Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1873-05-30
(From the New York Clutch Journal.)
0UH rvDE.sr POLTCr.

a. ..- .I.y
II would seem that ace which has been
civilized and also In some tolerable degree
Christanized for abont one thousand years
at this date, ought 10 lie able to deal in q
halfdeccnt and semi civilized, Christianized
and sensible way, with poor, half naked,
wholly starved ard ignorant set of savages,
with whom, In the providence of God, 1t
has been brought into contact
We are sorry to say that the expectation
Is delusion.
The good people of the United States are
the most conceited and boaslful set of pco-
pie (alwags excepting the English, and on
st. Ratr'ck's day the Irish, and on all days
of the year the French, the Spanish, per-
haps, the negroes of Dahomy, and a few
other nationalities,) in the world. What
we DO not know is not worth knowing,and
what we cannot deal with Is not worth
6ealing with at all. We are prepared to
extend "our Institutions" universal suf-
fagc, free schools, Credit Moblier, repre-
sentative government and "rlngs," an
Nelcctive judiciary and Congressional back
pay, over the whole bonighted world.
VIC tic hiiiuHcN dL luC idCl lndt IItRldnu,
France, Italy, Spain, the Chinese empire,
and the Fejec Islands, do not Immediately
adopt the Constitution of the United States,
the New York City ring, Tammany Hall,
the Democrat and republican parties, and
land grants to all the railroads.
We have certainly started on the road of
national existence with the experience of
all the world behind US. Does it ever oc-
cur TO us that we are in some things not
yet emerged from barbarism, and that in
certain things we are immersed in dark
ness and stupidity, which all civilized ma
tions groped out from several centuries
ago.
Here IL this Indian question. A pack of
wretched outlaws hold at bay a United
States army for weeks. They shoot an
able and much beloved officer of high rank
and many services, and send a horror
through the land. The newspapers shrek
for their determination"
Nothing but their Dissemination" (your
American newspaper man likes long
word) will satisfy the newspapers. But
the Modocs have, like other people, an OBJ
lection to being exterminated-need we
be surprised ?-and according TO present
appearances have taken to extermnatfng
our soldiers. Whether you terminate or
exterminatc the Modoc, it would seem TO
be necessary first to catch him. And your
Modoc is not 10 be caught at present.
Meanwhile we have discussions about
the "peace policy" and the "war policy"
and wise dispatches from wise generals,
and reports from the President and the
members of the Cabinet, casting blaze of
light on Indians in general and the lava
beds in particular, and special correspond
ents and illustrated papers making "items"
by the ream.
1t is a subject which may well make a
cool tempered mar disguised. The whole
business is shameful, the most miserable,
disgraceful and wretched business possi-
bic. Every Indian war is reproach to
us among nations, a thing to make an
I American blush for his name.
An Indian, like most men, has chronic
objection to being robbed and killed, And
we have been robbing and killing Indians
for two hundred odd years. 1t begins ear
ly and has been kept up zealously. Mon
ey collected in the parish churches in Eng
land for Indian Mission, was voted by the
Puritan Council Of Massachusetts to buy
powder in the Pequod war. 1t was cheap
or to shoot an Indian than TO convert him.
But the whrlolg of time brings round
its revenges. 1t is said that to get an In
dian shot now costs the Government one
hundred thousand dollars on the average,
two hundred thousand for "brave," and
fifty thousand for pappoose. To get
Captain Jack" well disposed of, will cost
us a million in money, to say nothing of
the lives. A general officer has given it as
his opinion that in point of economy it
would be a great saving for the country TO
board all the living Indians at the Fifth
Avenue hotel.
Here is a race of people whose whole ex-
perence in their relation with us has been
one of fraud, perjury, murder and wrong,
and after two hundred years of experience
we are as imbecile before the question as
we were wrong and unjust at the begin
ming.
We have robbed them, we have jobbed
them TO thieving Indian Agents, we have
smoked peace pipes with them, have shot
them, have written dime novels about
them, have poisoned them with dollar
whiskey, have made treaties with them,
have sent them missionaries, (also the
small pox,) have done all imaginable
things with them except TO find out that
they are men, and like to have opinions
and form conclusions like other men.
Let us look at the great feature of our In
...I
same, whether the policy be peace or war,
and which is the barbarous imbecility un-
derlying all our Indian dealings.
Is the United States Government su-
premc in its .own territory? Almost any
the United States government itself con-
fesses that it is not. "Captain Jack" is
foreign potentate, making war on the Unit
0d States. Gen. Candy and DIR. Thomas
were ambassadors of the United States,
treating with him o. matters of high inn
port as between two Independent powers.
The "lava beds" were the Western Gene
va, and the Indian band stood as distinctly
foreign power as England in the Aaba-
ma business.
What can we expect from such bit of
imbeciie barbarism? One thousand years
ago in Europe il was the barrier in the way
of her civilization that law followed race
and not land that the Romanized Gaul
was governed by Roman law; the Salic
Frank, his conqueror, by Salic law the