New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-10-04
support honest men and vote against thieves
their accomplices and tools.
THE HODOC EXECUTIONS.


r. will not be necessary to wait for tho re-
mort which Gen. Schofeld will in good tine
send to the War Department, announcing the
execution of tho sentence of the Modoc muir
derors. To congratulate ourselves and the
country that tho unwholesome subject Is
finally disposed Of An attempt has been mauo
Inv friendly specialists and enthusiastic poets
to represent these Digger chiefs under certain
colors of romance and dignity. But 1t mas
had no effect. The wrongs inflicted on theSe
Indians and on their ancestors are lnc0ntest-
able enough. They have been swindled, cor
rupted robbed, and maltreated since The hour
when they were born, and this prop
erty of persecution is almost the only
heritage which they have received from their
fathers. But this question of inherited wrongs
is not to be considered i'll reference to the
massacre of Tule Lake. The Court which
tried Capt. Jack and his associates wisely re-
fused to take into account the circumstances
which led to the revolt of the ModOcs and
their intrenchment in the Lava Beds. They
are hanged for the killing Of Gen. Candy
and DR.. Thomas. Some of our cOtemDOraries
have been too basty in rejoicing over this
trial and execution, as evincng disposition
to treat the Indians AZ ordinary criminals.
Nothing of the kind has been done. They
have been tried and found guilty by court
martial of violating the laws of war by com
hitting an assassination under flag OF
truce. The trail Of the old precedents
is over us still. The savage il treated, even
in this just and necessary execution, as an
alien enemy, captured and punished for yio-
lating the rules of honorable warfare. The
public will so heartily approve the hanging that
it will not be considered worth while to crltl-
else the way in which it was brought about.
But we need not make any false estimate of
the character or the tendency OF the act. 1t
marks no progress in our dealing with the
Indian question.
The hanging of those half dozen brutal nm
fortunates, yesterday can be justified merely
on the narrow ground that it was not safe to
let them go. Death is not much of a punish
mcnt to men who have so little to live for as
those wretched vermin of the mountains and
deserts, but it is the only one which it seems
possible for the United States Government to
inAict. The State of Texas tried imprisonment,
by way of variety, upon Santanta and Big Tree,
but before they had grown accustomed to their
prison life series OF agency intTigues worked
their case into a political matter, and the Ad-
mini,tratOn is now so much involved IN
it that it seems necessary to release
these mlrderers or break pledged faith
There is nothing which seems easier.
in theory or harder in practice than the adOp-
ton and enforcement of firm and consistent
policy with the Indians, which shall be at
hnli
Grant would like to see such Il policy carried
OUTPUT he does not wish it theoretically
enough to overbear the constant pressure from
the corrupt Indian Rings which disgrace every
border State and Territory, aud which are con-
tinually intervening to prevent any measures
which will diminish their chance of plumber.
Our Indian population now consists of some
three hundred thousand. The Alaskans num-
Der seventy thousand, leaving within the
limits of our States and Territories only two
hundred and thirty thousand OF these, seventy
thousand are more or less civilized, and only
about one hundred and sixty thousand can be
properly classed as wild" If We re-
garded the tribal organizations of these wild
men we should have not much less than a
hundred nations to deal with. The most sen
sible law which Congress has passed in recent
years is that of 1871, which forbids the recog-
milton of these tribes by treaty. In theory
the President and Congress are in harmony in
their policy. There is nothing in the law to
prevent the application Of the only eficaciOus
and reasonable systematic one which we
have steadily advocated. Treat these
wild Indians as paupers while they
remain on their reservations and
as criminals when they leave them.
Their support will cost under this system, less
then the expense Of killing them. OF course
the agents would steal some of their corn and
blankets, but they could not rob either the
Indians or the Government IA they now do
whenever there is a war. We might say some
thing in regard to the morality of the matter,
but the considerations of economy and expedi-
ency seem sufficient by themselves.
TIE MARKET PRICE or HONESTY.