The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1870-03-02
Our Indian Policy.
A PLEA FOR THE RED MAN.

'i"' e""I o"'o" lcellnS lcttcr 10
Gcnoral Sheridan in reference to
tho lattor's trcatmunt Of tho Red
Mon, from which tho following OK
tracts arc made:
You arc commanded to "swccp
tho whole country" to drive from
their habitations and hunting
grounds, and from tho graves Of
their parents and children, tho en-.
tiro population Of 1900, 900 square
mllos into restricted and gamo-
loss and worthless reservations.
in which starvation will bo in
ovitabIc; y; and out Of tho limits of
which You aro commanded to treat
all Indians rs "cnomies Of war;
That is to put them to death il they
do not surrender to your arms,
and give you their country, to be
occupied by squattors. Tho his.
tory Of the world records no decree
lillo this. Bravo soldiers and
gallant officers, have been over
tho ground. / know the people
and | know the difficulties YOU
Will have to encounter. You go
in obedience to tho government Of
your country. "Tho government
must protect the citizens" (pro-
tcct Thorn in possession another
peoples lands and in the robbery
OF their only means Of existence. J
ltccollcct that tho government Of
your country Gin protecting hcr
cltizcns" destroys Il racc and gains
II continent. This may be ~ "nc
COSTLY" mud 1t may not, but it
will be for history and not for you
to decide. For tho inhuman mas
sacro but short timo since Of
500 poor Choyonncs (massacrc
with troachcry) did tho govern
mcnt ofyour country punish any
ono? Had not tho Choycnncs II
right to do it? For tho subsequent
dcSstrnction ofa Cheyenne village
and tho massacre of ovory man
(l02) with the capture Of So war
riors, and 900 horses, (who, we are
told by tho Indian agent, were
frienlly, mud on their way to
thoir appointed rosorvation,) has
tho government punished any one
And had not tho Choycnncs q
right to rctaliato ?
) The atl'ocitios Of these horrible
scenes, III this ago Of "glorious
civilization" surpass in cruelty
anything in tho vasions
Of Cortcz, nf Pizarro, and De Soto,
and tho American Journals tell me
that yon have recently surprised u
camp, (vilIag"N Of tho Choycnncs,
Killed fifty two warriors, and can
lurcd 100 horses, and lonr tons OF
drIcl bul.,lo meat, the only and
last means orthair existence. OH
mercy, mercy! a small and friend
~ tribe when ! lived among them
thIrty-fivo yoars since. Where
are they going? What have they
done? How many Of tn IN now
oSist, and who have got possession
OF their lands, their bullalocs, and
wild horses?
Goa, perhaps, may forgive my
country for such cruel warfare
and O, for my conntry's sake, that
there could be solvent for history
TO erase such records from its
pages. The government Of your
country that sends you with can
mons, with sabros and rcvnlvers, to
"swccp' these people out Of their
country (and, consequently, from
the face Of tho oarlh) has been
proud boforo tho civilized world,
in assuming and oxccrcisiny u
"guard ians p" over hes c
poor people, dcnominating them
its "rod childron," and instructing
thcm to calI tho President Of the
United States their" "Grcat Father"
which they have always and every
where obodiontly dono and, when
your swords arc drawn, forgot not
that just when tho full rights of
American citizenship have boon
magnananimously granted o
1000 600 ofAfricans, tho blows you
aro dealing aro to disfanchiso an
independent (nnd tho only Amori-
CAM raco, and show to tho obsor.
wing world, and record in tho
pages Of history, tho singular
anomaly Gin an infnticidal wary
of father inheriting whole con.