The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-03-29
PHILo-PIEGANTHRoPY.
From, the Chicago Tribune.

1t is related of the late Senator Fessenden
that, in one of those protracted, soul-vexing
conference committees at the end of long
session of Congress, when everybody's pa
tience was badly worn out, some small-minded
antagonist, who had been harassing him, and
whom he had snubbed, remarked, with mock
humility, 81 suppose cat may look at a
king" eyes," retorted Fessenden, "and
king may look at cat" In the light of this
precedent, there is, perhaps, no reason why
Mr.. Vincent Colyer, and his partners in the
trade and business of Philo-Pieganthropy
should not look with all their might at Gene
raj Sheridan. There is no doubt that Gene
raj Sheridan needs bigger enemy than the
Piegans. 1t is a sort of deflement which no
Regular Army officer seeks, or would touch
if he could avoid it, to have anything
to do with the wild tribes of Indians
While it is a disgrace irretrievable to permit
ever SO small a detachment to be wav-
laid, cut off, and overcome by then. 8
an equal disgrace to demand any large num-
Der of men to deal with them, and a crown
ing infalny ever to punish them! If a settle
ment is massacred there is a demand for a
new General. If no settlement is massacred,
it is proof that no General is needed. If
the General retaliates on the savages, and
Furnishes otfenses on the frontier, it is sud
denly discovered that the dead Indians were
all "good Indians" though those who make
and verify this discovery would sooner swim
the Hellespont than give one of these ''good
Indians" fair chance at their scalps, Alto
gether, therefore, Indian fighting is a field
in which there is no glory and very little jus,
tice to, be won. 1t is one which the army
and all its officers would avoid if they
| consulted only their fame or comfort.
But our frontier settlers demand pro-
lection. The pioneers of civilization
and industry demand security. Even our
| prospecting miners have as good a right
| to hunt for gold as the Piegans have to hunt
for buffalo. The pretended right of the In.
dians to hold large portions of our continent
| sacred to barbarism, is q pseudo claim which
must give way before the march of civiliza.
tion. If the Indians like civilization, well; il
not, it cannot stop for them. Savage life
consists simply in making crime the normal
occupation of the people. This is all that
distinguishes it from civilization. AS we
crush out savagery and crime among our OWL
white people, so must we among the In
dians. AS General Sheridan says, the choice
is simply this, ''Shall we kill them, or shall
they kill us ?"
We believe that within the point of safety
| General Sheridan will show the Indians as
much humanity as is consistent with duty
More would be inhumanity to the whites. II
is barely possible that the -Pieganthro
pists may have the audacity to approach the
President, or the General of the Army, will
a request for the removal of Sheridan; but
knowing him and trusting him as they do, al
one of the ablest soldiers the army ever pro
duced, there would seem to be but one answe
which would beft such an application. Tha
| would be to direct the servant to show th
Philo-Pieganthro to the door.