The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-01-27
1HE NORLK RKD MAN.

A FEW days ago President Grant was inter
viewed by the chiefs of the Cherokees and
Greeks, and in the course of an eight-line
speech which he made to them, he said:--'T
am of the opinion that they (the Indians)
should become citizens, and be entitled to all
the rights of citizens-cease TO be pations, and
become States. -.,-
II we are at liberty to take these words as
enunciating the policy of the administration
on the Indian question, there is at last pros
pect of a solution of this vexatious problem.
There is steadily increasing sentiment in
the country in favor of such change in the
policy of the Government as is here fore
shadowed, and in both houses of Congress we
have recently been afforded evidence that this
new policy will meet with considerable legis-
lative favor, although it can scarcely be hoped
that Congress will immediately give it its
sanction. The policy Of regarding the abo-
riginal tribes as sovereign nations is the
source of nearly all the evils which afliot the
frontiers, and retard the settlement of the
Indian country by the whites, as well as delay
the bringing of tho Indian themselves under
the influence of civilization. 1t is through
the agency of the so-called treaties with these
quasi nstionalities that the waste horde of
plunderers are enabled to swindle both the
Government and the tribes, and in this man
ner keep the frontiers in q state of chronic
warfare. Much was hoped from the element
of honesty which was supposed to be still
paramount in the Quaker character, when the
Quaker agents should find their way into the
Indian country and inaugurate a policy of
fair dealing in place of the swindling one
which has prevailed for so many years. But,
while the Quaker agents have not individually
been false to the traditional character of their
sect, they have thus far practically failed to
better the condition of things, primarily be-
cause the national policy in conformity with
which they were sent to the frontiers is radi-
cally wrong and affords no possibility, at least
no probability, of change for the better,
except by its entire abandonment.
1t must be confessed that all the efforts
that have heretofore been made TO bring ''the
noble red man" entirely within the pale of
civilization have resulted in failure, and this
result would appear to be owing to those in
herent peculiarities of race which unfit the
Indian for civilized life. In some of the
Atlantic States there are remnants of tribes
entirely surrounded by whites, which have sue
ceeded in adapting themselves to the customs
and pursuits of their neighbors. But with
each passing year their numbers have dwin-
died away, until at last they are represented
by mere handful, physically inferior,
although perhaps mentally superior, to their
ancestors. 1t is almost inevitable that @ like
result will ensue if the attempt be made
upon Wholesale scale to transform the
aborigines into citizens; but since annihi
lation is the only conceivable termination OF
our traditional policy, it becomes a very i'm
| portant question whether it would not be
cheaper to civilize the Indian to death thar
to hunt him to the grave-more merciful tc
both the whites and the Indians TO put al
end to this interminable warfare, even a
the cost of ultimately extirpating the latter
Since we must deal with the aborigines il
| some fashion, there can be no doubt that
larger measure of success would attend the
effort to curb their brutal instincts ant
polish their savage nature by taking them il
hand Individually, than has resulted from the
attempt to soften and civilize them en- m,dsse
| If nothing more can be achieved, an end car
at least be put to the villainy Of the whit.
men who haunt the Indian country only TO
the sake of the plumber which it yields, an,
to the horrible brutalities of which we re
ceive tidings almost every day of the year.
|