The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1872-11-29
The "xScalDers.' -

The sScalpers."
In speech i'm St. Iouis. recentl,-
congressman Fitch, Of Nevada. asser.
ted that the Indians cost the Govern.
mcnt three million dollars a week. Uo
said we arc.paying 100000 n vcar
Tor subsidies TO the Indian, $4,000 OtO
more for troops TO keep Lo in order
$lO,OC,OOO more in property desfrovci
Dy the rcdsrobbcrs, andsarc losing 800
ooO,oOO year in undeveloped wealth
lying waste:in the land occupied by thc
various tribes, in order that tbcy NAV
have their huntingfgrounds.'
The Indians are too law 10 work but
make good hands at begging and steal
ling, and can, on occasion. raise a Wilt.
mans scalp with energy, if not grace
but for high-toned Lo 10 do n f;rst,
clas: piece OF scalping,rit is highly es-
scn'iai that there be great many Of
MN, ana Very lew OF the white man.
we OF course still retain some of DO
etc notions of the noble red man of tho
forest, accumulated in our school days.
anu chiefly due 10 Scott and Cooper's
poems and Logan's speech. Since we
have been capable OF drawing conclu-
sions from details, we have, however
had our faith considerably shaken in
Lo,as piece ofpoctry. We have beard
ed the noble red man in his den, so 10
speak, amt we arc. not anxious to do iI
again. for we believe that so respectable
a majority as ninety-ninc out Of every
hundred Indians are not thoroughly
convinced that murder and thieving are
inconsistent with al abode in the .IIap-
|py Hunting Ground"
They all have an innate hatred Of
white men, and consider il their duty to
reduce the number OF their foes.
The idea that Indians have a rioht TO
be considered the wards OF the nation.
is simply nonsense. The fact of their
being the first inhabitants of this coun-
try, gives them no such title. If prior
Iity Is 10 give people such claim, then
leach successive new foreign element
that is acquired should be compelled to
support all the previous clements that
had settled here.
The world was made for mankind, and
nc has as much right to one portion Of
IL rs another, therefore one man has no
better right $50 far as citizenship goes)to
any one section than has another man.
1t we were ever indebted to the In
dams, the debt has long since been call
lcelled, and we believe in giving them
only an equal chance with other people.
The sooner this policy is adopted, the
sooner will they become peacea bic citi-
zens. These Indians now exclusively
Ioccupy country capable of supporting
three or four million white people, and
yet il is momopolzed by fifty or sixty
thousand lazy, thieving, numbering In
diams, and the white people are taxed to
support them. Since President Grants
|Quakcr-lndian policy has proven SO
failure, we think the best
|policy to pursue, would be to abolish
the Indian Bureau. and let the States
and Territories take care OF the Red
men, just as they do Of other unrnly
citizcns. Paying Indians two or three
thousand dollars year each to be good
and refrain from committing acts. for
which white men are imprisoned or
hung. is not Republicanism, or Democ-
racy either.
A little Of the law that governs white
men would prove very beneficial 10 the
Red citizens, and they should have it
vigorously Evansville Courier.