, 1873-04-25
THE INDIAN QUESTION.
Gcns Sherman on tao Proper Trcnt~
rncrlt of tho SnvnEcH.
Tho following Ia q 1ettor from Con, Sherman


s'n' 'noann sa,na,. on ~ tIo seefrne rronor 1e'''"
Tho following Is D letter from Con. Sherman
to a friond In WASHINGTON.
usApouAn7rss Aumr or THE us1rxp srarEs.)
WARRINGTON. b. g., Anil II, ls73.
md nm unwilling In private 1otter to expross
my opinion on alt tho questions you mako.
Tho army hae no "polioy" about Inlians or
anything olso. It hna no voico in Congress-, but
The 1--we Is onacoa e9 the sd dPtosro.t
them with aa much intelligence fidelity, and hui
manity as any other body of cttigena. From tho
organization of Government up to 1850, tho In
dams 4, md Indian Duroau wore under tho
civilization aud Chrlsttailization of tho In-
diaus tbus fnr accomplishod, occurred un-
1or army sunorrision.p To.day in oasn
an Indian su1forp wrong, I bolfovo he viii
bo moro iiko]y to eppoui to tho Commanding OIL
cor Of tho noarogt military rost than to biz own
agont for Ia tho QUO hc noea with hia eyoB tho
evidence Of forco to compel obedience, whoro-
as In the other nothing Of tho kind. In like
manner bclieve tho ann,,itics to treaty Indians
y through army ohlcofs as through civilians.
And whom Indians have committed deprada-
ttons-aa Is very oommon-and the annuities are
oltargoablo with tho amount OF damages, such
mandlng officer haying soldiers M at hs back than
BY an agent afraid OF Lis nfo, aa too many OF
thom are and have reason to bo. Tho present
Indian agents, hH class, are very good mon
ages alone respect:
Tho existing policy, usun'ly caliod tho poaco
policy, ia to gradually assemble tho wandering
tribes on reservations, with boundaries olearly
aonnea, and tnen, through clviaans, 10 instruct
cato thom aH Tar as possible. TO this think no
army officer ohjoosa. And, further, when the
Indians leave their reservations to steal murder,
and plumber, they foil under tho Jurisdiction OF
things, but 1t would require ten times our
present army to mako q Gordon around tho
reservations, 80 that murders arc done, THO
stealing Of cattle, l,orses, oto., porpotratoa,
md th9 inns quickly escape to tnsf
follow them; SO that IN fact thoso rosor-
vntione nelp fnon ~ tnelr lucrative onsinoss.
nm safoin saying that hah tic horsoa md mulos
now owned " tho n MoWas, Commences, uhol-
dlans all ut peace, with ogenoes ana aun'llsles,-
hayo boon Btoien from tho United states or from
eItizons; have myaef seen, a. the Kiows M 9; and and
oomanch9 Agency md at several q me si9u5 ! ,s
up to bo packed With annuity goods, and never
heard OF an agent demanuine inc RESTITUTION OF
one for TINT reason and, though murt!ors arc OF
go froauons occurrence, DO not hear q the nanr-
dorors boing surrendered, as ls required by tho
onnoB are Ut peace, the army huH to sond escorts
with all trainH md parttos Of surveyors
WHO 60 rlghtful!y to WORK within ti1o borders o.
such states as lAnneae and Ne6raeRa. Rs though
| actual war oxtstod. All. will venture to assert
nov than II VIC wo1o actually ct war, and could
| anticipate dopsedatione aud t9llow the perpotrn.
tofa 70 tha'f very camp, a9 81 aid IN nc caso OF
tho ktowas Two years ago; linen .I,a tue Iexas pep
| plo wero conatantly complaining that the treaty
Indians wore depredating On thor properly,
killing t1oir people nnu taxing faineo On ehelf
Eesoryatlnnn. wonla liot poioSo ~ nnt,! wont
n person ,ana was aotualy heAr py WAen oansauts
whom was found burned, tled at tho wagon On
~ | W. s ~" hoo:i @ ~ te he doaa na,'' = w ~;
tao approval or sao aRens, UT; Ut tasn ar1oss,
~ nl hna ivy os1oss @ Ky .1'ot hot a. .hu ~
nor t5la NOV az" t6a e4at an1snta ho'n e
20 DO tnlnoa looso agMnl a.1nough oonoyo 10
haa cqmmitsoa Mty mnroefa, ana bas notofloas-
" violated every promise nltaefto maao' a -
no eeneral rug VII AasMer 1or t1o goYoln, gais
ment q eVery tIibe, but eaeh must % tIoated t
according to tloir conduct, and, think, tho
army otlcats are hottor qnaliuod 70 Judge than
tho average Of oitizena, though an py no
moans anxious that this disagTeeap1e autJ
should bo imposed on u.s. the Christian
wish them all euccoas: bnt' surely, tho %nltt
people who venture into the Tlidernees to labol
ana toll, are entltleu 70 inc pEotectlon OF lnen
lives and property and It Ia natural that they
l 2
the exclusive privilege Of Congress to doyise the
best moans to aocuro this end
Many good pooplo residing east OF the Alle
ghanies mistake tho character Of tho emigrnn
population who haye Of lato years brought mill
Ions Of aores under cultivation, and produced
fifty or sixty millions Of gold and silver, where
twenty years ago, q whito man dared not ven
ture. These people arc Of the same kind as set
tied In Ohio, Indiana, and Iowa; they are a
good aa no arc, md wore We In their stead W!
would act just as they do. I know it, bocauso
have been one Of them. They now pay their full
share OF taxea aud contribute to our nationR
wealth and power. AH r,1lo tho omgrnnts d
object that tho Indians should forever remail
non-producers. boggara, mud robbors, II no
worao Il tho Indians are willing. to work, q
they used to, in the gold mines Of California
nobody will prevent them. SO to-day, IT th'
Choyennes. Arnpahoes and Kiowaa win utiliz'
tho beautiful pastoral land assigned them ii
raising stock, they viii aoon become tho richest
people in tho Southwest; but this thoy have no
done, and it ,looha as though, they mover will
And the question will surely arise. and that ver.
| soon, how long u1ust the Government continu