The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1873-04-25


The New York Sun, which, by the BY,
is generally correct, says the boasted In
dian policy of the Administration does
not look ike a sucssss The MDdoc war,
after having been marked by the murder
Of a gallant officer and bis Companions,
who were endeayoring to negotiate a
peace, is now t. be prosecuted till the
Nodes are eKterminated. A conflict has
recently taken place On the Upper Platte
between a party of Cheyennes and de-
tachment Of soldiers, and three survey
ors were killed but few days since by
another party of Cheyennes in the Indian
Territory
These troubles are attributed by the
Indian Ring and the Republican party
to those wicked white men who dwell
upon the frontier AMI reap a rich harvest
of bnffaio robes by seilig whisky to In
dams. Such practices cannot be too
strongly reprehended, nor the TENDERS
too severely punished but they hardly
account for the increasing Indian difficult
ties. Does any one mean to say that
Captain Jack band were all drunk, or
that the Cheyennes were drurk who
routed the soldiers the other day on the
Upper Platte If 80 the former have
kept drunk good while without reaching
that stupid state where they can be easi-
ly captured and the latter ride and fight
rather better when drunk than when
sober
If the trouble is caused by selling or
bartering whisky to the Inians, the ques~
ton is. who are the guilty parties Have
choppers, troppers, and small trads
ers and such opportunities for wholesale
Illicit trading az the Indian agents, aud
the large traders who carry on business
under the protection of the Government,
who are usually Indian contractors, and
almost invariably are on intimate terms
with Secretary Delano and the late Chair
man of the Indian Committee in the
United States Sonata, Senator Harlan
But though this whisky business is IN
! doubtedly too furnishing, and sometime.
productive of individual broils, it is not
the prime difficulty. Neither is the fault
in what is known as the peace policy,
though it is worse than useless to TEN
poriZe with Indians in arms against the
whites The trouble lies in the real pur-
pose Of the Interior Department as ad-
ministered by Secretary LELAND This
purpose is to enrich the Indian Ring, OF
which ne is the leading member, no mat
| ter what Indians may be robbed, what
whites may be scalped, or what officers
! assassinated. Indian troubles have been
formented and exaggerated in order to
obtain large appropriations from Con-
! gress to quiet them and then the larger
/ part Of the supplies purchased have been
sold to the white settlers Of the frontie r
/ ami the proceeds divided between agents
contractors, and the Interior Department.
| The goods delivered 30 the Indians have
mostly been bacon, salt, and soap, which
things they do not want, and readily sway
| for few pennies or very httls whisky.
If by any chance an honest mar 90
/ tains position 10 the Indian depart
Tnsnt, he is removed rs soon as his fall
! ing is discovered Commissi oner Walker
was forced to resign because h would
! not lend himself to the rObberies that the
| Ring desired to commit Col Pope was
/ removed from the superiDtendency il
! New Mexico for the same reason Wheu
! he asked under what rule of civil service
/ reform he Was depOsed, Secretary Dslano
informed him that it was simply because
another gentleman had stronger recon-
mendations for the place. And yet Col
Pope was almost the only Superintendent
who could have been found who was no
much Weather when he left Office thar
when Grant appointed him.
What Is needed is not ), N Ici 4 chargi
of policy as the conformatious OF the prnc
tice to the theory. Is - cheaper to fee
Indians than to SIGHT them, ana also IA
better both for them aud for us and It i
cheaper to fight them than to pa
for feeding them AMI then fight them
Bot it would be cheaper than either au
equally beni6cial to buy little hempe
rope and hang a few rascalIg agents an
contractors and if a superior funcCionar
could now and then be Included, it migl
] not he amiss