The Rock Island daily Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1872-1873, 1873-04-30
BEEF PoR TIE INDIANS

Among the items Of news called out by
the modoc massacre is one stating that
large bills are In the Treasury awaiting
payment for beef furnished 10 the In.
dams J Can any one give the shadow Of
reason why the Indians should not furn-
ish their own beef and have a large sur
plus for sale2 They occupy some Of the
finest grazing lands in this country. Rails
ing cattle Is about the first step from say
agery 10 civilization IL COMFORTS with a
nomad life and involves little labor. They
do ruise pOnies-why not eattleP The
answer 10 this question is, that ponies are
useful in war while cattle would be an in
cumbrance and that they prefer stealing
10 raising them. This is all plain enough !;
but when we consider that our Government
is employing agents 10 ChristianiZe and
civilze them, what shall we say of the
policy which thus pays bonus on saw
ageryl If we bar their way 10 this first
natural step toward civilization by supply
ing the wants that lead 10 it, how shall we
hope To teach them the more advanced
art What nonsense IL Is 10 talk Of civ
ilizing people while depriving them Of
the ordinary Incentives TO labor IL is
necessity which drives the average man IN
work Without work he is a savage but
here VIC have powerful government, with
hundreds Of Christian agents, engaged in
the absurd task of retaining savapes BY
doing all in its power 10 stand between
them and Gods law Of labor Our prom
ises OF maintenance are the highest premi-
UNI we can offer to vagrancy and crime
They afford an apology for idleness and
unlimited prOvOcatiOn TO vengeance, for il
IS next 10 impossible that they can be full
filled. | became familiar with one instance
OF the difficulties through which Uncle
Samuel maintains his Indians, and, from
all have learned, the case is not an unfair
specimen OF this Indian maintenance bus
mess About eight years ago a party
started from St Cloud to pay an annuity
to the Red Lake Chippewas The rendez
vous was over hundred miles from any
road. The annuity consisted largely Of
beef, pork, beans, Hour, and blankets The
time was Autumn. Some unavoidable
delays made it late Autumn but the ex-
petition got under way with wagons, horses,
oxen, boats, tents, preacher, and a dozen
or two OF other men whose salaries aver
aged not less than IS per day. The cara |
van dragged its slow length along, day |
after day and week after week creeping /
through long, dried prairie grass, opening |
roads through strips OF timber, cireling /
swamps or wading them, fording streams,
or following their course when they led in
their direction, and so making the boats
relieve the wagons. One part of the party
would cross lakes with the freight, while
the other went round with the animals
and wagons. Sometimes they came tn
places where the water was not deep
enough for boats, and was too deep for
draught animals, or where the ice was too
thin to bear horses and too thick to break
with oar or paddle, and there seemed 10
be no way around or one too long to tray
1rse. Then these representatives of the
noble red man source Of supplies got out
heir long rope, fastened one end around
heir bodies tied the other h the light
icows IN which Mr. Los beef was care.
.ully slowed, got on their SURVEYOR, boots,
'eutured a. place their overcoats and other
iupertiuous clothing in the scows with the
leet, and 50 bent themselves to the work |
4 finding Indians, while the teamsters !
ook wagons and animals by long circuits
o rejoin them when they reached firm
and.
'UR GOVERNMENT THE INDIANS CATERER.
They were, think, nearly two months
eachlng their destination. and all this time
new that their aristocratic highnesses. for
ihose welfare they were turning them ,
elves into draft animals were impatientlv
Taiung for their Winter rations. engaged
D the enobling pursuit of that game found
abundance on their own sacred persons, ]
nd IN improving their minds playing pok s
r and also that, if they failed 10 get their
relght to its destination at something very =
ear the time specified, the poor Indian 4
you'd be very hungry and very angry |
hat his righteous Indignation over his
Irongs would probObly lead him 10 arise in
is wrath and butcher several hundred Wo-
zen ana children, and that if he should be
rlven thus TO express his disapproval off
ncle samuel hardness, the eastern pub- n
would see IN the transaction only anoth- u
instance OF the total depravity of from.
CT settlers, who will continue to provoke
&c Red Stockings of the West 10 such
gorous assertions of their natural rights c
ld superlorltles By dint Of hard pull
" deep wading, and precarious trims
yer bending ice, our expedition reached
Ne august presence of " the party Of the T
rst part IN this feeding transaction, and !
40 the honor % represent their govern
ent us strong ass, bowling down be-
Veen two burdens" Indian savagery and
astern philantrOphy The expedition Re
'st an accident policy company something "a
nsiderabie In paying for frozen feet and y
her injuries and every pound of beef or =
,ur and every pint Of beans eaten by ~
lese Indians that Winter cost the Gov "
nmeut not less than one dollar. Yet y
ey were occupying land on which cattle
uld live, all the year round. in condition -
be capital beet with only the care of cut A,
lg and stacking hay for the Winter, and a.
which deer do live in prime condition all
e year round without care. That such II
stem ever should have been inaugurated
matter for profound establishment, but
at 1t should be continued after fifty wears
terrible experience Of its bloody results .
unaccountable on any other hypothe- sb,
than the reckless determination mi
unprincipled politicians to pre- III,
rye this open road to the pub
purse: That the Indian Bureau is {,
rrupt beyond conception Of moderately CA
nest men Is patent 70 any careful Observ- res
who looks with honest scrutiny into its rec
aus That an administration should OIL
i'm credit for reform in the conduct of he
dian affairs, while spending millions ity
lrly IN the old business of maintaining
ilans, is one of the strongest proofs Of -.
to their own affairs, or III
orance Of them, on the part of the STA
nerican people, which is now threatening q
very existence Of their institutions. SD
PRESENT POLICY A PREMIUM ON
IDLENESs.
What difference is it to us whether the
laKers, Presbyterians, or unregenerate
ners are the Government agents in fos-
ing the vices of these savage hordes ? ii
mt man or set Of men who promise them ri
,ad without work is public enemy, and
are not if his coat be drab, black or but 90.
nut brown. The philantrophy which tn
ks to feed them while they live on lands
dy to TEEN with agricultural wealth, in
ponse to the labor Of child, is a mis- ~
ner and q disgrace TO any man Of ordi- 7
y intelligence. The man who taxes in un,
industry 10 foster idleness and crime is 4 NV
statesman, andthe Administration which Ne,
plies She Indian with beef while herais- all
ponies 70 facilitate the massacre of those ECU
erprising men and women who lead the sTI
IN the Westward march of Empire sw
erves the contempt and exeration of all Pal
Era of the raae The Denteel aHecto OF