Pioche daily record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1872-1876, 1875-10-24
A PLEA FOR THE INDIAN.

/
From the remotest records Of the early
settlers of this country to the present !
day, the narrative OF the North Ameri- ,
can Indian il q narrative of oppression {
and ill-treatment by the whites and tale /
unrelieved by few instances Of generosity {
on the part Of the dominant race. This /,
record in the seventeenth and eighteenth 1
centuries is undoubtedly full of grave
and often horrid modes of reprisal
on the part of the aboriginal,
but we must remember the force of ex.
ample, and can hardly blame the red
man, with his dim conception of the
"Great Spirit when we see the Christ
ian whites guilty Of the same crimes.
We look at the Indian of to-day as he
crawls the earth that his ancestors trod
in savage majesty; the sight is q familiar
one to all our readers; we see dirty, |
vicious. sodden looking wretch. a COM
pound Of dog and wolf and devil, aud a |
smile OF scorn curls the lip or an oath of
Impotence rises to the tongue should the
poor type Of degraded humanity come in
our path. There he stands historical
problem, his vices, his faults and his
failings are those Of the white man, he
is a living exponent Of civilizations dark
side engratted on a savage and unoultured
nature. We are his superiors in every !
physical and mental qualification and by
our admirable administrative system OF
dealing with him have made him what
he is, put in his possession the rifle and
the bottle and treated him like dog. 1t
is the custom Just now to sneer alike at
the unfortunate victim Of two centuries
ill-treatment and at all effort to give him
hearing or plead his sad case. Mis-
placed philanthropy " is the term that is
pitiiully applied by the Ianfeeling and
unthinking and the case thus summarily
disposed Of as one unworthy Of serious
reflection. But let us look briefly at the
matter. We OF the Caucasian race are
the masters Of the world OF the five
races into which mankind is ethnolog-
ically divided, whatever one the eau
casian is brought into contact with goes
under. We dominate, and often use our
domination unwisely. For the last de-
cade, more especially, this country has
been raising up the negro to an attempted
social level, and kicking tho Indian into
the hell Of degradation and extermina-
tion.. A good many Of our enlightened
fellow citizens and fellow Contestants
have got rich at it, and can afford to re-
tire and let fresh swarm Of human flea.
suck his life blood. He has beer
cheated, sold, bamboozled. lied to and
used worse than an animal, and when in
his impotent attempt at reprisal he seeks
revenge, we all stand around and hold
up our hands in wonder as to what sort
OF human being this red man can be,
who is possessed Of such savage spirit
Christian missionaries go to him ant
preach Christ crucifed and salvation
He hears the promises Of merciful Re
deemer, who never Disseminated as 4
color of skin, and asks are his persecu
tors Christians too. He must be tolt
they are, and in his savage heart realiz
ing" by their fruits ye shall know them, ;
he discards doctrine that brings n,
better practical result than the persecut
ing system to which he was subjected
and then the missionaries and peaceful
broadbrims complacently close thei
bibles and, shaking the dust from thei
sacred feet, often turn to the more prof
table business of peculation. The tw
hundred years Of torment, misery, pei
secution and injustice to which he ha
been subject has, even now, not total
extinguished his natural hospitality an
stern conception OF truth and justic
but broken treaties, !oresworn promises
constant iil-usage and foul injustic,
The last instance will suffice to illustra.
all. Till few days ago the Temecul
Indians lived in San Diego county. Cal
fornia. They were harmless creature
to say the least inoffensive an
self supporting. There they ha
lived for centuries. There wa
laid the bones OF their ance
tors, there was all the associations thu
makes a little spot of earth 30 dear |
every human heart, civilized or sayag
and there on the peaceful shores of th
Pacific they hoped to breathe ava
their lives in peace. They hurt nobod,
encroached on no ground, were not
nuisance or an objective feature. had en-
braced the rites of christianity. living
let us hope, in anticipation OF one da
seeing the Creator in the common
heaven Of all OF Adams sons and daugh
tiers, when clever exponent of our ad
mirabls system OF civilization, with rar,
business tact and most consummste JUS
tice dispossessed them from their home
and drove them, vsgabonds, to die
This is most damnable and will so b
regarded by all honest men, but tn
transaction was perfectly legitimate W
are told and as for "a lazy, lousy pack {
thieving red devils. as they are STYLED
"let them die We reprint the tel
graphic dispatch of that date:
We have, said their Chief OlegaIi
occupied the lands Of Temeouis since II
hrst Indian was born. We have bee
born there, and our ancestors graves al
there There for centuries our birth
MHafnaRss and deaths haye taken pac,
We, We nave cast away old pagan rites an
n Nv ueen converted to christianity, an
now, unexpectedly, We are thrown ont :
houses and fields to satisfy q desonir
speculator. We have no resource bn.