Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-11-29
Letter from Washington.
lrRom OUR REGULAR CORRESPONDENT

still in the latter position. l was in the generals
room couple of days ago, and, the CONVERSE
ton turning on his recent appointment, said
"that should not congratulate him, as it was
not quite a certainty whether the control OF the
Indian bureau was matter of congratulaton
or not OF course there was laugh at the re-
mark, but, seriously, | think Gen. Walker must
have high sense OF duty or little care for his
reputation. Perhaps, however, he may have
sufficient confidence to believe himself capable
| of restoring the position to something like de-
cent respect, WHILE at the same time, giving due
notice to Messrs. Vincent Collyer & Co., that he
will not permit himself to be intertered with
when in plain pursuance of duty
The Indian bureau has become a stencil in
the nostrils Of the people. The new-fangled
Indian board, like most men, believe in mag
uifyiug their Office. So, under their industrious
supervision and exploration of credit, (for
themselves only, as well as the stigma left on
the commssionership, the incumbent of that
office may expect a hard time, | think the
Indian advisory board, in the case of Gen.
Parker, sought much harder to pull down than
to build up. / think Gen. Walker will find
something OF the same obstacle to usefulness in
his way Probably he will beat it. AT least
Secretary Deano seems to have this opinion.
The new commissioner is not set up to override
the new policy, but to prevent that being
swamped by sectarian and unreasoning senti-
mental philanthropy, Walker can do it if any
one can. He has made the census bureau al
most model, even though like other young re-
formers, he did overShoot at the beginning by
making such system of competitive examina.
tions as was practically inapplcable.
Gen. Walker wanted all his clerks to pass an
examination, which perhaps Laplace could only
do with perfect ease, and this too, whether il
was the adding of mere columns of figures, or
the calculation of difficult fractions, averages
and per cents En- PEASANT, Imay mention an
illustration OF the school master theory of eX-
animation which has come under my direct
observation during the past fall, One Of the
first successful clerks in the census bureau, is
still where he began, in the junior class. He is
nice young fellow, fresh from high school or
college. 1t was all at his tongues or pens end.
He only missed 10 out of 700 marks, which the
examinations covered. l am told too that a
number of those who passed as creditably, are
practically among the poorest clerks in the
bureau. But this is aside from my subject,
which is Indian affairs.
THE APACHE QUESTION.
No enc can have a higher respect for Mr.. Vim
cent Collyer's general ability and earnest zeal
in the peculiar work he has undertaken, yet he
cannot be regarded as al-wise or all-knowing and
it may be possible that the Indian question: not
in all its parts a unit to be treated everywhere
with the same methods. Just here is the mis-
take made by lay and clerical friends of the
peace policy
To illustrate: They claim the entire credit Of
pacifying the powerful Ogalaa SiouX-Red
Cloud, Spotted Tail and their followers. They are
deserving of much credit, yet not Of all. In
considering the Indian problem, especially the
Sioux side, it seems to have been forgotten thar
the object Of Red Clouds visit to the capital was
directly to procure the removal from his coun-
try of certain military posts or forts, as that of
Fort Fetterman, for instance. He found himself
practically hemmcd in-the first condition of
effectual peace with the nomad. 1t was not the
peace policy, as commonly interpreted, that
caused these posts to be located The circum-
stances prove they have most to do with the
comparative quiet of the Sioux, from out oil
which Christian patience may yet achieve its
perfect work
The mistake in Arizona, mean that of Col
lyer & Co., is in not first cropping in" thu
Ind 10
dog-solder Cheyennes, COmanches and Others
of the plains, are nomads and Ishmaelites
Their hand is against every mans This is afact
to be dealt with as such. No amount of senti
ment can wipe it out. No fact, showing who
were the aggressors, can alter it. We mus
deal with the facts. We have done it at Fort
Fetterman in Wyoming and at Fort Sill
in the Indian territory. We shall have to do i
| in Arizona. Mr.. Collyer goes there, stays thirty
days, sees several hundred Indians, avoids the
whites, is guarded by dozen or more soldiers
avoids all sources of information, except Co
chise's and what he is able to evolve from thu
| profound decps of his own consciousness, re
turns to the states, and as soon as he strikes
| telegraph and printing press, begins todenounct
the white residents of Arizona as cruel and dis
honest, aggressors against Indians and plotters
Of war in order to make war.
have seen something of Indians in my day
have been practical and close observer of the
| problem, and have written and said good dea
to bring about the present benefcent policy
but am not inclined to believe that all western
men are exterminators or butchers. | remem
Der once, during my little military experience
being in the field against hostile indians
have never failed since to be CRATE
full for a fortunate mischance The com
handing officer was major general
who would have made short work of any In
dian camp or war party he might have struck
One night we marched in the hope Of striking
| their camp. Had we done so, we should certain
| ly have opened fire on it and brought on an en-
gagement. 1t turned out that we struck tn
| stream by which they were camped about tiv
miles to the east, and instead of meeting TIL
main body we only encountered an advance
| party. Had we not missed the trail during TIN
night, we should have struck their camp at day
| light. The warriors were about seven hundred
| we numbered not quite as many, but had artil
lery The Indian women and children wcr,
with them. The fight would have been DIES
perate one without doubt In all probabiit,
women and children would have been killed
| If 50, we should have been heralded as Custe
and Sheridan have been, causeless butchers o
| the weak. Yet, the facts would have been yer,
| different. | have always been glad that we fail
| ed to find the Indians. We did have sharI
running fghtduring which your
career came nearer a sudden termination, thar
before or since. had lively appreciation o
the fact that Indian women as well as mel
would fight, by seeing the former bring arm
and horses to the braves and them
selves ride in the fray, while with
small party Of cavalry, | was cndeavor
ing to reioin the main body, having been cut Of
and forced to fight and retreat for about sever
miles against nearly the whole body of belliger
ent Indians. So 1 know by experience how j
might be possible to get a bad record as al
Indian tighter-with the philanthropists.
The president does not look at the Apache
with quite the rosy vision Mr., Colyer does. HI
has ordered Schofeld to pursue policy Ion.
| since recommended by the mora eo,,,;tIo "a;