Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1875-06-09
Our Indian system.

The public attention has been for Few
days called TO our Indian affairs by the pres
enoe in Washington Of a large dsputation Of
the leading Sioux chiefs. 1t would seem
that their visit has resulted in no special adj
vantage either to them or to the government.
The President gave them some excellent
counsel, 10 which he permitted no reply and
at the close Of the unsatisfactory negota-
tions the commissioner INDUCED himself in
no little useless and petty scolding and dis
missed the deputation from Washington in
very bad temper. The whole affair was
conducted in bad taste and worse temper,
and II the Indians are regarded at Washing
ton rs reckless children or as fierce wild
beasts they could not have been more shah
billy treated The conduct Of the commits
sioner seems to be in perfect harmony with
the idea of looking upon the degradation
and destruction Of the savage race without
any emotions of pity or desire to save.
Two honest policies are open to our gov
enment one Of determination, the other Of
amalgamation. But We have pursued one
that is neither misguided, laundering pol
icy which is slowly working the extermina-
ton Of the savage, even while it processes to
be governed by higher idea and principle.
Our dealings with the Indians is one Of those
blunders which is worse than crime. We
have treated the wandering and predatory
tribes as independent and sovereign nations.
We have sent ambassadors to make treaties
with them, and have received their ENJOYS
and deputations in exchange. We have not
been able to compel them to observe their
treaties, and they have not been able to COM
pei our government to fulfil its pledges.
They have continued TO live in our territory
and yet have not been subject to our laws.
They have no government OF their own, and
receive none from us. We treat them theo-
retically, as independent peoples and tribes,
and yet, practically do not permit them the
exercise of a single element Of that power
which is necessary TO their existence.
An Indian treaty is usually conceived and
executed in fraud. The ostensiblc parties
to it are the government and the Indians.
The real parties to it are Indian agents,
traders and politicians. The ayowed pur-
pose of treaty is to acquire certain lands
at fair price, and make provision that the
money shall be wisely expended for the civ
ilzation Of the Indians. The real design is
TO pay the worthless debts of the Indian
traders, to create place for political favor
ties, and to secure both the lands and the price
paid for them, to the whites. If any one
cares to read the Z" History of the Sioux War"
by Mr.. Heard, he will find the curtain lifted
little in respect to the iniquity practiced
in Indian treaties. In order to obtain the
treaty of 1852, the Indian chiefs were bribed
TO sign it, and after they had signed it were
made drunk and all the money was stolen
from them. In 1855 the Sioux sold the
government eight hundred thousand acres Of
their reservation, for which they were to re-
ceive three hundred and thirty-six thousand
dollars, of which they have never received
over fifteen thousand dollars. And now,
the government wants the rest Of the reserva-
ton and notifies the Sioux chiefs that it
cannot protect the Black Hills territory from
being occupied by its citizens.
The failure to meet the obligations of the
treaty of 1853 resulted in the Minnesota
massacre, which our readers will remember.
A few years ago we made a journey through
the district that was dssolated by the saw
ages. The ruins of their terrible vengeance
were scattered on all sides The echoes of
the wall of agony that was heard all through
that Paradise had not ceased to reverberate.
The graves Of hundreds of victims of savage
hate were fresh along the bloody track of
two hundred miles, that was devastated by
the mad violence Of the savage, II was a
long story of horrors we heard every night
by the camp fire, which curdled ones blood
and almost made one swear eternal hatred
and quick determination to such barbarous
foe. We admit that the wrong which the
Indians had suffered was no justification Of
the barbarity they displayed. And yet that
massacre was the legitimate fruit of our In
dian system-a system which is conceived
in folly and carried out by fraud. Nor do
we imagine that the savages of that large
tribe of warriors, whose leading chiefs have
just been sent back 10 their territory from
Washington, with not one Of their object,
accomplished, and with the assurance that
they shall not be protected even in what is
left Of their reservation, will contemplate
any less vindetive reprisal than once they
took on the homes and persons of eight hun.
dred men, women, and children of Mime
sofa. The policy Of determination, TO which
the present costly and shameful policy tends,
is one that man would hardly be willing
to advocate. No one but the Almighty can
exterminate. But if determination is the
ultimate purpose of our Indian system, the
secret object at which the government aims,
we contend that 1t should be openly and
honestly avowed that war for this purpose
should be boldly declared and faithfully car.
ried on. The present system is more fata
to the whites than to the Indians Beside
its moral corruption, it is destructive to the
lives of as many of our own citizens as tc
the Indians. Each Indian life, under oul
present system, costs us the life OF one white
man, and as Wendell Phillips once extrava
gantly said, Zone million of dollars A
policy Of determination may be crime il
the sight of God, but it ought not to be :
blundsr in the sight Of men. II it is adopted
even mercy demands quick and complet'
humiliation of the Indian tribes. But K
commit the crime, and to do II in the present
laundering and costly method, is as disgrace