The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-04-17

Ing the Policy or determination.
The news from our special correspondent
accompanying the expedition which surrounds
| the lava beds indicates that the battle with
| Captain Jack and his band will be delayed
day or two longer. General Gillem is moving
cautiously and slowly. but gradually the
Gordon around the treacherous savages is be-
ing drawn closer and closer. 1t is not i'm
possible that by tomorrow we shall hear of
the final battle and be able to print the story
Of the complete extirpation of the murderers
of General Candy and Commissioner Thomas.
The anxiety all over the country for news to
this effect is extreme, and the people will re-
| joice that the savage treachery of the Indians
has been punished. Unused to any
| arguments except those of the bullet,
the Modocs must learn the stern lesson of
war. for now the only thing left to them
| is to testify obedience in death. Our
correspondent learns that when the attack
| is made it will be quick and sharp, SO that we
| may expect the decisive work to be very brief.
| Captain Jack and his band are completely
| surrounded, and limited fighting ground
only will be allowed them, SO that it is not
unreasonable to expect that very few will es-
| cape; indeed, with the aid of the Warm Spring
| Indians, who are now with the troops, every
| man may meet the fate he merits. The en-
| ployment of these Indians at this time is very
suggestive, and illustrates the feasibility of
question in regard to using the natives as sol
| diers, which seeks consideration in another
part of this article The Indian question
again forces itself upon the American people,
and this time it demands broader and more
comprehensive answer than has ever been
given to it,
Nothing that was claimed as the distinctive
policy of any administration ON any question
ever was more utter and complete failure than
has been the Indian policy of General Grant.
This is not surprising for the Indian is not a
gentle and tractable being, easily swayed by
kind words and pious teachings. On the other
hand, he is simply treacherous and blood
thirsty savage, and, with rare exceptions, it has
been found impossible to make anything else
out of him. Civilization disagrees with him,
and he has invariably revolted against il when
ever he seemed to have fair opportunity to
wrcak his vengeance on the white man. Still,
men of humanitarian views and principles in
dulge the hope that the savage nature may be
subdued, and the religious and semi-religious
organizations all over the country have always
been averse to the policy of determination. 1t
seems barbarous that whole race must be cut
off to secure peace and yet the rapid extin-
guishment of the natives of this Continent shows
that nothing else has ever been found practi-
cable Nothing except determination ever
will be practicable, and while the President s
peace policy was worthy of commentator for
its humanitarian intentions its failure to
achieve anything in behalf OF humanity shows
that after all it was to be reprobated because
it was not wise. Captain Jack, when he
treacherously struck down General Candy in
the lava beds, gave us another illustration that
the only power before which the Indian will
bow is armed strength, and the only law that
| he will obey is the summons of DEATH
We may regret all this, but experience
amply teaches that there is no escape rom
the cruel determination. Civil
cation naturally and necessarily encroaches
upon the Indian hunting grounds, and the
entertainments of civilization have always
been the complaint Of the red against the
white race. Yet nobody has ever suggested
that we should stop the star of empire on its
Western course and nobody would seriously
think of suggesting it. Unless the white man
recedes before the Indian the Indian must re-
cede before the white man. Every step which
civilization takes towards the favorite hunting
grounds of the savage is an aggression certain
to be resented in treachery and blood All our
army officers recognize the fact that there can
be no peace the frontier, and General
/ Grant, with his experience of Indian warfare,
could scarcely have seriously believed in his own
| policy of peace. At best it was but another ex-
pertinent, and he recognized its failure at once
when the news OF General Canby's death was
brought to him. Now that we are to have a
sharp and decisive war with the Modocs it
seems unnecessary to bewail the tragic results
of the peace policy; but how much better it
would have been if General Sheridan, with his
views of the Indian question, had been sent to
settle with the Modocs? We then should not
have been required to record massacre of
the noble old soldier and the Peace Commits
sioners, because a few well-directed blows
would have settled Captain Jack forever. This
not having been done, we can only thank Gen
eral Grant for his eleventh hour conversion,
and hope for the best results from the decisive
orders of the past few days.
But the determination of the Modocs will
not settle the Indian question. 1t will not
even settle the policy OF determination. AL
ready the peace policy people, who forced
their course upon the President are declaring
that determination is to be the policy for this
time only. They will get the administration
IL l... IL IL.