Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1873-05-16

cause of this contempt for human rights.
Now if the true idea of modern civilization
| be like in principle to DIR. Newman's ex-
ceedingly utilitarian doctrine of euthanasia
if it is to exterminate everybody that is
non-producing, worthless, an obstacle in
the path OF material progress, surely there
are a great many white gamblers, cut
threats and desperadoes that ought to be
despatched at once, for they are as much
non-producing of anything but blood and
riot, as impossible to utilize, as an Indian.
The failure of our troops to dislOdge these
sayages is not remarkable; in the first place
the Modoc is not 'cowardly Digger In
dian," but belongs to a race of Indians dis
tinguished above all others in that country
as energetic, warlike, and of keen natural
intelligence; the ability with which they
learn to accurately handle our most improy-
ed weapons shows this. and that veteran
regular army officer and frontier fighter
Gen. Frank Wheaton, in his recent report,
says that " in % years service against say
age and civilized enemies he has never en-
gagged more strongly posted, better armed,
or more skilful foe" Nobody can read the
account ofthe last fight with the Mod0cs
without feeling certain that the gallant, ac-
compllshed officers were in the main desert
ed by their cowardly men; the non-cOmmis-
stoned officers stood their ground, but the
men made no stern fight by the confession Of
the official report The recruits for the
regular army since the war are in large pro-
portion the lowest grade of foreigners.
They have small natural intelligence
many of them have bean criminals, are ex-
cessively incorporate. and are said to ex-
hibit that natural want of manly courage
that usually goes with mind and physique
brn 10, nd Il L.
ti0usness. We enlist to fight the foe that |
Gen. Wheaton, of the hard fighting 9th |
corps during the war, describes as the most |
skiltul he ever met. a class of men inferi or |
to the MOdOc in natural courage and ability, |
his equal IN savagery, not more than his |
equal in acquired intelligence and ability. |
This explains the MOdOc fight it was lust |
50 during the war; the Goth New York |
Regiment recruited from low Germans in
the slums of New York city, always ran
away in action, as the Vermont Brigade can
testify on more than one occasion.
Keen children of caves, rocks and forests
to be quickly conquered must be proceeded
against by something better than cavalry
from "COnnaught Row, " in New York city,
whose courage makes them corner roughs"
and bar-room bullies abroad, and wife beat
ers at home, better than that stolid infantry
with enthusiasm when they scented Linn
burger close al hand, and battles from qfar,
the farther the better. | don't expect to
make "a Christian gentleman of the In
dian, but what is the use of making 5qrjar-
iaRs Of ourselves, simply because the In
dian persists in preferring to be barbarian?
This is very like exeusing yourselffor drink
ing with or selling rum to n drunkard on
the extraordinary moral plea that The
won't stop, ''he is good for nothing else
and that you don somebody else will"
As a practical question, the Indian, let US
grant for the argument, may not be worth
saving, but our own moral character a. a
nation Is worth maintaining against cOrrup
ton, and the only way we can put ourselves
right Is to protect the peaceable and law
abiding Indian against all Outrages at the
hands Of government agents, traders. and
to instruct him A. far a pos
sible, and to punish the criminal Indian
with the swiftest and sternest penalty We
nhIct on white men for similar crimes \
one day, a cheating government
agent the next, a lawless white man going
unpublished for outrage the third. i, a fair
picture eff the ordinary course ofIndian ex-
)erences during the past twenty years !
md | respectfully submit that a Christian |
nation seriously asking a solution of the diff
lculty, ought not TO content itself with the
nhumanity and brutal flippancy Of Sheri- Z
ian : ceusure that ''there could be no good ,
indian but a dead Indian" The sword
won't cut all ''Gordian Knots in this :
world. Yours.