Arizona citizen., 1873-03-29
THE CITIZEN.
Saturday. March 20. 1873.
NEW INDIAN COMMISSIONER.

r A Washington special says of E. F
 Smith, who is appointed Commissions
 of Indian affairs, that he was befor r the war a leading Congregationalis ,, preacher in the west, and during th
 Rebellion 8 field agent of the Chris tian Commission, and now an agen
 of the Chippewa Indians in Min.
 nesota. He was nominated by the
 Peace Commission, and is said by his
 friends to be an honest and capable
 man.
 Many of our readers will remember
 him as a member of Gen. Howard s
 peace party which arrived in Arizona
 in April 1872. He made some re-
 marks at Arizona City on the party S
 arrival there, and because he omitted
 to take any notice of the suffering
 settler supporting himself amid
 dangers far greater than those in
 battle in times of war, THE CITIZEN
 published an authorized report of
 what he did say and administered to
 him a severe rebuke, and one that
 himself and Gen. Howard admitted
 was justified on our part, but urged in his behalf what seemed @ satis- factory explanation for his omissions for 1t seems that "a part was as signed to him, and the remainder and, to us, most important part of the play, was allotted to Gen. Howard. As was natural, MT. Smith met us with, we suspect, no disposition to intercede in behalf of our "soups salvation "a matter which did not in the least worry us; but he soon found that he did not suggest anything so good, so kind, so liberal. aye, so Christian, in behalf of all Indians who would simply abstain from robbing and murdering our people, which we not only indorsed but then and before advocated. This "new light" to him led him to kindly warm up to us and exhibit his own character as we believe it really is--that of a positive, firm, clear headed and upright man.
 That the Peace Commission recom- mended him, is nothing in his favor but something to that commissions credit--and we never have said that it was always wrong or incapable of being right now and then. The fact that he is a minister of the gospel in this connection - must pass as neither for nor against him, it being a mans moral frmness to do what he knows to be right that good men ad- mire and qualities him for this or any other position, rather than the un- practised knowledge of what is right. Nearly all the veriest rascals out of or ill jail, or unhung, have a distinct knowledge of what is right and now md then talk of 1t with all the fervor Again, we draw en- from the fact that the Rev. MT. Smith took but small part n "the peace business in Arizona n 1872, and left soon after his arrival md figured but slightly in the reports hereafter and none in any other way.
 We may err ill our estimate of the nan, but 1t Is our opinion that he as trongly desires to give the struggling ettler the fullest protection as he loes to in any manner benefit the h. lian; that he will not knowingly avor the latter to the injury of the . ormer; that his perception of right c nd wrong IS keen and his will strong nough to do right; that the veriest ogues extant will not deceive him by heir energetic professions of piety, and premeditated islanders n men who only ask that right be one to all men, according to their eeds, of every race and condition. Whenever we find that we are mis-