Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1870-05-24
Our Indian Policy

In advocating, as we did O wear
ago, the transfer ofthe control of In.
dian affairs TO the war department,
we meant TO oppose the double-head-
ed policy that has SO long prevailed
In regard to the Indians. But the
results have not been very satisfac-
tory. What with Sherman and Col
Baker on one side, and the Quakers
and Vincent Collyer on the other
there is as much pulling and hauling
over the poor Indian as before, while
the tribes themselves seem to be In
more savage spirit than ever As
soon as the spring grass is high
enough to feed the Indian ponies, it
is expected that they will begin their
summer raids as vigorously as ever !;
and serious alarm is felt lest they act
upon Wendell Phillips advice and
tear up the Pacific railroad.
1t seems that half-breed, who was
educated in st. Louis, and knows all
about railroads, has taken refuge
among the Sioux, and opened priv
ate school for the purpose of teaching
them how to throw trains off the
track, and in other ways interfere
with the travel of the road. This
story may not be true, though it is
probable enough, but sooner or later
the Indians will find out how vulDer-
able we are on the railroad line, and
will act accordingly, and they are as
likely to make a beginning this sum-
mer as any time.
We have received letters describ-
ing the alarm felt by the settlers in
Wyoming, Colorado and Montana, at
the prospect of renewed Indian war;
fare. Generally speaking, the people
in these territories endorse Col. Bak-
er and applaud his killing of the Pie
gans; but some ofthem complain
that the transfer of power from the
Indian agents to the military officers
has done much harm, and, IN too
many cases, we doubt not this is true
Sound wisdom would have dictated
the retaining of all the good agents
under the control of the war depart.
ment, just as civilians were given O
nominal rank in the army, in order
TO have the freedman's bureau proper.
ly Differed at the close of the war
There is something in the military
training and turn Of mind quite for
eign TO the temper in which the most
successful missionaries and Indian
agents approached the red men they
had TO deal with. A sword is a good
weapon but bad plough-share, and
a bayonet makes q very indifferent
trowel or pruning hook. The EN-,
ployment of the Quakers, ETC., seems
to have done good mp TO certain
extent, but There as been clashiuq
aud quarroiing and the Indian mud
die LOOKS as formidable now as IL did
year ago
1t is hard to dogmatize upon a
question like this. The Indians are
naturally averse to civilization
whenever that comes they die out,
with bloody resistance at first, but
afterwards with o sullen patience
that is just about as ;hard to deal
with. The process now going on at
the West is the same that began
when the Mayfower landed her pill
grims at the foot of the Plymouth
hill and it must go on until the In.
dams are exterminated. All that we
can do is to make the passage to
humiliation as gentle and humane as
possible to repress the frauds and
atrocities of our own people, as well
as the reckless barbarities of the red
men and to bring the whole bust
ness under one gentle and steady
policy.-SprinGfeId Republican.