Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-05-01
one of the Causes.


cod that a general Indian war was
no Dohoble One, published yesterday morn
i, sovo ,that a general outbreak of the
,n l,3,o ~ in Eastern Oregon is feared, and
iuo' so,t,ers have requested the Governor
w w. .So stote tofurnish them with arms.
ca Can Francisco dispatch, published
q says "a general border war is
cared owing to the bad faith OF the
- .arornment agents with the Indians on
! ~ roservations, and the encouragement
.ro latter have received by the example
'f tbo Modocs." Still another telegram,
y,,hlished the same day, states that
,ronble Is expected with the Nez Perces;
an Oregon tribe numbering some three
.ronsand warriors, and adds "should
,bav succeed in their purpose, another
indian war of greater proportion than
.nv before known on that frontier may
-, avnocted. as that tribe are advanced
IN civilization, having been under the
t,i,ion of Catholic missionaries, and are
rrsoared to fight with desperation for
,boir homes, as they claim they have
never molested the whites and are
anxious to obtain a position Of influence
o,nonc Christians. While we do not
oonrehend that there is any particular
Danger of a general-that is a combined
Indian war, yet we consider it more
than probable that war will rage with
rraater or less number of tribes, all along
the border, during the coming summer
There is a reason why it should be so,
aside from the natural proneness of the
Indian for war, treachery and blOodshed.
The whites are the cause of 1.-THE in
nocent cause too. 1t is not to be ascribed
$50 the bad faith of the government
AGENTS with the Indian on the reserva-
ton. nor is it because the neIghboring
whites, as was alleged in reference to
the Ntz Perces, "cOvet their lands.
There is no doubt that the Indians are
stirred up to revolt and resistance, at
this particular time. on account of the
success Of Captain Jack and the Modocs.
They do not stop to reason-if, indeed,
they have the power to reason-in refer
epce to the nature and position of the
lava beds, but they only look at the
success there achieved by Captain Jack,
and. from it, underrate the power of the
United States. The moving cause, how
,y Dr.. at present, is the encroachments
of the white The proper, legitimate,
peaccfnl encroachment of the whites.
Every treaty that has been made with
the Indians, providing for their removal
west. for half a century-eyen before
the peace policy was thought of-has
contained a provision that has made
such an outbreak possible sooner or
la'er. These treaties provide, in sub
stance, that the Indians, may roam,
hunt, fish, etc, anywhere outside of
their reservations, except on private
property" For years. this exception
has been practically meaningless, there
being no private property within hun
lrcds of miles of the bounds of the
reservations The purpOrt OF these
treaties, when made, was that the In
dams could roam at will. The so under
stood II, because, at the time, they
could. aud they, naturally, supposed it
would always b. so. With the adyanc-
inc tide of emigration, however, settle
mcbts are already made on land located
ap to the gerry borders of the reserva-
tions. The Indian, when he starts on a
hunting or fishing expedition is met by
the white, who attempts to EJECT him
from his land. The Indian cannot OF
wifi not understand that the ownership
Of the former wilderness has changed,
and rcsents any and all attempts to con-
fine him to Ids reservation. He retaliates
by murder and stealing, and Justihes
himself on the plea that he IS not treated
according to treaty stipulations, and that
the whites coyet his land. This, be 1t
understood, ia all aside from the inner
emf savage nature, of which we have
more than once expressed our opinion.
It has no more to do with the peace
policy than 1t has with any other policy
slopted toward the Indians since the
foanIation of the government. 1t is
and always will be GAUGE of trouble be-
tween the whiteman and the Indian, and
it is one. as we have said, that the In
.lian either cannot or will not under
stand 1t affords, however, sufficient
ground for a certain class of men tC
stand upon in declaiming against the bao
faith Of the government agent with the
Indians on the reservations, and OF the
action Of the settler in ''coveting theil
lands We do not see how any wis
dom or foresight can provide against
such a contingency. Either the adyanc
ing tide of emigration must be turned
back from the West, or the Indian must
be made to abide by his treaty stipula
tons. There is as much morality, hui
manity and christianity in settling the
West with the whites andprotecting thu
settlers as in caring for the Indian W.
think these causes would be more ad
yanccd by the speedy settlement of thu
West, even to the Pacific coast, will
hardy white men than in guarding, pro
tecting and teaching Indians on reserva
tions. We think, however, that tn
rapid and constant approaching of farm
and cultivated fields, with the conse
ouent confinement of the Indian within
closer bounds, sufficiently accounts TO
the present ''war clond, without ascrit
ing it to the bad faith, misconduct an
covetonsness Of white men.