The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-05-01

tiary would inflict.
The Indian Massacrcs and tho Mis-
souri, Lynchings,
When the first news Of the terrible fight at
Going Snake Court House. Cherokee Nation,
Indian Territory, arrived here we pointed to
the moral which it taught-namely, that the
experiment Of i semi-civilized tribal govern
mentt foz indians vas failure. The late MUIR
der of the United States mars aaiiss h by the In
dams is only the more notable from a hundred
other outrages in its extent and barbarity.
The same forces have b.en producing similar
results for years, but it was necessary to have a
wholesale butchery on record before pub
lilo opinion could be moved 70 investigate
the matter The policy Under which this OK
pertinent was first tried must be appfauded for
its humanity. 1t stretched out hand to save
the Cherokees Choctaws, Chickasaws and
other tribes from the inevitable humiliation
which awaited them, and they were given an
immense tract and special advantages, to the
end that they might gradually come up to
for mingling with white men by the time that
the expansion of population sent it's wave over
their borders 1t is undoubtedly true that
some progress has been made; but it has never
had sound foundation. Their isolation was
sufficient to retain the savagery of their hearts,
and, while letting in a mild Sunday school
type of religious feeling gave space to the
worst scum of white civilization to ooze
through, bringing whiskey and murder as its
twin brothers As corrective to the crude
state Of morals thus engendered slipshod
system of jurisprudence was erected, which
was the council Of the Indian savage, with
nothing but judge and jury added. When
all this is considered the Going Snake
slaughter will not appear very surprising.
The elements had long been prepared, even
to blowing the furnace of hate of the white
man to a white heat by the ''border
rQfians' whose crimes thereby escaped pun
ishment in their refuge with the tribes With
this discouraging state Of affairs before us the
necessity of providing for an imminent change
in some bloodless way Is called for The
march of the railroads cannot be stayed. The
increase of demand for transportation will
require that Territory to be pierced in two or
three directions, and the government must
see that it can be done with safety. If
the Territory is to remain intact it must be
taken more strongly in hand, and this senti-
mental, compromise civilization be put stop
to. Let the Indians feel something of the
vigor Of our life and be made to conform to its
usages in something more than the very thin
form which has hitherto characterized their
notions of it. To this end it should be taken
in hand by the United States, kept out of
the grasp of jobbers, and stern code of
justice mercilessly dealt out to the "border
ruffians."
In our comments OH the ever-receding Dor
der land which lies between civilization and
barbarism on this Continent we referred to
the phases Of white and Indian savagery and
lawlessness which moved along the line of
construction Of the Union Pacific Railroad,
and which now threatens to be repeated on the
Northern Pacific. We are glad to notice that
the Sixth United States infantry has been
ordered for duty along the line, and hope they
will prove as formidable to the white despea-
does as to the threatening bands Of the Sioux
warriors.
The Lynch law epoch, which is the Sec
ond sinister presentment of advancing civili-
cation among u.s. furnishes us story of hor-
ror from Missouri, State long since believed
to have passed this fever period The shoot
ings of the Cass county bond 'ring'' are replete
with cold-blooded horrors and without any
excuse. Civilization win look to Governor
Gratz Brown to have this blot on the fair
fame of the puke State wiped out
in the punishment Of the rlprderers
Of Stevenson, Cline and Dutro, who miscreaiits
rs they may have been, were innocent in the
eye Of the law, being mtried for any offence
We have no doubt that Governor Brown will
10 his whole duty in the matter In a free |
government, with the law courts at hand the |
fed-handed settlement of crime of whatever
character, is something to be resisted by every
one who values the amenities of civilization.
IN State like Missouri the lynching of a bond
ring is capable of far less apology than the
murder Of a marshal's posse by the semi-civil-
zed Cherokees or the bloody interference Of
he Sioux Indians with a railroad which will
lrive the buffalo from their hunting grounds.
70 the student of manners and morals in the
uture these phases Of border life will offer
many curious illustrations; but to the people
f our day they present a problem worthy OF
nuch greater attention than it receives and on
ur treatment of which posterity may be
allied upon some day to pass verdict the
everse of complimentary to our humanity and
agacity.