The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1873-01-20

naDu, speaking Vi luuianS Vi tho saiio
Chppeway nation living within twenty to
sixty miles Of the border, SO having more
or less contact with the whites, the same
agent says: "They are constantly threat
ening some one, and occasionally killing
an OK or a horse, or burning house.
They are lazy, indolent class of people,
living on fish, wild rice and stealing"
and dangerously saturated with whisky
and unclean diseases" we learn from the
report of their physician; while the ply
sician's report Of the Red Lake bands show
them to be almost entirely free from the
above diseases, and the degenerating inHu-
ences of intoxicating drinks; their immu-
nty from these conditions being plainly
due to the fact that the whites do not
come in contact with them to entail these
sutferings upon them.
These illustrations may be made more
extensive, and the same general remarks
apply to other border and hostile tribes,
when contrasted with the more interior and
remote tribes, viz: "Gros Ventres, ""Assi-
niboines," "Bannacks," Mountain and
River Crows" (some of the latter being
admitted filthy,) and the majority Of the
tribes within the "Indian Territory"
Those in this latter domain, until this date,
have been kept in the main sacred from
the encroachments of the white man, ex-
cept for short period during the rebel
lion, when the whites, entering their terri
tory, bred the only dissensions and ca
lamties that have befallen them since
their location upon that reservation, now
more than quarter of century ago.
Now that the resumption of peace has in
great degree rid them of those evils, they
are rapidly advancing and increasing, under
the impetus of the civilization bred within
their borders.
would here call special attention to the
nations of the Indian territory, and to the
fact of their having developed a higher
grade of civilization in their midst than
any other considerable body of Indians
within our borders further, our relations
with them are of more peaceful and
happy character than with any others in
our country; therefore. it is to be hoped
Congress will take cognizance of the mex
pediency, folly and cruelty of any action
whose object is the establishment of ter
ritorlal form of government over the Indian
territory, before it can be shown that the
territorial governments now established over
other lands occupied by Indians produce at
least equally bene6eent results to them. If it
is argued that the white mans gain coun-
terbalances the Indians ruin, would
urge: First, that the advancement of the
former is not, and should not be necessarily
in direction and manner ruinous to the
Indians and, secondly, that no material
advantage to the whites, based upon moral
wrong, can be real gain. While calling
upon Congress to recognize all these things,
we will pray that they also listen to the
pleading of the people Of that territory,
who are struggling successfully into a civ
ilized mode of life and, finally, listening
to the dictates of justice and common
sense, insist on letting "well enough"
alone.
To return and conclude the illustration
of contrasts between those living in contact
with, and those living remote from, the
whites, we find by official report that the
Bannacks referred to "are intelligent, will
ing to work, and boast of the fact that not
one of them ever shed the blood of white
man, These are far removed from the
whites, in the Rocky Mountain wilderness.
So also to a great extent are the "Gross
Ventres and Crows" upon whom we learn,
from the reports Of their agents, hostile
Indians have been operating in vain to in
duce them to war upon our people. The war
like tribes have learned by former
contacts with the white men that they will
defraud and degrade them mercilessly and
without stint, hence those that are not de-
bauched and destroyed by them have a
spirit of vengeance aroused, which thereaf-
ter becomes the motive power of their life
toward their white foe. The only justice
this great nation offers them is what
they can find in the blood of their victims
consequently they take this only thing that
cruelty both to them and the sufferers is left.
Can nation be called great which thus
permits and tempts the immolation of its
own citizens upon an altar of blood and in
Justice? We respectfully submit that to
such things contact with the whites and I'M
fulfilled treaties bring the Indians.
Among those who heretofore have escap-
ed the unjust dealings Of the government
and the vicious contact of frontiersmen,
injustice" is SO rare a sin that it is
difficult for them to realize that it is so
much more common sin among us; there
fore, and that they may never be the first
aggressors and wrong-doers, they refuse to
take the hearsay statements so steadily
poured in upon them by Indians of other
tribes against us. They need to first ex-
perience in their own personality, as tribe
or nation, the injustice their red brethren
of other tribes tell them of, before they
will believe and act with the spirit that
such belief and knowledge must necessarily
a. a-. o.s0.