New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-05-21
TIE INDIAN PROBLEM.

SUGGESTIONS FROM ONE WHO HAS LIVED LONG IN
THE INDIAN OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES OF THE
RAcE-TURKEY-LEG's STATEMENT OF THEIR
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. GOVERNMENT POLICY.
To the Editor OF The Tribune.
SIR: Long residence among the Indians and
aprety thorough acquaintance with the customs Of sew
eral welknown tribes have qualified me, perhaps. to
offer some suggestions for the consideration OF the pres
ent Administration. The Indians indisputably hui
man beings. They are people Of strong attachments
and resentments. They aperfectly natural people,
When friendly the world exhibits truer or more de-
voted friendship. When they pledge their word they
are never the first to break it. When they tell you
thing for truth once they repeat It, truth
too sacred to be iterated and reiterated done by
pale faces. When they agree to a contract they
adhere to 1t strictly, until 1t is broken by the other
tracing party. They have faith in much "big
talk and heap words" they religously believe that
the heart speaks through the eyes, while the
tongue Is only capper that tolls wordyIbell which
rings down the and substance and rolls out the
sound and sOphistry They abominate loud praying,
hymnbooks. and missionary tracts when those who
distribute that class Of supplies allow their old men.
squaws. and papooses to die from starvation. They
never complain OF a wrong until that wrong becomes
great that even the spirit winds cry for mme
date remedy. They love their children intensely, and
it is seldom II that Indian child rebels against
parental authority. never yet heard an Indian babe
cry unless hurt by ruiian. / heard the old
men complain of friendly whites living among them,
but have heard them bitterly lament over their being
driven en- ndsse from their hunting grounds and the
graves OF their kindred to go into wds without game
and waterle-s wastes to be starved.
never heard either band or head chiefs complain OF
crossing over their country but have heard them
council and out of council complain aud justly too of
OF their best hunting and trapping grounds fore
ing their people 10 leave them for places where grass IL
poor game gone, and waters gone down, and forcing
them leave, too. their land long before the Gov
ernment has bought 1t Of them paid them, even in
part for it, never heard the hunters warriors
plain against the white pioneers who dealt fairly with
them; but have heard them complain of pedders and
agents who have robbed them OF their stock, sold them
bad fire water" stolen Their squaws, and made slaves
OF their young And probably this eloquent extract
from the celebrated speech OF "Turke, Leg" Chlef
OF the Cheyenne band of Sioux four at the
Grand Medicine Council in wyoming Territory, may be
biz race
sands the bottom Of that hg s.er Plate rvr iou hear
the winds that blow around oul You all here this moon
mink and beaver that his rel children might have something live
b, and y the whit men viii here many blades Of grass
those nd and before @ moon goes round and round and
lime to trail ne h to 9ani the game and tP he is hs 1os
New iork ana a'neson viii Sioux nan very bad Soui In
Republican, snok, III Sioux Indians l
aa . 10 ap D NE bean eo sa great
s s wnS na % no DoS or sss a
in corral sing n pray loud ~ ire have no aoIe. or ea and
(ponng the West Aud how much viii they pay
Where TIE tmoueyl lalif see
council so,na herra pmse pUmsel promise to paw and
never paw Ugh bad bad promise All promise AMI Will
India AMI then the
satisfied when tie rel all dead aud dug under
There i the whole or the lndlan ana MS
white aggressOr. Final determination to the Indian
race ~ cry the aggressors; corral them! cry the
y-gettlug agents, put them IN territory by
themselves" cry the humanitarans hut who Is there
in this broad land of Christian privileges 10 raise the
sensible aud cry of 9" Let the Indians have
white mans law, u white mans justice. and white
mans Government % Abolish the Whole Indian Bureau
imprlson the swindng agents until they shell ont their
ill-gOttcn gains give citizenship To every luudu VINO
will put the wnitc mans dress; break up the tribal
system by giving them the benefits and penalties OF the
law administered by and TO white men; use the Idle
military OF tbs plains to execute the law when violated
by either Indian white mau; Danish the pedd ers and
swindng traders let the Indians select their own store
keepers for business Transactions give them I'D
locate where they please Whenever they put on
citizens clothes; pay them for their lands when bought
of them aud allow each male Indian to hold dispose
OF his acres he may deem h to whom he NAV see
IT. In short as smart enough 10 make white
man a negro, now let us be honest enough TO make
of the original owner and true native OF the
United States There Is common sense III mat justice
requires il: the Indian and every Samaritan III the
United States demand It,
stop hls tOmfoOlery Of attempting 10 make FARMERS
of Indians barren lands The Indian race are stock
raising people. Give them herds OF cattle and horses,
instead OF agricultural implements aud Government
wagons give them kindness instead OF nfe-arls give
them law instead OF lead Justice instead 81 lOurueyngs
Every who has ever lived III an lnIlan country
knows the Indian character and Is honest IN his con
victons right unbiased by pecunary or local preu
dice Will indOrse this policy or treating WIN tf
Indian race and commend II, as DO 10 the favorable
con ,ideration OF Just ald honorable people.
MdrtiHsturgh, Penn, April 80, ls7i FRANh'