New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-08-26
OHR INDIAN ARRAIRS.


We published yesterday morning the story
of Gen. Clusters fight on the Yellowstone, and
the findings of the Court Martial by which
the Modoc captives are declared guilty OF the
murder of Gen. Candy and sentenced to be
hanged. There are good many people so
constituted that they will look at these two
events together, and regard the one as sort
of compensation for the other. Every one
will approve of the hanging of the treacherous
assassins of Tule Lake, and many will find
their approval of it heightened by the reflection
that Sitting Bull a few weeks ago
attacked considerable United States
force and got away without punishment
Some will congratulate themselves on the
fact that the Indians were driven Oft in spite
of their superior numbers. Others Will re-
neat the formula of the frontier which states
that an Indian is good for nothing but to be
| killed. A very few will talk about the red
mans wrongs, and say that more gospel and
less gunpowder would be good thing for
him. But the vast majority will think very
| little of that OminOus affair in the Wild soil
tudes of Montana, and will take great COM
| fort from the contemplation of the gallows
which is going up for Captain Jack and his
| fellow mUrderers.
We approve, also, the sentence of the Modocs.
From the first outbreak of the ModOc troubles
clemency was out of place with those unfor-
tunate and brutal savages. Whenever we
parleyed with them it encouraged them, and
they were led by the mistaken lenity and con-
fdence of the Peace Commissioners to think
that if they killed them they would have 10
further annoyance. After the murder their
lives were justly forfeit. If any man ought
ever TO be hanged this is case for it. 1t is
too late TO do much good, but it would do
infinite harm to let them go unpublished. The
sacrifice of the whole tribe would not make
amends for the lives of Gen. Candy and DR..
Thomas. But when the sentence has been
executed we gain nothing except the assur-
ance that Captain Jack, SchOnchin, Boston
Charlie, BarnchO, Black jim, and Sloluck will
commit no more murders This is something
gained, but not much. This end of the Mo-
doc war; as it was called, is necessary, logical,
and legal, but it is of little consequence. 1t
does little or nothing to secure peace on the
border.
1t does not compare in Importance or sig
nifcance with those two days of skirmishing
IN MONTANA. Il Ht lDIC0 uHucI DlIJluS Dun
which twice attacked Gen. Clusters command
is the most formidable body Of fighting men
which has taken the war-path for years. Our
officers estimated one body at 300 and the other
at 800, and even if the latter force included
the former, it forms column by no means
contemplate. To sustain thousand men in
those barren regions requires no slight eXer-
else of discipline and organization. They were
well armed and abundantly supplied with am
muniton. They boldly challenged our troops
to fight, and displayed not only remarkable
audacity, but great ingenuity and fertility of
resources also in their attempts to surround
the whites, to draw them into ambuscades OF
to stampede their horses. On both occasions
where they came into contact with our soldiers,
they sustained themselves with fair success,
and at the close of the fighting they saw our
troops taking up their march hOmeward. 1t
will be hard to make these ignorant and AFRO
CANT savages believe they have not driven
the expedition out of their country
1t will not be safe to let this campaign end
in any such manner. Sitting Bull and his 800
warriors have committed three murders, which
Will be multiplied hundred fold if they are
allowed to consider themselves o hostile ma
ton at war with the whites. They should be
followed and chastised and this will prob
ably be DONE But what is imperatively de-
handed and what we have almost lost hope
of seeing attempted, is course of action
which shall at least diminish the opportunity
and occasion of such outbreaks. We cannot
hope to change the Indians nature nor
the borderers. We cannot eradicate
the murderous tendencies which CEN
turtles Of wrong have implanted in
the heart of the savage. Nor can we by any
expedient of statute or administration pre-
vent that scum Of an imperfect civilization
which infests our borders from robbing, swind-
ling, and corrupting the Indians. from mere
wantonness or avarice. But it is disgraceful
for us TO fold our hands and say we can do
nothing to prevent forest leader from mar
shaling an army of savages, dressed in great
part in military clothes, armed with United
States rifles, and well supplied with fixed
ammunition. An event like this throws light
upon the administration of our frontier posts,
which shows how gross and reckless is the
spirit Of greed which pOisons all our
official intercourse with the Indians. As
long as the present system lasts, it will
inevitably be accompanied by these evils. 1t
is Only when we come to adopt the only
teuable sromd-that the Indian on his reser-
walton Is g pa lper and away from it an out
I,,v--tI.g we can think OF closing the series