The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-03-24
SPIRIT or THE PRESS.
xDIToRIAL OPINIONS or THE LEADING JOURNALS
uroN CURRHEr ToPIos--OoMPmED RvRRT
DAT FOR THE EvBEIEe vELKaRAPK.
The Indian Appropriations.

From TIE ~. Y Times
The Indian Appropriation bill which passed
the House is the one which passed that body
at the end of the Fortieth Congress, ana
which, being sent to the Senate, was over"
loaded with amendments until 1t sank
II appropriated the sum the House OoH-
ynittae called for namely, 81, Ala, ,Sl6; TINS the
Senate nearly frebled last session by adding
items amounting to S4,34l 9O2. II now re-
mains to be seen whether the same dlsagIee-
ment will again occur. The difference in view
ia this:-The House bill proposed only to pay
the amounts stipulated for in existing Indian
treaties, while the Senate added those neces-
sary for the treaties made since last august
by the Indian Peace Commission. The house
action has the advantage OF provlolng ~ once
for an expenditure about which there cannot
be dispute. The Senate action has a certain
show of reason in preoipitating the general
question of our Indian policy--a most import
ant question, involving the whole matter of
Indian treaties, Indian government, Indian
agents, and Indian wars.
There should be no objection, apparently, to
considering these two matters separately
that is adopting the House theory, to appro-
PIRATE forthwith what money is actually, indis-
putably, and urgently necessary, and then
debating the later Indian treaties and our
Indian policy as a question of itself. The
spirited preliminary discussion in the House,
though premature, was sufficiently indicative
of the feeling Of Congress and the country
upon the present Indian system. What we
call our "Indian policy'' is only vast quag-
mire, into which contractors tumble annually
millions of appropriations, making it, how
ever, only more hopeless than ever.
When MIR. Wood denounces the treaty sys-
tenn as s'a fraud on the Treasury and an injury
to the Indians" he keeps within the bounds
Of fact. Mr.. Lawrence publicly declares not
only that "the whole Indian Bureau is rotten
and mere den of thieves" but that "treaties
have been put through the Senate when there
were not six Senator'S present." and the re-
cent abuse of the treaty making power in re-
gard to the Indians is matter Of history. At
the very start the question comes up, Are the
Indians foreign powersY II not-and GER
tainly while inhabitng our territory, subject
to our laws, they are not-the very word
"treaty" is misnomer. Yet that word has
been used Of late. years, and, under cover of
1t, what is really contract or agreement, and
as such matter oS>legislation, has been ex-
alted to the super-legislative character of a
treaty.
We admit that difficulties surround the
subject; that the status of the hostile tribes
especially is anomalous; that it might be as
unsatisfactory to call them 'insurgents" OF
s'rebels" as foreign enemies; that there Is
something of the nature of treaty hanging
about our compacts with them. Nevertheless
there is no such anomaly or confusion al
justifes the subor aination of the treaty
making power to the legislative power il
Indian matters, so as to justify the former il
buying and selling public lands througl
treaties with Indian tribes. Mr.. Julian tell
rs that the new admnistra tion opposes thi
latter practice, and is anxious to break it uI
:. 1t is clear, at all events, that with nearly
dozen new Indian treaties pending, and th
appropriations required so large, it is wort
while to see on what general principles W
shall proceed, what claims the Indians reall
have on us, and how these claims may best
satisfied.