The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1870-06-24
THE INDIAN QUESTION.

1t is noteworthy fact that the East
and West are in opinion Numerically
opposed to each other on the InSian
problem Is il because our Eastern
brethren are SO far in advance OF us
upon questions of humanitarian ma
ture, is it because they are so much more
civilized, cultivated and refined that
they advocate a sugar and plum pol
icy with reference to the red man, while
we of the West believe soldiers and
soldiers bullets are sometimes neces-
sary2 We do not believe there IS any
less true philanthropy in the West than
in the East. The only difference be-
tween the two sections in this respect
is that the Western people are on the
ground, in close contact with the Indians
and are thus enabled to thoroughly UNI
derstand their nature, and intelligently
determine what sort of treatment will
alone be effective Should it be so
ordered by Providence that number
of these Eastern philanthropists be COM
PEELED to come to the frontier and pass
four or five years where every day they
could behold the noble savage and wit
ness his praiseworthy mode of life and
become victims of his pleasant treach-
cry, they would find it easy to discover
more deserving subject for whose
benefit to propagate their humane
theories.
We do not believe in being unneces-
sarily cruel to the Indian. We know
he has suffered irreparable injuries at
the hands of rogues and rascals, still in
every instance that he has been abused,
he has taken his revenge by butchering
innocent White men and outraging in
incent white women. His work of re-
taliation is more than complete. But
whatever may be the wrongs on either
side, it should be borne in mind that if
the demands of the Indians be granted,
then civilization must suffer at the
hands of barbarism. They virtually
insist that there shall be no more rail-
roads built across their country, that
there shall be no more mines explored
along their hills, nor any more white
men settle along their streams; that
|
they want money, and blankets, and
food, and horses and powder, lead and
rifles. If the Indians in demanding
their rights did not thus come in con-
| fiict with the growth of our country,
and block the wheels of the car of
progress, then their requests would be
entitled TO some consideration. But if
what they ask for should be granted,
then the pioneer must be restricted to
certain well defined bounds, the devel-
| oping of mines must not be extended
beyond such and such limits, and the
building of railroads with the tide of
teeming multitudes of busy, active men
they carry with them must be checked.
But the fact is, this state of things can
not come to pass. The encroachments
of civilization are memorable. The
buffalo, the antelope and the deer re-
treat as the white man with his AK, his
pillow and his shovel advances. The red
man must, in the natural course of
things, unless he is willing to give over
his romantic life, lay down his bow and
arrow and become filler of the soil,
depart also. There is no other way for
it. The progress of the world can not
be stopped in order that he may hunt
his game unmolested. No man, be the
color of his skin red, black or white,
has any right to insist that mankind
must stop its work in order that he may
live in idleness and ignorance. Red
Cloud and Spotted Tail must either
take hold and help the white man de-
velop the great West, constructing rail-
roads, working mines, and building
towns, or they must remove to new
hunting grounds. determination is 6
terrible word; but finally,we fear, they
will come to know fully its bitter
meaning, unless they subdue their wild
restless natures and consent to engage
in the peaceful pursuits of civilization