The Andrew County Republican. [volume] (Savannah, Mo.) 1871-1876, 1874-03-20
THE INDIAN QUESTION.

During the discussion of the bill for
the protection of buffalo in Territories
in the e. S. lIonsc of Representatives on
The 10th inst, Hon. |. c. Parker spoke
rs follows with reference to lis bearing
on tire Indian policy:
This bill for preventing the useless killing Of
buffalo Seems To have led 10 II discussion oil the
Indian question sorTcw hat. The position of the
:: creiury Of the Interior j. this; il IL one forced
u,nn him by the demands If the settlers IN The
Western States and Territories. Ms nnsitioh l.
simply that IL YOU would prevent collision hc-
tween the whites anf the Indians in that country,
and civiIize the Indians. You must coiiiinc them
10 their reservations. He has been forced Ivy cN-
,rrjencr 10 this pue;tion rom the fact that al,
The dcprrdatiOnS committed by these Indians
stpon the settlers In the West have been commit
ted by bands of hunting parties who have come
down from the reservations to hunt The buffalo.
Only last summer, in the STATE al Ne'iraska.
.i-litv-odd peaceful Pawncc Indians were killed
by sioux hunting parties.
You may take it rs an established fact that
whenever drprr,laiib ms are committed upon
white settlers ia that country. IL has been by
partie, OF young Indians who are of on q hunt.
And so long as thcs. Indians are permitted 10
leave their Reservations upon the prctcNt that
they are hunting game for their support 80 long,
in the opinion of the Secretary. and IN my opin-
ion also, will You have depredaiions upon the
western settler.
Nv friend from Kansas Mr. Lowc) SAYS You
never can cirilizr the Indians by starving them.
sir, look III your mammoth Indian appropriation
bills, ami you will find that YOU are appropria-
ling Just a much. aye, even more, for These hIIni-
ing and roaming Inii in- IL You are fhr those VIII"
2rc Becoming civilized anu cbniining themselves
- their reservations.
Another word upon this point. In my juls-
!acnt the grra1 key 10 the solution of this Indian
problem is 10 coniinr tlrSr Indians upon rs small
a tract nj land ~ pas>illc, ami II possible To
make it a necessity for them Ia learn to labor
and to get Il Susteaance frnII The soil IL the the
,,l,,f. ,..,,. t,-- .tl s,.f lal..n.t ttnl fh.. ri Yer
and the plains To furnish them their fish and their
game. That is the reason why the Secretary of
the Interior cntcrtains this opinion; 1t, not onI
of any desire To starve the indians into ciyilza-
lion, becaIi>e the fact il that ihc-e Very Indians
who go or upon the hunt are the cla-s VIII" are
fed most largely out of the bounty cl the Govern
mrnt. They are necessarily fed, because they
will not work 50 long as they can hunt, and they
must be SUSTAINED. The civilized luiiins-tlic
Choctaw, the Cherokee, the Greek, the Seminole,
and many other tribes l might ni~cn,ion-huve
l.sg since abandoned The hunt, aud as Il cons--
qucnce Of such abandonment. they are becoming
civilized ami Ciri,tianizci, and preparing them
selves to assume q posi- ion similar Ia that held
and enjoyed ny any citizen OF this country.
! think The position of the Secretary al the In
terror from that standpoint Il Il sound one.
This bill may be Il gpTl bill, one necessary Ia
preserve the animals irOn wanton and ,ic>truc-
zion. But | do not believe II is necessary To pre-
serve them in order L" support and maintain and
these buffalo exist it will have just the ~"plsi,iir
effect. 81 long as YOU pursue the present Indian
policy.
On the 18th, Mr.. Parker made the fol-
lowing remarks with reference to the
Indian appropriations:
MIR. Chairman, my friend from Kentucky (Nlr.
Beck Yesterday, in his Remark. made Il STATE
in-ni from which, if il is not corrected "r rather
explained, there HAY br a mi>conrrution uf The
real Facts by the linn>r and the country. For
the purpose of correcting that statement ! shall
drtain the committee for Il few moments AT this
time.
IL stated that there WAS appropriated for the
expenses of the Indian Department for the pres
cnt fiscal year by ii,. bill of the last Congress
- $685. 90. That i capable of an explanation,
p~riation was not for expenses of the Indian srrv-
ice proper. II Is true that 10y the regular appru-
priatipI bill PASSED al the last session Of Cam
Srr>>, and by The deficiency bill passed at the
same SESSION, there were appropriated 81. ILL.,
80 ~. \ very considerable portion of that up-
preparation was not for the purpose of .elraying
the expenses of the Indian Department, or for
maintaining and feeding the Indians, or fulfill
Ing treitic, with them, but WAS simply a pro
t0rald appropriation. For example. sir, there
were appropriated in the regular deficiency hill
"fihe last session of The last Congress 81 CO.
$40, which WAS really the money III an Indian
tribe tosa2e>) formerly residing in kan,a,.
Now, these thee items aggregate
Si.9I, SIS. That leaves appropriated by the de-
iicicncy aii't regular appropriation bills for In
'iIii service proper 81, l.l, 10 ~ Now. il can
not le trulhfully said that all this amount belongs
to the current fiscal year, bccau-e there wer. APP
Iropriatcd To make up de deficiencies arcr1Iing dur
ing the Last f-cil year sGiS, isg. This, subj acted
from The ST. i9D, UDI vi, leaves 81. Al SIS II, The
amount that was appropriated for the present
fiscal year, and which properly belong. 10 tn.
current EXPENSES of the Indian Department. and
IN fnlinl fp..afl,a. with IN, Ipfi.,-