The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1874-05-21

fully disposed Indians (and there are great
many OF theml where they would be forced
into committing depredations which would
lead TO hostile collision and ultimate eHreF-
minationl say cannot believe there win
'be found many who viii be in favor Of pur-
suing policy Of that character. Think We
may rely that the sentiment which will De
found more prevalent and more controlling
is that milder sentiment toward them which
viii advocate such a course as will give them
present sustenance. with the hope that at an
early day we may put them in a position Of
becoming self-sustaining. ltias &
One word, sir, IN regard to our successln
the line of ci7ilizing the Indians. Wehave
to admit in every direction, at All times and
with all tribes of Indians, the Amerioan
people-the people of the United States
the Anglo-Saxon rsle-have entirely and m
variably failed. There is no success which
crowns the efforts OF any department, either
of the government or of social intercourse
with the Indians through our missionaries,
anywhere within the limits of the United
States. There can beAothing claimed in
favor of the administration of the Interior
Department that viii not find equally as
great or greater claim when the Indians
were almost exclusively under the admins
tration Of the War Department. Probably
the highest plane of civilization which has
ever been reached by any Indians in this
country was during the time when they
were under the control of the War Depart
ment; and, as l have already intimated,
that cannot be ascribed to any influence ex-
erted by that branch of the government. 1t.
may possibly to some extent be attributable
to the locality of the Cherokees and Creeks
When they occupied portions of the now
States of Georgia and Of Alabama they rose
to a higher plane of civilization than they
now occupy.
In these remarks wish to be understood
as referring to the Indian himself, for then
the Indian was found who invented an al
phabet through which they were able to
correspond, and to-day can correspond, in
language that is their own, and which for a
long time they have kept up and used as
the medium of communication between
themselves. Since then, in reference not
only to these Indians, but to the Choctaws
and Chickasaws and all the others know
anything of, the line of civilization will be
defined to be where the white blood has adj
mixed and been intermingled with that of
the indians. The Sleekshin or Pin Indians,
members of the Creeks, Cherokees and Sem
inoles, are to-day. no further advanced in
the arts of civilization than they were near
lY one half a century ago. l do not deny
there are classes who have rank among In
dians, and who have rights accorded to
them, who have obtained eminence in the
arts and sciences of civilization, but they
are not the pure-blooded Indians, not such
as are characterized among the Creeks and
Cherokees as the Sleekshin or Pin Indians.
From this it may be deduced that inter
communication, so far as the advance of
civilization among the Indiansis concerned,
would be the proper means of civilizing
them, and that if you cut them off from
communication, socially and altogether,
with the whites, it may be found almost
impossible to ciyilize them. do not hest
tate to say, if the object be to civilize the
Indians, if that be the great primary, sole
and controlling consideration, the best
thing you can do for that purpose would be
to take them by the thousand, or as many
as could be employed, and carry them to
Massachusetts or anywhere in New England
or elsewhere, where they could be put into
factories or employed in any manual labor
IN such manner as to learn how to work,
and at the same time learn the language,
habits and modes of life of those among
whom they would live. The theory of edu-
eating the wild child of the forest, inculca-
ting in his mind high moral and religious
sentiments in advance of learning him to
work, has proved to be an absolute failure.
Everywhere it has been so, 1 venture to
say without fear of successful contradic-
tion, both among us and among the Spanish
Americans when they ever attempted a sim
lar course.
What, then, in view of the condition in
which we find these Indians, may be
adopted as a policy which will result
in accomplishing the objects which may
be desirable2 Labor, as 1 have indicated, is |
the only instrumentality by means of which |
the savage has ever been civilized, so far as
history has shed any light on this subject. |
We cannot bring the Indian into social con
tact with the whites and by an admixture
eivilize him; for, appealing again to history,
we have found that one of three things has |
invariably resulted whenever an inferior and |
superior race have been brought into social |
and economic contact and antagonism
either subjugation, amalgamation, or exter- |
mination. No inferior race in all historic |
times has escaped one of these three results;
and challenge the production of single |
instance of a people who constitute an ex-
ception to this law. This principle may
then, think, be taken as automatic as ap-
piled to races of men. If this rule be relia- /
trustworthy deductions can be drawn as to
the true policy to be adopted by the Govern
ment of the United States with the remnant
of Indians now remaining.
We are not goingto bring them into social
contact. They are not prepared for that.
We do not wish an amalgamation; and it |
has been found, if not impracticable, that
the length Of time required to absorb them
in this way would be so great that we can
scarcely look to it as means of settling the |
question. The only remaining position then
to be assigned to the Indian is that of sub
jugation. He must be subjugated. 1 do not
mean by this to make him newer of wood
and bearer of buEdens for the benefit of
the superior race, but mean such subjuga-
ton as will place him under the control of
the Government, through such proper agen-
cies and instrumentalities as may be proper
for his own advancement and preservation. |
On this subject think we might be bene-
flied by drawing somewhat upon the expe-
renee of even a race of people so inferior
(as we regard them as the Mexicans They
have civilized the Indian. They have
brought him upon a high plane of civiliza-
ton in regard to arts and sciences as
well as all the means of sustaining
social civilized existence Il lis true that |
the Spauiar1s and Indians have ANAL
gamated very greatly. Captain Pot
ter, undoubtedly one Of the best authori-
ties on this subject, says that Of the eight
millions of people within the Jurisdiction of
the republic Of Mexico, there viii not be
found over ighth--that IS, one million
who are of pure Castilian blood or direct
descendants of the Spaniards who settled
that country; leaving seven eighths-z0
ss.lIa. ~ shar,
lation Of the republic Of Mexico,
Indians or mixed blood, part Ind
part Spaniard, and sometimes e
races have been thrown in to-
general conglomerate. A q
blooded Indians occupy hi
ton. distinguished as jur
in high literary attainm
dent Juare2, Of Mexif
men Who. ever occu
Of that republic,
one drop Of -