, 1874-02-18
THE Sioux MAsSACREs.
h ne Etlisor Of Tho Chicago Tribune;

h fhs Editor Of Tho Chtcaqo Tribune:
sln, Last fall We Ind glowing accounts OF
Commissioner Drunotss. summon labors In maxi
Ing troahes with whole tribos Of wild Indians;
md tho people took 1t for grantoa that these
treatios converted act OF ouonlios into friends,
and wore, therefore, worth all tho millionB they
had or would coat. but tho official report OF tho
indian Department. whom 'docliuing to roauco Its
esttmatoa for tho coming ycar, threw quite
new light on the subject, aud informed lib that
these treatios Ind boon tho contamination Of our
sucooBsful woong OF n fow moro thousand ln-
dians to gvo up working for living aud "co'i-
sont to cat' t'white mnn's bccf." Now, suppose tlo
noble savage Ind boon obduratc; anpposo hip
hoart hnd not beeh touched by Tho prayers ani
mild oxpostuations Of this really good and saint
ly missionary; suppose aata savage hau reaolato.
ly refused tho profrorod rations,-~hat would
whto man llaYo tlouo with hts beef? There
would have boon no use sending 1t to tho CHI.
cago Relief Society, for no ono III this city would
have eaton boof, ho Lad not raisod or paid for |;
md whito nni,, having such troublesome sur.
plus Of this article. was Obliged TO keep friond
bruuot on thesalertnll summon, ana to Bend over
into Mexico aud recapture tho KickapooB IN Or
der to supply linn With gratuitouB boof- f-eatorB.;
We'll, Ii stands to reason that, having gono to
80 much trouble and exponBo to find FOLKS who
nntlor strong obligation to furnieh the odibles:
Whom ho faila to do 60, 1t, ls but natural that
those who reluctantly consented to oat 1t, when
profrcrod, should grow indignant and domand y
when withheld that they should 'RSia1 4Sn H. at e
Just what thoy havo dono md aro doing. Yeare
ago, Commissioners OF tho Government induced
tGo Sioux to consent to bo fod and clothed W
tho labor Of white mon, and thus gain leisure to
iss2, tho bcet Was not Forthcoming at tho time
It had been. promised: Tho noble savago waitod
two whole wookH for It I, then, foo!lng ennuled
and hungry, went to work and murdered q thou
s Rop% e Ths s a a, Sse nan to sy 90 sa win p
ber. Of, men who daily. traverse Boston
tured most Of tho tribe, tried them
individually, found 800 guilty Of murder In tho
boo Indians costs hot less than s1oo ,6ao gear :;
and this all phssos through the hapds OF tho
friends Of tho indian Durcau, or into their pock.
to diminish tile number OF boef.oate1s at this
rnte than some surgeons, in charge of hospitals,
folt that they could afford to cut down their hst
OF patients, BY permitting sick OF wounded men
togo home, during the War. Besides, tue good
pooplo In tho East who wore out Of harms way
Tho people whoHo babies had not boen baked in
cook-st or disnemberod before their eyes,
were moved with great compassion foR tho no.
bio Savage, and were 80 penitent for the wrongs
which they, through their agents. had inflicted
posed to prevent the execution; and Mr, Lo In
stead OF being hanged, aa any white man would
hayo been for, q tenth OF lii8 crimes, was fec,
clothed, blankoted, armed. ammunitioned, eau.
died, cautioned, biddon to sin no moro, nud aent
adrift, to do Just what he has boen doing this
winter.
That the arma lo uses to murder and manglo
white men are. furnished BY friend Brunot'a
Peace Commission that tho Government
which the victims support supplied tho swoapona
with which they aze dispatched may ho q con-
ISOLATION to them in their diro extremity but
does not change tho result.
Your plan Of turning the Indians over to the
War Department would certainly be a. vast i'm.
provoment on that which now pays unprincipled
civilians for fo1nenting lndian wars, nrns said
Indians, md then calA upon tho army to ,fghi
them with wespona greatly inferior. A nation
SO fond Of war, tor Rake Of tho contracts Il
noceasitatec, that it creates, arms, equips, and
provisions enomlos to conquer, js probably toe
low down in civilization to do anything positively
just; and yet this nation has been Just to the
black man. rs there not hope that 1t may
set even in this generation, be equally
him aa otizen Of the State or Territory in
which he iY found, and simply use tho army "a
an extra police force to aid such State or Terri
tory when II may not be able, unassisted, to deal
With him, and SECURE to him :equal Justice with
Its white citizens. Tho example OF England, tn
adventure that Indians 50 tre.tod do NOT die
out, but become useful 1nembora Of society
aud the only question for thlh nation to settle ia
whether 1t will civiIize the Indiaus, as the early
sonquerors Of Britain did the savage portion Of
cur ancestors, by wholesome or eyon opprea.
nive government, or e1torminhte thom By caud.
ling, as the missionaries arc doing with the
EandwiQh Islanders, JANE G1Er SWlasuELK,