The sun., 1873-02-19

partly in Oregon and partly in California,
should be set apart for the occupation OF
Capt. JACK and the discontented Modocs,
and a similar recommendation was made
by the Governor of California; but no ac-
ton on these suggestions was ever taken by
the Interior Department. Finally, in COM
pliance with repeated applications from
the agents Of the Indian Bureau, orders
were issued from Washington to remove
Capt. JACK and his band Dy force 10 the
klamath reservation, and an attempt to
| carry out this order was the cause of the
war which has been commenced.
II has been charged that the Modoos have
been depredating OH the whites for years,
and were engaged i'm general system OF
piundering and marauding, but no evidence
has been produced to establish such fact
On the contrary, number of ranchfnen
living in the immediate region of the Mo-
docs, who have no interest in the matter
except to have their property protected,
and who have no desire to make money out
of an Unnecessary Indian war, have plainly
told Gen. GrLLEM that all trouble with
Capt. JACK and his band could and should
have been avoided. They said they had
never had any dlfficulty with the Modocs;
had always lived in peace with them; and
could wish for no better or less troublesome
neighbors than they had always proved
themselves to be. They also said that TO
the best of their knowledge the Indians
never killed n single animal OF their herds
while they lived on Lost river, nor inter
fercd with any of their property, in which
respect they differed materially from a
good many of the white men in that part
of the country.
II these Indians, then. were friendly and
well disposed, what possible objection could
there be TO giving them "A little tract only
six miles square of their own lands2 Mr.
ELIJAu STEELE, who lives in Yreka, Cal,
near the scene OF hostilities, and who was
formerly Superintendent of Indian Az
fairs, has answered this question. He says
that the Indian agents and commissaries
were desirous of getting the Modocs on
reservation where they would be nearly
. starved, because the less they could find to
eat the more necessity there would be for
supplies; and with more supplies there Is
more margin for cheating both the Govern
ment and the Indians. He says II is not a
question of how much beef is used by the
Indians, but how much can be charged to
the Government; and he mentions an in
stance I'm which trader, after having
charged the United States with drove of
cattle rs issued to these very Modocs, sold
the whole drove to the miners 80 that the
| Indians never got so much as hide"
| from that lot OF cattle Moreover, the COM
mssioners aud agents who have been en-
gagged in stirring up this war have "a very
nice little arrangement by which rs agents
for the Government they contract with
themselves for supplies for the Indians,
which they sell to miners and settlers.
The allegations of Mr.. STEELE are cor
roborated by correspondents OF the Cali
tornia newspapers now with the troops
who have been sent against the Modocs.
The correspondent OF the San Francisco
Chronicle says that when the Modocs were
sent to the Klamath reservation they were
given but half u blanket each, one blanket
being cut in two and made to serve two
Indians. He says he has conversed with
several mon who had been shown these
fragments of blankets by Capt. JACK and
( Others as proofs of their assertions that
they had been swlndled ana badly treated
by the agency. Similar testimony comes
from other quarters, and there can be no
doubt that MIR. STEELE has told the plain
and simple truth in saying that the Modoc
war "is cominissaries' aud Indian agents
war
Because Capt JACK and his band refused
to leave their own lands, where they were
living ea,cably and quietly, 20 go on n
reservation and starve in order that a
pack Of rascally fellows in the Indian Ring
might thrive at their expense and that OF
the taxpayers OF the United States war is
declared and the whole power of the Gov
ernment Is brought to bear against them.
1t is truly an edifying spectacle, this bring
ing the army of powerful nation TO hunt
down and shoot IA handful of naked, in
offensive Indians, hiding in the lava beds
of Oregon TO escape the unjust exactions of
the Governments own agents!