The White Pine news. [volume] (Treasure City, Nev.) 1868-1906, 1873-09-06
THE INDIAN

Under this caption we find an article in
the Christian Union, written by Mrs. Jane
G.. Swisshelm, in which that lady repre-
sents the vacillating and silly policy adj
vocated by Eastern christians, as regards
the treatment of the noble savage. The
editor of the paper mentioned takes oc-
casion to make a labored defense of the
real state of facts set forth by the o n
tributor, and only succeeds in adding his
name to the long list of senseless idiots
who cling to the superstition inaugurated
by Cooperand other admirers of the noble
red man. The lady correspondent writes
as only one could write who has actually
realized and known the brutal nature of
Indians who has lived on the frontier
where deeds of a%trocity were of daily oc-
currence. The editor probably belongs
to the numerous class of philanthropists,
such as are willing, as Artemus Ward
says, to Sacrifice their nearest relations
to the cause of Lo, the poor Indian. We
take the following from Mrs. Swisshelm's
communication !:
Every Indian tribe in this country ia an organ
lied band of Shareholders and polyganIists. War
riors, as a class, are supported by the unpaid toll
OF their slave ~coucubines. and taxes wrung from
the laboring millions of this country. They gov
ern their red slaves of the West by means of their
white slaves Of the East us truly as our Southern
shareholders governed their black slaves Of the
South by means of their white slaves Of the
North, while our old anti-slavery champions look
on the tribal organizations and false pretensions
which enable them to maintain their heatben-
isms in our midst, and cry, 1.-The temple Of the
Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple Of the
Lord are these" and the Christianity which is
urging our Government to drive the Mormons
from the fields they have reclaimed from the
desert and made to blossom as the rose, because
they have more wives than one, stands between
that Government and an indefinite number of
polygamie hordes and cry, Touch not the Lords
annointed p These are they who have a divine
right to break every law, human and divine, be-
cause they know no better, and are resolutely de-
termined not to leBrn.
The editor of the Union represents the
fallacious reasoning of Peace Commits
sioners in the following comments
We give Mrs. Swisshelm, a Christian woman
who lived for years on the frontier, an opportu-
nifty to present to our readers her views Of the
Indian question, widely as they differ from our
own. Her statement Of the case seems to us in.
complete, if not positively erroneous. II the III
dian is not the ideal character SO often described
to us, it is not less certain that Mrs. Swisshelmis
picture of the virtue and intelligence of the ave-
rage frontier settler is too highly cOlored. While
the great majority of the whites on the border
are peaeeably inclined, there are among them un.
principled and desperate men who are constantly
seeking, from the baseet motives, to provoke In.
dian wars, and who will not permit the Indian.
to be peaceable If they can help it. 1t is the duty
of the Government to protect both the Indians
and the white settlers in their rights and this il
precisely what the President means by his =" Peace
policy"
Such are the two sides of the question
Those who know the meanness and treach.
cry of the Indian, are aware which is the
truthful view of the situation. We have
the ideas of a woman VINO lived fol-
years on the frontier" as against thost
of the preacher editor of a Christian paper
Such arguments admit of no other con
struction than that of being efforts pait
for by interested Peace Commissioners
The Modocs should be allowed to dea
with them, and, we doubt not, they woull
soon be brought to their senses.