Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1870-06-29
NEW SERIES--V0L. 10, NO. 49,

Y listened on Thursday to the Scna
=. tor from Nevada Mr. STEwARTl IL
d his denunciations alike Of the Indian
tribes and of tho policy pursued to
ward them, though | do not mean tc
U say that his donunciations wero alto
N gethcr uncalled for.
is ] was struck especially by his reit
ie Grated and inpatient demands that
II tho Indians should be confined upon
ic small reservations and made to work
: for their own support. The Senator
u should reflect that what be calls foi
I is no affair of a day. Even with the
e most advanced tribes, such as the
' Cherokees, any progress has been the
# work Of years Of patient endeayor.-
3 1t is only then that you find them ca.
= pablo Of reaching or maintaining any
1 substantial civilization. Yet, what
is all that time in the life Of a people,
or in comparison with the advantage
4 gained in reclaiming whole tribes
2 from the savage state Does not
such result, achieved within fifty
T years, prove that there is a better
b way OF dealing with the Indian race,
both for them and ourselves, than by
the sword always
When the Senator Mr. STEwARr1
insisted that the tribes OF the plains
should be set to work on reservations
and made to earn their living, did ho
reflect on what he was saying Hero
is a race Of people who from time i'm.
memorial have lived mainly by the
chase over the great plains or by the
spoil of war made by one tribe upon
another. Can you all at once shut
them up in the small reservations of
the Senator and make them tillers
Of the soil, pursuit which so many
of those fierce warriors abhor What
will you do with them if you find
they do not know how TO work, and
are not very willing to learn? ]
doubt if much can be done with the
present generation Of men Of most of
these wild tribes in the converting
them into farmers and working people
do expect something from the young.
er gcneration-from the Indian boys |
Let the trial be made with them, aud /
if fully made, it cannot wholly fail. |
These views are no mere specula.
tions Of history. In Two notable in
stances in our country the peaceful,
Christian mode of dealing with the |
Indians has been tried, and in both
cases with the most signal success.
One them was in Pennsylvania, un-
der the auspices Of William Penn
Tho features of that great experiment .
and its complete triumph / need not
recount. One result was that of all
the colonies Pennsylvania was least
molested by Indian troubles in the
course Of her history.
The other example | find upon the
shores of the Pacific; find il in my
own State Of California. There, un-
der the rule Of Spain, and subsequent.
ly of Mexico, tho laws of Christian
ernment Of tie Indian tribes Ine 1
missions of the church had tho con
troll of the Indians OF California, and
with success that, considering the
newness aud remoteness Of the coun-
try, and the other circumstances OF
difficulty, is wonderful 90 think Of
There are few things moro striking
in the history Of these children OF the
forest and the plains. About the
twenty-ono missions Of California a
considerable population of Indians
grew up within the influences Of Chris
tianity and civilization. Each mission
had its own community Of Indians,
industrious, orderly, selfsupporting
not destitute of capacity for improve
mont, with fair proportion Of farm
laborors, herdsmen, aud mechanics -
In the works of irrigation, the romans
of which still exist around so mauy
OF the old mission buildings, the
Chrisiianizod Indians particularly
excellcd They showed remarkable
native talent for tho engineering re
quired BY those works. With hltle
or no instruction Of any kind, they
were able to find grades, to lay ont
bitches, aud to manage irrigation as
well as the most scientific engineers.
/ have seen tho walls of one mission
church in California, inside and out,
covered with paintings by Christian.
lied Indian. They were rude in dc.
sign, it is true; but they were just IN
proportion, not without perspective,
and striking in their general effect,
At the mission churches were kept,
and in some cases still are preserved, ,
the ancient registers of those Indian
registers OF births,
of baptisms, Of marriages, and OF ,
deaths.
! give you few leading features
only. | did not expect this debate,
and was not prepared fer il. The
whole subject is full OF interest, but
can barely touch on it here and there.
What was the general result of 'hcr
s,ss4tsn nursped iowqyd the Indians oi
in an evil hour the MeNican Govern
ment, several years before our con.
quest OF California, struck q fatal
blow at tho system by secularizlng
the mission establishments, yet the
good effects produced the Indian pop I
nlation could not be blotied ont all at
once. 1t is true, also, that since the
oession Of California, her people, TO
their credit be it said, with very few
exceptions, have not been chargcablo
with cruelty or even harshnoss to The
Indians. The consequence has been
that there is no frontier State east or
west of the Mississippi whose history /
is so little stained with Indian troubles
as is that Of the State of California /
True. there were several Indian eSpe- /
ditions during the first ten or twelve
wears after her admission TO the
/ Union but in respect of blood shed
they were very harmless aiialrs'--
I They were hurtful chiefly to the hnan I
ccs OF the State; aud this was Their
real object; fer they were mainly con
tractors wars. l do not now thinS
of more than two or three serious
conflicts between the Indians and the
people of California during our his'o-
~ as a State.