The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-06-02


sole professors OF the Indian against the album
dant "desperadoes, thieves and andsharks and the
border rufIlan." An nnprejudiced reader would
declare the report Of the Indian Commission, ct
their late session In New York. TO be an Indictment
against all citizens living IN the region OF indians
mo degree Of exaggeratiOn or falsehood Ii too
gross to be unhesltatingly accepted by the public
OF debauchery This statement might be pardoned
in political partisan, but comes ungraci0usly
gravity dignity and vast worldly wisdom. 1t is not
true so far as the Pacific coast Is concerned. The
report is but on attempt to eanonize the
and ext0l, without reason, pet policy. 1t
asserts that their policy Is alone competent
ignores any good element In the previous admins
tration Of Indian affairs. ut is now going to APP
point honest agents and to protect peaceabe tribes
from the 0utrages OF desperadoes, thieves and land
sharks" ats method OF procuring honest agents
is to take their nominations out OF politics ahd put
the munder the control 0fregious societies. the po
itical agents formerly appointed having been gen.
orally dishonest and reckless OF the wellbeing OF
the Indians" How very easy to frame theory,
rem OF good result or even OF partial accomplish
mentl II the commissioners could bring present
the sons OF God their plan might succeed, and in
no other event. Their onslaught upon former
agents Ii alike nsidious and unjust. The names OF
some forty agents whom have personally known
warrant me in so saying, and the Western
people will scout all such utterances the feebest
attempt to cover over inettciency and iailure-tO
whitewash the sepulchre of pOwwow policy, and
expect discriminating public to think there is life
ncv e reporH a 81 tn ouf S years TINS
ment and Indians by the breaking up or rings, the
discovery and prevention Of frauds, the unearthlng
and dismissal VI dishonest agents. &c. Ii this he
true, would suggest the giving OF satisfactory rea
sons for SO large
AN INCREASE IN THE INDIAN APPROPRIATIONS
this year. Former squanderings OF money never
exceeded the appropriations, and why should
larger sum be needed for the honest dealings OF
this policy than sutliced Tor former annuites sal
aries and stealings combined2 The fact Is, the In
dams are rapidly decreasing In numbers and In
been saved in That time by the cessation OF
Indian wars, Tor am quite sure the army has
never been buster in lighting Indians than
been such general inquietude and tendency
TO outrage among the Indians as during this aus
picious regime Of the peace policy. In 1870 the
ct arms. Early in 1871 the Apache war began, and
Is. hope Just ended, not by Vincent Collyer and
.. o. Howard, but by soldier; and now the Modoc
bids fair to be perpetual. And interspersed all
along these times there has been q constant burial
o. OILS q ts ana
property upon the frontier arising from the peace
policyG The report AYERS That "the Presidents
and its attendant deplorable sacrifice OF innocent
blood" why did 1t not do itY There was fine
field and plenty OF time. For three years the
Superintendents and agents had officially
notified the authorities that the Modocs had ''lclt
their reservation without cause or provocation,n
ings'' were ineXcusable. Yet nothing was done.
ana now the Commission absolutely claim that
''neither the Board nor its officers nor as we be-
lieve, the President OF the United States nor the
Secretary Of the Interior, had the slightest
to suppose any other mode OF settlement (than the
making OF a new reservatiOn) was cont emplated
until startled by the telegraphlc announcement OF
the first collision between the troops and the
Indians" Row can this thing bei
REVIEW OF THE MODOC DIFFICULTY.
The collision was on November 30 1872 Early
in the Spring OF that year superintendent Odeneal
informed the Indian Department that the Modocs
"by maraudings had forfeited all claim TO con-
ana on the Sn Of april ds Com
have the MOdoc Indians removed, II practicable, to
the reservation set apart for them under the
effect that object, Commissioner Walker, on the
S gay 81 's is t wos Mdn COM
cerncd, are approved ana you are directed to re-
move them to the Klamath reservation pcaceably,
II you possibly can, but forcby II you must" &c.
Under that order Mr.. Odeneal acted. This was all
well known upon the Pacific coast, and during the
States Army, informed me he expected to have
that business to 40. With such a record how can
this Commission say such things and evade the ad
seeming excuse that the int0xication arising
from the honors OF their office had lufed them into
SEEK TO shin the resnonsibiIity upca snpern
tendent Odeneal, ana charge tnat ''he seems to
have supposedi 1t TO be his duty TO remove the Mo-
docs to the klamath reservation" His superior
ordered him to do SO in any event. Orcby IT lie must.
Mr.. Odeneal is an energetic able and honest
officer, shrinks from duty, and this attempt to
dlsh0nor him as an officer Is but on par with
many other improper things in that report, and is
IN perfect keeping with the Eastern habit OF ira
duclng the jewellers upon the Pacific coast can
not silently suffer that insult ana injury shall be
done to q worthy man, and that men, faring sump
speak OF the conduct Of an officer enduring all
manner OF privations and danger in literally obey
ing orders they should have supervised. Again,
this report charges that sIndians are shot cold
blood to excite war for the sake OF It's attendant
expenditure OF money! and that lit Is an inds-
putable fact OF history that, previous the
Ing OF the present administration OF the govern
ment, nearly every Indian war on record owed its
immediate as well as ITS remote origin to acts of
injustice, oppression or crime on the part OF white
men," Ii the Commission rely upon true history
for proof then their cruel assertion stands UNI
proven. II II be Injustice, oppression ana crime
industriousy earn his living and competence on
the frontier, Drawing danger in an Indian country,
then Ii will stand as proven Why do not the Com
mission cite instances, so that the American peo-
pie, as jury, may form their own verdict Every
frontier settler will know the assertion Is unwar-
ranted in fact. Let me give
OREGON TESTIMONY.
In 1S4s uhe Cayuse war;, when Indians unpro-
vokedly murdered the missionary Whitman and
twenty-six eompanions-the very persons who had
devoted their lives to cviizing these very savages.
In 1852 company of United states dragons
and. Ben Wrlght's company OF volunteers
went out to protect emigrants and punish
their murderers. After burying ,hirty-two
murdered emigrants in Modoc ground Wright
slew the murderers in open hight. He had
been born and bred Quaker, anu adopted the true
policy. In 1855 the war in Southern Oregon begun
by the brutal murder OF an unsuspecting drover
ana OF John X. Hardin and others by
the Indians. In 1855 and 1856 the Rogue
River and Yakima war by almost simultaneous
Indian murders, committed 400 miles apart-the
third murder in the north being that OF Indian
Agent Boon, within twenty miles OF my home. In
1858 and 1859 by the horrible murder and revolving
mutllation of emigrants by the snake Indians far
away east of all white settlements. In 1865 by
murders by the snakes along distance OF 200
miles In oregon, and OF the most OF which am per-
sonally cognizant That war closed in 1863 ana
now comes the Modoc war, which the Commission
seek TO hide under broad assertion tnat attempts
are being made IN more than one quarter OF the
West TO excite war with peaceable tribes OF lndi-
ans and prove this by doubtful dream OF de-
moralized military officer at frontier post who
writes, II am afraid every day that some OF these
rullans will Kill an Indian to bring on war; This
kind OF proof, while perfectly incompetent, is eN-
ceedingly feeble as supporting the formal Judgment
OF an august tribunal. The truth Is the Indian
needs no suggestion by the wrongs OF others TO
impe him TO his cherished work oi death anu plum
der. His superstitiOn is held sacred from birth