The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-06-08
The "Peace and Kindness" Policy
Defended.

bundant and shapcless bagginess, was singu-
larry suggestive OF Chatham street. They had
evidently exercised free choice in the mat
ter Of hats, and each had chosen different shape.
Red Dog wore high white bell topper; his next
neighbor had a soft gray felt Greeley chapeau, and
among the rest Kossuth hats seemed the prevailing
favorlte. All the Indians however, retained the
tiona moccasin, except Red Cloud, who wore a pair
OF patent leather slippers As a browning evidence
OF the growing enlightenment of the red man. let 1t
be noted that one OF them sported in his but
tOnhoe, possibly the gift of some paleface squaw.
Shortly after eight, Mr.. PETER COOPER called the
meeting to order, and, after few introductory re-
marks. presented Red Cloud and his interpreter to
the audience.
Red Cloud at the word "time,n sprang hastily
from his seat, and, advancing to the edge OF the
platform, gave excited glance at the audience,
and then stripped Off his coat and fung it on the
floor. This was doubtless to allow OF his freely
rying out the Demosthenic theory Of oratory-the
theory Of action, action, action-and he certainly
flung his arms about In manner that was
eminently emphatic and forcible. The speech,
however, was, it must be confessed in spite OF its
brevty very tedious owing to the dinlcuty OF
getting at It's meaning. Instead OF having direct
interpreter the words were translated by an
attendant, and then again repeated to a gentle
man who had sufficient strength OF lungs and
familiarity with English rhetoric to make
the speech heard through the hall, while at the
same time he made 1t correspond In style and
imagery to the pompous language OF Coopers red
men. The following is Red Clouds speech, which
was interspersed with a running accompaniment OF
approving 'ughS" from the other Indians.
RED CLOUDS SPEECH.
81 am very glad to and visit my friends again.
God has given us two kinds Of days. God has given
us the daytime, In which to work, and propose TO
y N the a no d %n a the
night comes 1t Is time for me to go home. When
God made the red man He gave him this country
white man lie gave him country across
the water to live In. All my forefathers have lived
with this country; have spent my childhood, boy
hood and manhood here. and propose still to live
the white man is made OF the same material as the
red man, and want to live in perfect friendship with
every white man n on the Continent o ! have come
protect me in my own country, so that can build
my own schoolhouses and churches and bring up
l come here, go to the Great Father first and then
in the next place come to New York, which is
and my brethren, and to take pity on
and ,on help G,ea US r,t al when
back to my people, found there was some trouble
and disturbance and want OF confidence but come
to-day to Washington with great deal OF con1-
dence, because the Great Father who is in the White
House has always been honorable In the work he
has done with the Indians, and is trusted by them
to do any good work. intend to go
back to my own people and initiate
shown. / represent not only my own tribe but all
the tribes OF the West They win all try TO protect
the peace OF the country which the Great Father
has given to them. There are red men enough In
the West to take care OF themselves, and wish the
Great Father to take the military force he has out
there away, and leave the red man Alone"
RED DOG
was next introduced, and was greeted with loud
''whooos' from some small boys at the outskirts OF
the meeting. This perhaps disconnected the chief,
for he made very brief speech. He said he was
turned home after his last visit he had told his
brethren what he had seen, and they
mad been greatly astonshed at his stories.
The white men were very numerous, and they
knew how to take care OF themselves. He wanted
to establish In his nation some things he saw here
was too poor TO support him and his tribe, ana he
now wanted the Great Father to give him some good
The reason why all the chiefs had come to- see them
was that they wanted to do what was right, and
that they wanted to get their rights, and hoped
that the-white men would pity and help them In
every way. He wanted the Great Father to give
him an opportunity to live as the white people did,
and to bring up his children the white children
were brought up. He very glad TO see so many
people, and that was all he had to say
Mr. TAYLOR then said that these men had been
faces, but with war in their hearts. Yet nothing
was so sure as the promise Of an Indian. AS proof
OF 1t the speaker told little story OF an Indian
named Waokce but what Waokce had done said
left rather obscure at the end the anecdote.
PROFESSOR TAYLORs REMARKS.
Professor TAYLOR then proceeded to read long
harangue In favor Of the peace policy OF the
promises of peace made by the Indians had re-
Gently been well kept. There very few out
RACES, and such as there were were not numerous
enough to disturb the country, and the set
tiers from Minnesota TO the Rocky Noun
tains felt secure. Only few years
ago the nation had called outfor war; but Congress-
took up the question in pacific spirit, and sent
out General sherman on the celebrated peace
mission" Since then we had substantially had
hpn eo NJ
war they had arisen In consequence of bad faith
on the part OF Congress in carrying ont
the treaties made by General sherman.
In Arizona, however, the Apaches had again
hard to sec brutal onicer OF the United States
Army years ago had hung six chiefs without
trial and without provocation, and later on there
came the horrible Camp Grant massacre. Since
that massacre outrages had constantly occurred
there. The authors or the Camp Grant massacre
still walked the earth without having been In
any way punished. II, then, there were DISTURB
ances on the part OF some OF those indians, IL
found abundant explanation in this great and I'M
had now once more proclaimed its Delei IN the
efficacy and success OF policy OF kindness towards
regretted that the bill making Indian
contracts subject TO tne n 81 sne
were grounds to fear that the old ring OF dishonest
contractors had stil unchecked control OF that de-
| nartment The Indian still needed friendship and
support He had no voice In Congress, nor could he
ever bring suit in United States Court for tho
means OF redress for any wrong however fragrant.
DR. FISHERS SPEECH.
Dr. Fisher one OF the Indian Commissioners. sai6
that no one could Judge the Indians who had not
been among them and had grown familiar with
their habits and manners. He, himself had
lived among them, and, therefore, knew that two.
thirds OF the white men ON the frontier indif-
ferent TO the just rights OF the Indians. The
newspapers told us OF every outrage committed
by indians upon white men, out we never heard
OF the outrages pcrpetrated by white men upon the
Indians White desperadoes frequently made raids
un rpd nd ov IN uu
had been the case very recently, carried on their
women and II they happened TO be worsted and
few OF them got shot IL was proclaimed IA an Indian
outrage In all our newspapers. he believed
that the Indians were more disposed to act
fairly and honestly than the white settlers. No
doubt there were depredatons by Indians, but
among Indians, as among white men, there were
rowdies and desperad0es who broke away from
tribal control and became what might be called
'prairie pirates" for whose deeds the tribes were
not responsible
The meeting then adjourned.