The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1873-02-20

speech ba5Ore thH COMMITTEE on Eduon-
ton, he arraigns the existing System Of
popular Sducation in America; ''1nstead
OF using the rich and growing intellect
ual material of later years. he declared
that our colleges teach chiefly the tradi-
tionary learning of the middle ages.
Harvard is not university-it is only q
tolerably well organized high school. I"
Nor is even this learning. in his eyes, the
best of its kind-itis is merely the dregs OF
scholarship. The schools of Massachu-
setts had sound oensure from the good
Professor, we are told. and very much it
must have astonished the authorities of
that great State, who are incessantIy
ready to fold their hands and go to Hea-
ven, when they thiik Of their superior"
school systemg We commend these ho-
nest and no doubt entirely truthful utter
anoes of Prof. Agassiz to the sober men
of Boston, and particularly to the Bos.
ton Advertiser and Boston Globe. They
can never learn charity and true nobility
| of soul; but. after this showing, they
ought at least to haul In their horns.
Harvard but high school! Let that
iron sink deep into your souls!
ORIGIN OF THE MoDoo WAR.-As the
particulars concerning the Modoc In
dian war come along in the California
Journals, it'beconles every day moro ap-
parent that the "war" had about the
same origin as most other ''Indian wars. +"
One Of the persons appointed to visitithe
Modoc Indians, with view to cessa-
ton Of hostilities, is Elijah Steele, who
lives ia Yreka, California, on the border
| Of Oregon, and in the vicinity of the
Modoc country. He is lawyer there.
| one OF the earliest settlers and most re-
spectacle citizens. He knows all the
Indians, and especially the Modocs and
their chief. and they know and respect
him. He was formerly Superinten dent
of Indian Affairs, and understands the
dark ways" of the TRADERS and
"agents. This gentleman says posi-
lively that the present war 10 ''commis-
sssies' and Iu6iun agents wsr." The
Modocs were persuRded to give up lands
guaranteed, to them by former treaty,
in exchange for reservation lands on
which they nearly starved. And here is
where the ''commissaries" and 'sgents'
come in as advocates for forcing the Mo-
docs to be confined to that particular
reservation. The less the Modoos can
fnd to eat, the more necessity there is
for supplies, and with more supplies,
there is more margin for cheating both
the Government and the Indians. Mr..
Steele says lit is not q question Of how
much beef is used by the Indians there.
but how much Is charged to the Govern
ment." He mentions an instance in
which ''trader" issued cattle to the
Indiana, (issued them ION his books
that is to say, got pay for them from Co.
vernment, and then drove them off and
he says, "never got so much as hide
from that lot Of cattle. Mr. Steele says,
further, that the commissaries aud agents
! and he names them who have been
most active in stirring up this war-had
slittle "Oredit Mobilier" among them
sslves in the way of furnishing suppliee.
They had the control Of the contracts,
aud after the most approved style Of the
Pacific railways and the "Oredit Mobi-
lier" people, they got up an arrangement
by which they contracted toith themselves
or ocurse, in suoh a case, they were not
any more particular about prices, or the
quality of the supplies, or the quantities
delivered. than Ames. Alley and their
congressional confsderates were under
tho same circumstances. But the In.
dians got tired of THE, and refused to
submit to it. The cattle.men's "Credit
Mobilier" was determined they should,
and now there is sanguinary war, which
has cost the lives of brave soldiers aud
great deal Of public money.
This is the old experience. Oregon
has been particularly fruitful in it. They
had q "Rogue River" Indian war there
once. which cost the Government thou
sands of dollars for every hundred ho-
neetly or actually expended. Bot the
"Rogues" were not the Indians then,
any more than they are now, says the
Philadelphia Ledger.
A SHORT Road TO THE GALLONS. -
The New York Journal Of Commerce de-
mands speedy trial for every murderer
that is now in the Tombs: