will
be apparent from an experiments tnat was tried
some years since with the Southern Comanches.
Texas was annexed to the Union the State was per-
mitted to reserve the exclusive proprietary tenure
extended boundaries. In 1868 the Legislature Of the
State appropriated a small fraction OF this land in
perpetulty Tor the colonization and use OF the In
dams upon her borders, authorizing the United
States authorities to locate this land upon any
OF her vacant territory In accordance herewith
was ordered IN 1854 TO select aud survey the reser-
vaions one OF which was located on the Clear Fork
OF the Brazos river, and designed for bands
OF the Southern COmanches, known as "Senaco'sn
and "Kelumsees" bands. The greater part OF those
Indians went upon the land, and an excellent agent
was appointed to take charge OF them. Farmers
and mechanics, with all the cattle, agricultural im.
pements and tools necessary Tor instructlng them
IN the rudimepts OF husbandry, were literally sup
piled by the government and they were assured
that thls locality would be their permanent home
Up to that period they had been exclusively
hunting people, having never raised crop or even
iect Wneness to try the D. coopzina eSperimenS
and cheerinily submitted TO their new manner OF
i,yng; N Their women % and children and some few OF
farmers they, made commendable progress, so that
IN the Two years They fenced and cultivated
very respectable little farms and were In fair way
OF speedily becoming self-sustaining. Moreover,
they seemed to be gradually acquiring an attach
ment to their novel method OF life and encouraging
hopes were entertained that they would ultimately
become civilized; but unfortunately for the success
fu cOnsummation OF the experiment. some of those
numerous outlaws on the western borders OF Texas
happened to get their eyes upon the improvements,
and believing 1t an object to acquire possession OF
them, they levied large force OF their cOnfederates,
marched IN the night TO the reservation and without
the slightest pfoy0cation or excuse made sudden
ches and indscriminately slaughtered large number
OF men, women aud children. Those that succeeded
with the Gim convection tnat the entire white race
was treacherous and innical toward them and as
necessity they resumed their nomadic life ana
commenced a retaliatory war upon people, so
that the colonizIng scheme mad to be abandoned
with them. l understoo that their lands and i'm
provements were seized by the fiibusters. and, for
aught know, they may still have possession Of
them. Major NeIghbors who unhesitatingly gave
expression TO his opinion regarding the turpitude OF
the proceedings, was a short time afterwards nhu-
mainly murdered by one OF the cowardly gang, who
shot him IN the back, but was, Of course, never pun
Where the Indians have been allowed to occupy
their lands permanently, as In the cases OF the Choc
taws, Chickasaws, Cher0kees and Creeks, the most
satisfactory results have been obtained. These
tribes through the persistent and contin-
and the missionaries, have gradually cast OF the
habits OF the hunter and adopted those OF the agrl
comfortable habita,ions and possessing well TILED
grain nelds, with horses, catte,. s1eep and hogs
more than sufficient to supply all Their
attended, and they have adopted form Of govern
ment similar to that OF the United states.
They elect their presidents or chiefs periodically,
hold their legislative anu court sessions regularly
as with us, and previous to the rebellion emf
nently prosperous and increasing In numbers. In
deed, their condition. both politically anu socially,
would bear favorable comparison with that OF the
white settlers upon the borders Of Texas aud ArKan-
sas and laws were more respected ana better en-
forced among these people than they were among
their Their white neigaoors These gratifying results
fore, through The agency OF a few jealous and good
men, who have labored faithfully among ,he Indians
Tor many years, and taught them, besides agrcul-
ture and the arts, to reverence principles ncul-
Gated by our holy religion. Some OF them are edu-
Gated and accomplished men anu wealthy planters,
and q few OF them are ministers Of the gospel.
have mentioned these facts somewhat in detail
tanned by many that the Wild Indian IS incapable OF
being civilized. The time must soon come when
tribes OF Indians and they have no knowledge of
agriculture, they Will soon be, unless the govern
ment provides for them forced to the alternative OF
depredating upon the border white settlements or
dying OF starvation. The government VIII soon be
driven TO the necessity either OF making continual
warfare upon them until they exterminated,
feeding them perpetually or of placing them upon
reservations and teaching them to TIL the SOIL and
thus Ia time enabling them to become self-sustan
ing.
The disposal Of these people in such o manner as
TO afford a reasonable guarantee for permanent Sc
curiy both to the white man and Indiap Is prob.
lem that has engaged the attention OF both our civil
ana military authorities for many years. aud numcr-
Gus experiments have been resorted In colonizng
them on reservations OF public lands and attempting
TO instruct them In the rudlments or agricul.
ture; but for the reasons that have already |
been stated, and for the additional reason |
that they have In most Instances only been al. |
lowed to occupy these reservations Tor q few |
years. after which they have been forced further and
further back until they ceased to take much interest
In the lands allotted them and returned to their
In ANITA aas-n