The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-08-04
The Ute Indians-The Last Extremity
nAanair.

The Ute Indians-The Last Extremity
OF Despair. ~
We have the information from Salt Lake
City that two thousand Utes (Utah Indians),
who promised to return to their reservations,
have halted forty miles from Nephi IA Nor
mon settlement some ninety miles south of
Salt Lake City,, and refuse to move another
step, saying that they can die now as well az
at any time The Indian Agent in that quar-
ter Mr.. Dodge, has appraised the government
that his power over them is exhausted, and
has asked that the affair be turned over to
General Morrow, commander of the depart
ment, whose headquarters are Camp Douglas,
Salt Lake City A sharp contest is expected,
and General Morrow meantime awaits orders,
understanding that with these refractory In
dams the sabre now becomes necessary.
We dare say, however, that General Morrow
will find it an easy task to pacify these
wretched Utes without the use of the sabre.
Brigham Young for twenty-five years past has
managed to maintain between them and his
people the most friendly relations simply by
dealing justly with these unfortunate savages,
and by supplying their urgent wants in food
and clothing from time to time when neglected
by the government, but always emitting the
whiskey. These poor, ignorant Indians do not
understand the meaning of these reservations
to which they have been assigned. They can
only see that the white men have settled all
around them, have driven off or exterminated
their game, and have occupied the pasture
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pended for the winters subsistence of their
ponies, and that in being cooped up in these
reservations they must eventually be starved
to death for what do they know about farm
ing, especially in country where not an ear
of corn can be raised without artificial irriga-
ton? Heretofore these Indians have had
wide range over the plains and mountains.
and from the wild game captured by them,
and from their stealings of horses and cattle.
and from government rations and clothing,
they have got along very comfortably. They,
like all the rest Of our wild Indians, are
nomads, and they have no higher idea of
liberty than the liberty of wandering about at
their pleasure. reservation means to them
Imprisonment, slavery and starvation, and to
reconstruct them to the habits Of civilized life,
after the manner of the Cherokees and Chicka-
saws, and to the drudgery of systematic labor.
will require time and patience.
In this resolution to go no farther, and in
this declaration that they might as we'll die
now as at any time, we see that these poor
Utes are driven to the last extremity of de-
spair. But while they are great eaters they
are poor fighters. Let General Morrow be
authorized to feed them and give them each q
good blanket, &C., and hold friendly powwow
with them, and make them fairly and fully
understand the necessities of their position,
and that in their reservation they will be fed
and clothed by the government until taught
by honest men how to support themselves,
and we dare say these despairing Utes win
accept the situation. In cases Of wilful dis
obedience and bad faith, resulting in murder
Gus raids for scalps and plumber, General
Sheridan's remedy of good thrashing may
be wisely applied; but the course we have
suggested in reference to these poor Utes
(they belong to the miserable Digger Indians
of Fremont), will settle them, and this is the ,
course which WILL doubtless, be adopted by ,
the government The policy which has sue I
ceeded with the warlike Red Cloud and Spot
ted Tail will not fail in its application to these
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