New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1872-08-08
Grant and the Indians.
by w. ]. JOHNSON.

An Grafton delivered at the croduat;,o
exercises of the Senior Preparatorv Closo
OF Oberin College, Oberlin, Ohio. .IuIv 81
1872. Oh
Ofall the great deeds of Gen. Grant both
as soldier and as n statesmen tbn onn
mhich recommends itself the most forcibIv to
,ne SSiv:lilzed, and especially the Christian,
noIiu Is ms policy towards the American
lhdian. From the formation of our Govern
ment down to President Grants administra.
,loh, the apparent policy of the Government
mas Deen to blot out of existence this des-
piseu ana prosecuted race. They have been
icinoSed from one reservation to another to
s sa:sLy lhe ambitious designs of greedy poll
tlcl;lhS. 1hey have been deceived. robbed
and plundered by rum-sellers and thieves
paced IN authority over them by the Govern
ment. And when they have taken up arms
10 defend themselves, their homes, and their
property, or to retaliatc for the many unjust
deeds practiced upon them, reports have
oeen at once dispatched to Washington, and
from thence circulated throughout the coun-
| Try, That the Indians were on the war path.
ana the strong arm of our Government has
| Decn used to crush out of existence n race
lighting for none other purpose than to de-
lehd Its God-siven rights. If there is any
one thlng that will rise up in the final day
before the throne of the Almighty to cast a
dark reflection, upon the character of this
nation, it will be its treatment of the In
dians.
When Gen. Grant was called to the Presi-
dental chair we were just on the verge of
war with the Indians. Gen. Sheridan had
been ordered to the western frontier with
threc thousand men to quell the uprising.
All realized the terrible misfortnes that
would result from an Indian war. Longing
eyes were anxiously turned towards the
WHITE House to see what policy the hero of
many battle-fields would adopt towards the
troublesome race. They did not have to
wait long before that familiar voice again
resounded through the land: "Let us have
peace; )" Let us have peacep Some would
say: "low can we have peace when a
savage tribe of well armed Indians is march,
ing upon our frontier settlements at the
West?"
Such was the condition of affairs. when
President Grant took the helm of State,
what will he do ?" was the oft-repeated
question. "WIll he seek out crafty politi-
clans and send them among the Indians to
appease their anger? Will he adopt the pei
icy of previous Administrations ?'' These
questions were soon answered by the prompt
action of the President. He sought not poll
ticians; he adopted not the policy of previous
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. HO Cttlltu upon the
Quaker City for some of her humble sons
whose ancestors made the only treaty with
the American Indians which has never been
broken. He sent them as commissioners
among the Indians. And, again, he called
upon the leading religious societies of the
country to appoint men of integrity to look
after the Indians and see that justice was
done them. The men were appointed, and
the management of Indian affairs went into
the hands of Christian men. Very soon two
of the leading chiefs of the West applied for
permission to go to Washington to hold a
consultation with the "Great Father" They
went to Washington, had an interview with
the Great Father, returned quietly to their
hunting grounds, and to-day, under the care
OF Christian men who are guided by the wise
councils of President Grant, they are living
more peaceably upon their reservations than
our civilized friends at the Sonth.
President Grant, in adopting and adhering
to this policy toward the Indians, has proved
himself n father to the fatherless and friend
to the lriendless. He has established pre-
cedent which it is hoped will be followed by
succeeding Administrations. 1t is hoped
that the race so long prosecuted and thrown
about to satisfy the Unsuitable lust of politi-
clans and ambitious white men, will hereaf-
ter, under the care of wise and prudent adj
be permitted to rest peaceably
upon their reservations and that, instead of
being wild, roaming tribes, they may be in
duced to settle down and accept the civiliza-
ton of the nineteenth century, and become
an useful part of this great nation. Then we
can boast of American civilization, of Amer
lean liberty and equality, without This dark
stain upon our garments.
The abolition of Southern slavery removed
one great evil from our nation, but our treat
ment of the Indians has been an evil none
the less blackening to our character; and
until we learn to treat them as men created
in the image of God; until we learn to recog-
nize their right to the enjoyment of life,
liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; until
we learn to give them their just dues in COM
mon with other men, we boast of civilization,
we boast of liberty and equality, with false
hood upon our lips. President Grant and his
societies have begun noble work
among the Indians, and it now remains to be
seen whether the American people duly APP
preciate the value of his services, and whether
they desire him to continue for four years
longer the work already begun. Do we
need any stronger proof of his honesty and
integrity than his simple treatment of the
poor and oppressed? He who deem it not
beneath his dignity to stoOp to the lowest
of men, of whatever race, and help
raise them to position of true manhood, is
worthy to be called the "Great Father" and
to receive all the honor and gratitude which
a great nation can bestow.
Some, influenced by mere personal mo-
tives, may forget his glorious record. The
American people, led on by intriguing politi-
clans or mistaken patriots, may forget the
brilliant victories of the war, the return of
peace and prosperity to the country; they
may forget the reduction of the 'national debt,
and his many other glorious achievements;
yea, they may forget that the hero of Donel-
son, and Vicksburg, and Petersburg, ever
lived but the American Indians, so long as
they remain a distinct race, will cherish a
deep and lasting gratitude to the name of U.
5. Grant.
WE take the following from an account of
the proceedings of a Republican mass meet
ing at Allegheny, Pa:
Bishop Loguen, of Syracuse, was then in-