Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1873-05-07
TIE CAUSES OF INDIAN WARS
A Truly Remarkable Prophecy.

Among civilized men war usually
springs from sense Of injustice, The
best possible way, then, to avoid war,
is to do no act Of injustice. When
we learn that the same rule holds good
with Indians, the chief difficulty is
removed But, IL is said, our wars
with them have been almost constant.
Have we been uniformly unjustY We
answer, unhesitatingly, yes.
That he goes 10 war is not aston
ishing; he is often compelled to do so.
Wrongs are borne by him in silence
that never fail to drive civilized men
V deeds of violence When he is your
friend he will sometimes sacrifice him
ieIf IN your defence. When he is your
enemy he pushes his enmity to the
excesses Of barbarity. This shocks
the moral sense and leaves him with
out defenders.
If the lands Of the white man are
taken, civilization justifies him in re-
sisting the invader Civilization does
more than this /; it brands him cow
ard and slave, If bo submits to the
wrong. Here civilization made it's
contract and guaranteed the rights of
the weaker party. 1t did not stand
by tho guarantee, The treaty was
broken, but not by the savage. II
the savage resists, civilization, with
the ten commandments 10 one hand
and the sword in tho other, demands
his immediate determination.
We do not contest the ever.ready
argument that civilization must not
be arrested in its progress by hand.
ful OF savages. We earnestly desire
the speedy settlement of all our Ter.
ritories None are more anxious than
We to see their agricultural and min.
eral wealth developed by an industri.
ous, thrifty and enlightened popula.
tion. And we fully recognize the fact
that the Indian must not stand in the
way of this result. We would only
be understood as doubling the purity
and gcnuineness of civilization which
reaches its ends by falsehood and vic.
lence, and dispenses blessings that
spring from violated rights.
These Indians saw their former
homes and hunting grounds overruu
by greedy population, tbirsting fer
gold. They saw their game soon driv.
en- cast TO the plains, aud soon found
themselves the objects of jealousy and
hatred. They, too, must CO. The
prcsence OF the injured is loo often
painful to the wrong-doer, and limo.
cence offensive to the eyes of guilt
1t now became apparent that what
had been taken by force must bc re.
tuined by the ravisher.
MURDERous TREAcnERY BY VOLUNTEER
SOLDIERS AND ITS RESULTS.
1 Wynkoop then ordered the Indians
to move their villages nearer to the
fort, and bring their women and chill
dren, which was done. In November
this officer was removed, and Major
Anthony, Of the First Colorado Cav
airy, ordered To take command of the
fort. lie, too, assured the Indians OF
safety. They numbered five hundred
men, women and children. 1t was
here, under the pledge of protection,
that they were slaughtered by the
Third Colorado and battalion OF
the First Colorado Cavalry under
command of Colonel Chivington. lie
marched from Denver to Fort Lyon,
and about daylight on the morning OF
the 29th of November, surrounded the
Indian camp and commenced an indis-
criminate slaughter. The particulars
Of this massacre ore too well known
to be repeated hero with all its heart
rending scenes. 1t is enough TO say
that IL scarcely has its parallel in the
records Of Indian barbarity. Fleeing
women, holding up their hands and
praying for mercy, wero brutally shot
down; infants were killed and scalped
in derisioD; men were tortured and
mutilated in manner that would put to
shame the savage ingenuity Of intori-
or Africa
No one will be astonshedthat war
ensued which cost the Government
thirty million dollars, and carried con.
fagration and death to the border set.
Elements. During the spring and sum.
mer Of 1865, no less than eight thous.
andhtroops were withdrawn from the
effective force engaged in suppressing
the rebellion 10 meet this Indian war,
The result of the years campaign
satisfied all sensible men that war with
Indians was 10th useless and expen.
sive. Fifteen or twenty Indians had
been killed, at more than million
dollars apiece, while hundreds OF our
soldiers had lost their lives, many ol
our border settlers butchercd, and
much property destroyed.
/ IL it be said that tho savagcs are
unreasonable, we answer, that if civ
ilizod, they might be reasonable. AT
least they would not be dependent on
the buffalo and the elk they would
no longer want q country exclusively
for game, and the presence of the white
man would become desirable. II il
bo said because they are savages they
should be exterminated, we answer
that, aside from the humanity of the
suggestion, 1t will prove exceedingly
difficult, and, if money consideration
are permitted to weigh, il costs lcs'
to civilize than TO kill.
To say that no outragcs were com
mitted by the Indians would be claim
ing for them more than can be Justly
claimed for the most moral and re
ligious communities. Many bad mer
are found among the whites they
commit outragcs despite all social re
straints they frequently, too, escape
punishment. Is IL to be wondered n
that Indians are no botter than We
Let us go TO our best cities, where
churches and school houses adorr
every square, yet unfortunately We
must keep a policeman at every cor
ner, and scarcely a night passes, but
in spite OF refnement religion anC
law, crime is committed How often
too, is it found impossible to discover
the criminal II in consequence o
these things, war should be waget