The New York herald., 1870-05-23

however, the indignation Of the Germans OF
the Seventeenth who want to know If they
have any rights that Tammany is bound to
respect. The Seventeenth is Gibraltar OF
democracy; but Tammany may need reflect
whether she can afford to disgust its immense
roll of German voters for such small reason
stopping Volunteer Indian Hunts.
1t seems that the rumors of Indian wars on
the Plains have excited the pr0wess of the
volunteer local militia in the vicinity of the
The volunteers arc always ready to help in
assisting little Indian warm keeping up
the cry of "wolf'-and in running riot little
over the Indian country. General Grant
understands this little weakness of the harum-
scarum volunteers, and sees the danger OF let
ting these 'sirrcgulars" run loose among the
Indians He has therefore sent peremptory
orders to the military commanders in the West
to prevent these volunteers from making war
upon the rowing red tribes, and 70 disband at
once all organizations having any such inten-
tion. President Grant knows very well that
it is just such movements, of which this is
prominent one, got up and fomented by panics,
that lead to all our serious Indian troubles,
and he very wisely has put stop to the whole
business. Two years ago we came near
getting into war on the lands of
the friendly Usage tribe in Kansas
by sending volunteers into the reserva-
ton, because of little scuffle between the
Osages and some rowing Sioux, who, not find
ing any buffalo on the prairie, took fancy to
some of the Usage horned cattle. For
tunately-for the volunteers did not
reach the scene of the raid. II they had they
would probably have come back quicker than
they did Irritation arising from expeditions
of this character, added to the willy machi-
nations of Indian traders, agents, suffers and
contractors, does more to keep up the bad
feeling of hostility between the nomadic tribes
on the Plains and our settlers than any bad
blood between the red man and the white man.
The President has done we'll in requiring
that the volunteers should remain at home and
cultivate their fields, leaving to the regularly
disciplined army the duty of repressing any
hostile movements on the part of the Indians
If the @ sakers or the regulars cannot keep
the red man quiet what can hastily gathered
militia from distant settlements be expected to
do?
They are at best crude in their organiza-
tion, badly officered and are very apt to be
rash in their dealings with the Indians. Far
different is the case of the laborers on the
oil vhn houa 10 nrly
another day unless they are provided with
arms and ammunition to protect themselves
against sudden assaults by bands of savages
These men are working upon an important
public enterprise at the risk Of their lives.
They should, therefore, be afforded by the
government at least the means to protect
themselves. They ask for no military force,
but only that Ave hundred stand Of arms shall
be sent to Kit Carson station, for which the
Kansas Pacific Railroad Company offer to be-
come responsible. This seems to be fair
request, which General Pope, in the absence
of General Sheridan, can hardly refuse to
accede to. We publish to-day some interest
ing correspondence on this Indian question.
One correspondent states that no general In
dian policy can be adopted, because discrimi-
nation must be exercised in dealing with the
different tribes. This is true, and the want Of
this very discrimination has been the cardinal
error in our whole Indian policy. Another
correspondent suggests that the politicians in
Congress can only be aroused to the impor-
tance of the Indian question by the outbreak
of great war on the Plains, but this corre-
spondent does not know that war is precisely
what the politicians want, and this is the
secret which lies at the bottom of all this
trouble. Contracts for bacon and biscuit and
sugar, supplied to The reservations where
peaceful Indians dwell, are not near so profita-
BILE as contracts for guns and gunpowder for the
enemy, and army supplies when it is necessary
to keep an army in the ield, and 1t is very
easy to make it necessary by fomeptiny quar-
rels with the savages, as we see done every
day.
General Grant is resolved to bring this In
dian difficulty to an issue. 1t will require some
vigorous tactics to accomplish it, Extermina-
tion is impossible. Some method to force the
Indians upon reservations, and keep them
there by military Gordon, must be adopted,
and surely we hive plenty OF efficient officers
on the Plains to do this.
The Gas Metre Deposit swindle.
Unfortunately for the people who had to
change their residence in this fowery month
of May there is no law on the statute book
prohibiting the gas companies from extorting