The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1875-12-16

crease is shown in the percentage Of def
cheney Of only 10 39-1OO against "a 65-1O0,
which was the estimate OF the percentage of
deficiency of the last year over that of Its
predecessor. MARSHALL JEWELL,
ECAn2 sy.sPestiHsAsster -s' - ne
THE INDIAN PROBLEM.
Extracts from the Reports of Generals
/ Pope and Schofield.
s... GEN. PoPE;S REPORT z1i~t II
y WAsHINGTON. ID. c., Nov. 30.-The re-
port OF Brevet MajOr-General John Pope,
commanding the Department OF the MIS-
souri,, after reviewing at some length the
CAMPAIGNS against hostile Indians in the De-
partneiit during the pastyear, says: .it.-'
+ All bands Of Indians in the Southwest, the
Chevennes and Arapahoes, kiowas and Co.
mancheS, are now at their respective ASen-
leieS. brought there by military force after
campaign of eight months Of almost UMPIRE
leedented hardship dseXposure, and alter a
heavy expense TO the s6ToHerninent", Siheg
are brought there, too, entirely subdued,
and in such condition and under such cir
cumstances that there is not the least dan
ger, in my opinion, of any further trouble
witlithem, IL only they are treated with
lcOmmOn humanity and dealt with with even
Ordinary honesty. Unless they are properly
fed they must either suffer the pangs OF
I
are so cared for as the Government as well
as humanity demands, andas the usual ap-
Preparations OF Congress provide Tor, Is a
| duty devolved upon another department OF
! the Government. If honestly performed In
the future, as ! am sorry TO believe II mas
| not been i'm the past, further troubles with
| these Indians may lie considered at an end.
Referring to feeding the Indians, he says:
! ''It is presumed, though without positive
knOwledge,s that the apProprlail ons mace
lby Congress, If honestly tiisbursed and lu-
| diciously distributed, viii be suthclent 1or
| this purpose, and | cannot, in view OF the
peace of the frontier and honor ana Soou
i faith of the Government, too strongly urge
| that this subject be closely looked after,
and that measures more vigorous and efh-
cent than those hitherto pursued be adopted
and enforced without delay. Fhe military
| forces have done, and are doing well, all they
| have the right or power to do, ana cannot
and ought not TO be held in any manner ac-
countable for any further hostflftfes with
THESE Indians due TO bad treatment and want
of food ut the Agencies TO which they have
7 been forced to return, and where tney now
| are. 1t is with painful reluctance that the
military forces take the field against Indians
who only leave their reservations because
they are starved there, and who must hllnt
food for themselves and their families orsee
| them perish with hunger. II is revolving
/ to any humane man to see such things done,
and far more to be required to be the active
party to commit violence upon forlorn IN
dians who. under the pressure of such ne
cessfty. only do what any man would do UNI
| der like circumstances. L desire TO say win
| all emphasis, what every army officer on the
! frontier will corroborate, that there Is no
class OF men in this country who are so DIS
inclined to war with the Indians as the army
! stationed among them. The army has
nothing to gain bya war with the Indians.
on the contrary, it has every thing to lose.
In such war il suffers all the hardshlps and
privations, and, exposed as 1t Is TO the
charge of assassination if Indians are Killed,
to the charge of inefliciency if they are not,
to misrepresentation by the Agents who fat
ten on the plumber of the Indians, and mis-
understood by worthy people at distance
who are deceived by these very Agents and
their following, the soldier has little to eX-
pect from public feeling. Nevertheless,
he is so placed under the present ar
engagements and orders that he has
no power whatever on the Indian
reservations to redress or prevent wrongs
which drive Indians tOwar. On the CONTRA
nv, at the demand of the very Agent whose
unfair dealing with Indians has brought on
the difficulty, he is obliged to pursue and
force back to the same deplorable state and
place Indians whom he knew to have been
Wronged, and who have only done substan-
TALLY what he would have done himself I'M
der like provocation. Such relation to In
dian affairs and Indian Agents is unjust and
unfair TO the army, and serious injury both
to the interests of the Government and the
well-being of the Indians.
All Posts in the Department require
some, and several Of them quite extensive
repairs.
He expresses the opinion that the mainte-
nance of small Posts is inexpedient, and says
it is not necessary for the defensive or ag-
gressive duty required of the troops. III
greatly increases the expense, and it is a
positive injury to the discipline ami efficien-
cy of the troops themselves.
GEN. SCHOFIELD'S REPORT. 49,.
The report ofEMaj- Gen. j. NJ. SchOfeld,
commanding the military division of the Pa
cific, after referring to improvements,
changes. transfers of troops, ETC., made at
the several Posts, saws: 1t is with much re-
luctmce that i have been forced to the be-
lief that the transfer of the Indian Bureau
to the War Department is a necessity of the
public service. The events of the past few
wears have demonstrated the utter inability
of a civil department of the Government TO
maintain the necessary control over the UNI
civilized Indians. The effort to control
them through civil agents while at peace on
their reservations, and turn them over to
the army when they leave their reservations
or commit acts of hostility, has proved, as
might have been expected, most efficient
mode of producing war. The officers OF the
army are compelled to stand idly by, power
less for good. while their promises to the
Indians made at the termination of previous
hostiitiesr are being thwarted, and the die
tates of wisdom, Justice, and even common
honesty, disregarded in the daily treatment
of the helpless savage, who has no possible
meansz0f redress but escape from reserva-
ton where his life is made intolerable; then
the army is called upon to pursue the In
dians, force them back on their reserVa-
tions, and punish them for disobedienee.
| Thus war is Exaggerated which could. not
| have happened If the Indians had been UNI
| der military control. 1t is an entire mistake
to suppose that the proposed transfer of
| the Indian Bureau necessarily means
| departure from the '|peace policy''-that
policy which is the dictate alike of wisdom,
! Justice, and humanity, which has been
adopted by the present Executive, and is
not likely to be abandoned by any of
| his successors, unless under influences
of new surroundings. Military manage
ment means simply more economical,
Just, uniform, and consistent execution
OF the Executive will. 1t means per-
manence in the mode of dealing with the
Indians through the agency of lne-tenIre
officers, who have spent most of their active
| lives among the Indians, who know their
| character and wants, and who have every
possible motive for dealing with them wise
] " and Justly. 1t means to do away with the
constant fluctuations Of policy, the continual
disturbances of pre-existing arrangements,
and frequent disregard of treaties or prom
ises which have lead the Indians to an al
most total disbelief in the faith of the Gov
eminent. Military management means
peace and security giving even a greater OPP
poTtunity for the labors of a Christian mis-
sionaries to ciyiliZe and instruct the savage
| tribes. Let these worthy philanthropists
be relieved from the responsibility and con-
tamination of more worldly matters, and
their influence for good cannot thereby be
diminished.
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