Carson daily appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1873-1877, 1875-05-28
PRESIDENT GRANT MAKES
SPEECH.

For the hrst tlme IL MS lie 1IesiueAa
Grant has made n speech of considerable
length. The reason he made it was be-
cause it was needed. In speech-making
rs we'll as in everything else he does. the
President chooses to be his owA judge OF
the time. occasion and demand. The
speech which follows throws more light
upon the Indian question than any state
meut thereof that We have ever seen.
White people rs well as Indians will
profit by q careful study of the plain and
direct terms of that excellent talk. There
il no nonsense about it, no Cooper's
Novels, none Of the usual blather about
the Great Spirit and our Father which Is
in Washington, no feathers, no rhetoric.
NO fus,ian. II is the straight-ahead talk
of q man of hard. practical sense about
business. Grant is a soldier and has
learned the Indian character. He knows
rs anybody else knows who has had e1-
perience with them. that the Indian is
no child NOR chicken. but very shrewc
and pretty clear-headed man of the
world. 1t is necessary to know this fac;
before setting out to deal with Mister H.
dian. He counts we'll and correctly. the
value of the usual baby talk about the
Diety and the happy hunting grounds.
An excellent judge of character is the
Red Man. He knows who to fool with.
Grant is not that sort of man. neither is
Sheridan nor Sherman-nor was hit
Carson. The minute an Indian catches
. white man talking nush and milk.
that minute he makes up his mind that
he is dealing with his inferior in sagaci.y
and he is right in his conclusion.
This speech of Grants is worth preserv-
ing. Here it is. as follows:
II want to say to the Indians to-day
something abOut the object Of bringing
them here, and few words for them to
reply to at present. Ihave always been
q friend to the Indian, aud am very
anxious to do what think best for their
good. The country where they now live,
Is they must be well aware. is entirely
incapable of supporting them should the
Government cease to give them aid. By
the treaty Of 1868 clothing was granted
to them for thirty years and provisions
only for five years. The food and pro-
visions, therefore, which have been given
them the last two years have been gratu-
itous on the part OF Congress, and these
may be taken from them ut any time
without any violation of the treaty. Ny
interest nov is to make some arrange
ment by which they and their children
will be secure from the future" Sew
sral Indians expressed their approval Of
these sentiments by exclaiming light"
:.As said in the beginning. it must be
evident to them il the supplies OF food
BE- Withdrawn by the Government. it will
be impossible for them to live where they
now are. Another thing 1 would call
see that the white people outnumber the
Indians no3 about two hundred to one.
taking all the Indians within territory
owned by the United States. The num-
Der of whites is increasing so rapidly
that before many years it will be i'm
possible to fix any point within the limit
Of our territory where you can prevent
their going. and it will become necessary
that white people shall 60 from one place
10 smother. whether occupied by Indians
or not, the same as they go from enc
State to another. For this reason it is
very desirable that they have friends
here to look after their interest. They
should be situated where they would be
able to get support beyond any contin
gency. l do not propose to ask them
without their consent, to leave the homes
where they were born and raised. but 20
point out to them the advantage to
themselves and their children if they will
accept such arrangements as may be
proposed to them. There is territory
south OF where they now live where the
climate is much better: where the grass
is much better and game more abundant
including large game, such as buffalo
where there is good pasturage for their
animals. and xhere teachers can be sent
among the Indians to instruct them in
the arts of civilization, self preservation
and support. This year we have had
great difficulty in keeping white people
from going to the Black Hills in search
of gold. but SO far have prevented
them. Every year the same difficult,
will be encountered till the right Of
white people to 60 to that country is
granted by Indians, and may in the end
Lead to hostilities between the white peo
pie aud the Indians without special fault
on either side. Should such trouble oc-
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