Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-05-19

VGR ANOAA4. 49,
The seventh chapter of NordhoHs
s.Northern CALIFORNIA; ETC., describes
in detail the Indian reservation In Men
.docino county, said to contain sixty
thousand acres and to supply an unsat-
isfactory home for one thousand and
eighty one men, women and children.
supported by Government. MIR. Nord-
hoff visited the reservation and OBJ
tanned his statements from Rev. Dir.
Burchard, the Indian Agent who had
the management of this establishment
for supporting Indians in idleness at
the cost of laboring white people. If
there is anything in the United States
that needs reform, it is our dealings
with the aborigines of this con-
tinent, who are trained and used
for purposes of public plumber. For
generations before California was ceaed
by Mexico to the United States, the In
dams residing within its limits were on
friendly terms with missionaries, and
educated to raise stock, grain, fruits,
and vegetables-in fact, obtaining their
living by agricultural industry. Alter
the Americans took possession of the
country, they were employed to clear
land, make hay and do otherfarm work.
The women washed, MIXED, and
churned, and made their services USE
full in many ways. These quiet, harms
less people steadily improved as farm
servants, and were contented and
happy for eight or ten years be-
fore any agitators found out that
they injured white laborers. This
discovery was made, not by the obser-
Yation of white working men m Cali
fornia, but by spectators who believed
that, if the Indians were placed on re-
servations, and supported by appropria-
tons from the Federal treasury it
would open a new mine of wealth to
contractors for Indian supplies. A
corrupt Congress, and no less corrupt
Administrations anctioned this scheme;
an innocent people, working on farms
as their fathers and mothers had done
before them, were driven by United
States troops upon prison groundand are
still kept there at the publicexpense for
themoney that can be made by furnish
ing themthe necessaries of life. Forty
five brave Modocs, antold, resisted Fed
eral troops IN their efforts to make them
public paupcrs, and unhappy prisoners
in place called I" a reservation" After
inquiring into the facts, and with no
personal interest in the matter, Mr..
Nordhoff says: s. repeat that the re-
moval of the Modocs was planned and
attempted to be carried out by the In
dian Bureau officers, they keeping the
military in careful ignorance of their
designs. I do not say too much when
1 say that if Gen. Schofeld had been
informed and consulted before hand,
there would have been no Modoc war,
and Gen. Candy and Mr.. Thomas might |
have been alive to-day"
Who dare say how much innocent |
blood has been shed to make Indians |
and negroes "tbe unfortunate wards of |
the Nation ?" Is not this policy of |
the Treasury under one pre-
tense and another the true cause of |
our high import duties, revenue taxes
and licenses, and of our enormous pub
lie debts? To support Indians by the |
hundred thousand as prisoners because
bad white men excite them to acts of |
violence and robbery that they may be
confined, fed and clothed for life, is a
wrong done to all honest people of all |
races, which must not be |
endured. Captain Jack said che was
tired of eating horse meat" Why |
should any Indian. strong and able to
work, have any meat furnished by |
taxing the sweat of a laboring white |
man? Strange, is it not, that inteIi-
gent voters, white or black, should |
support the Republican party which |
robs industry of about one-half of its
Just compensation! Indian paupers
by the labor of voters, and |
the Modoc war with the murder of |
Gen. Candy and Mr.. Thomas, are fair
samples of Republican capacity to
carry on the government of free
people.