The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1869-01-08
THE INDIAN QUESTION.

In talking of the Indians, it will
be well, in their interest, for their
friends not to draw too largely on
the credulity of the public. We are
not prepared TO deny the Indians the
possession of many good qualities /;
but it cannot be denied, also, that he
is savage, and possesses sill the cbarac-
teristics covered by that terrible
word, and has shown himself, ever
since history dawned on him, cruel
and treacherous, filthy and dishon-
est and the common run of men Of
any European race will not, no mat
ter what you may say, respect q
person or breed notorious for these
qualities. Moreover, no number of
testimonials rs TO kindness, simplici
ty, or innhensiveness will induce
people TO believe that q man who. i'll
you quarrel with him, will certainly
collect some of his friends, ravish
your wife, tomahawk your children,
burn your house, disembowel you,
or hang you up by the heels over
brisk fire, is really good fellow
and yet there is no Indian who
does not do these things if you 60 to
"war" with him. A good deal of q
mans character is shown in his
mode of avenging his injuries, and
the Indians mode is fiendish, ac-
cording to the popular idea Of fiends;
therefore we are satisfied that all at
tempts at whitewashing him, in the
teeth of the popular knowledge of
his character and habits, simply
make it more difHcult to improve his
condition.
HIS reformation and salvation are
plainly-the experience of two hun
dred years shows it-impossible,
except through civilization and civ
ilization means the dissolution of the
s cr1msy machine for the perpetua
tion Of barbarIsm; the substitution
of settled abodes for camps, of sgri
culture for hunting, OF decent clothes
for paint and skins of beasts, the
supply of schools and teachers, the
the protection OF the common law
for each individual, and the respons-
ibility Of each individual to the
courts. The present mode of max
ing the Indians respect life and prop
erty by means of treaties of peace"
between one of the great powers of
the world and few hundred naked |
savages, is one of the greatest farces
of the age. The fostering Of habits
of idleness, improvidence, and mend
icancy, by the annual distribution of
presents and annuities, is something
worse than a farce, and so ia our
general failure to do anything what
ever to start the Indians On the path
Of progress. Keeping savages plen-
tifuliy supplied with ''hunting
grounds or, in other words, land
enough for the continuance of the
most wretched and precarious form
Of human existence, is an odd sort of
kindness for civilized people pos
sessed of boundless resources to
plume itself on. The reform Of the
Indian Bureau should therefore go
further than the transfer OF its pow
srs and duties to other hands. What
s wanted is Bureau of Civilization,
With force enough at its disposal to
gather in the remnants of the tribes |
IN the Plains and settle them some.
where on farms, and teach them to
i've by labor. Perhaps even under I
his treatment the Indians could not I
,e saved; but If they cannot bear e
utilization, it will at least kill them Il
ecertly, and be a humane substi- {
nte for the revolver, the small pox, L
nd the whiskey bottle.-Me Mutton. l
That not only takes the poetry =
ut of the Indian question, but sub
Iitutes the plain truth. There is
othing TO be gained by our present eI
lode of dealing with the Indians a
ut eternal war, and, finally, utter \
of the Indians. The "
tier result will of course put an F.
nd to our Indian troubles, but il %,
i'll add nothing to the lustre of our p'
ms, nnr To our credit as q nation. W
Wolves are committing depreca- g.