Juniata sentinel. [volume] (Mifflintown, Pa.) 1846-1873, 1873-05-07
President Grants Indian Policy.

The journals and men who have, ant
do still declare President Grants India,
peace policy failure. because the gal
liant and meritorious General Candy wal
treacherously killed. and because tber,
seems just now an Indian war of con
siderable magnitude about to open, Ger
tainly have not given the subject the
weight of thought it should have. There
is not single feature in the attitude now
revealed by the Indians that has not been
presented clearly aud distinctly at the
opening of every Indian war since our
race came from the Old World to occupy
the Indians home.
The first colonial settlements of i'm.
portance in this country were made in
Virginia in 1907, and in Massachusetts, in
1920. At both these places the Indians
received our people in friendly manner
They did not know but that he came
from the Sun, or the Moon. or distant
space. They believed him to be supe
rior being, and stood in awe in his pres
ence. He was superior then. He is
superior now, because of superior cir
cumstances But that he is superior by
nature may we'll be doubted, in the light
of history. which reveals to US the fact
that the best nations of the white race
sprang from the cruel hutliving, half
naked and half skin clad Greek tribes
and Romans ; and it is not yet eighteen
hundred years since our fathers and
mothers ran naked-in the summer and
in the winter partially clothed with the
skins of wild beasts-in the woods of
Germany and over the moors and hill. of
England, Scotland and Ireland, and oc-
cupied place bnt few degrees higher
in the estimation of the then civilized
Roman, than the Indian now occupies in
our estimation. We do not plead for the
Indian We write for our own race -
We are asking that we do not forget our
selves, and that the humane and wise
policy of Presiden. Grant be not given
up without a trial of at least dozen
years. 1t will take almost if not quite
that length Of time to get rid of the in
fuences engendered by the old fashioned
Indian agent and trader, which. in the
majority of cases, were the indirect, if
not the direct cause that bred the wars
that from time to time sprang up between
our people and the Indians.
We stated above that the Indians re-
ceived the colonists of Virginia and
Massachusetts, friendly. BY and by war
came. In each colony It was the trader
that was the cause of she beginning of
war between the races. lie cheated the
Indian. He has cheated him from that
day down to this. and taught him nothing
but deception and dishonor. The Indian
knows no redress for gross fraud per-
petrated on him but that administered by
the tomahawk and sealping knife. They
constitute his highest and only tribunal.
He docs not only employ them on the
white race, but he as readily strikes
down the rascal of his own race az he
does the rascal stranger. An Indian g
foe is bis foe, whether white man or In
dian, and he treats them all alike.
The governmental Indian agent and
the Indian trader. in majority of cases,
have been nothing more than civilized
thieves, who plundered the Indian till he
sought redress in the murderous way
known to their race, sparing neither old
nor young. And then we hold up our
hands in horror and say, kill the beasts.
while the sinister agent and trader stand
in the background, telling all that pass
by them that bloody determination is
all that will answer these savages -
President Grant comprehends the situa-
ton. Ee sees the prolific cause of these
troubles, and he wishes to rid the coun-
try Of them, by removing the old fash
ioned and disgraceful Indian agent, and
putting in his place men who act their
part in life on higher plain. He pro-
poses to send men to the Territories who
are men of integrity, WHO 60 for the pur-
pose of redeeming the Indian, if possible,
and not for pay or plunder.
The death of General Candy did not
result through the working Of the "peace
policy" but it was the result of the
policy of fraud and general rascality that
has been practiced so long. The Modoc
war would have broken out sooner or
later. 1t is the avenue of escape for
savage vengeance engendered by griev-
ances real aud unreal, and must be met
and fought out, as have the many Indian
wars that preceded it. but when it is
ended, then will be the time to apply
the policy of President Grant. 1t will
then have the semblance of fair chance
With men inspired with the Presidents
policy at the head Of all the missions, a
better state of affairs may be expected.
The application of the Presidents policy
cannot make the case any worse than it
now is, and has been for generations.