The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1876-09-21
LETTER FROM NEVADA.
Tho Indian Question.

VIRGINIA, NeVaud, Dcpl. II, 1870.
Editor Rutldnd GlOJs In previous
letter | spoke of the general feeling for
the extetmraliCl Of the Indians among the |
old pioneers of this coast. Even the Pi- |
utes, who arc all about us here and very |
friendly, and who mingc with US on the |
streets and saw our wood occasionally, and |
sell us iackass rabbits and bogus trout, and |
whose squaws trot along by the side of the |
brave with papoosc strapped TO their
backs and their arms full Of wood, which
the lordly brave points out along the street
and orders picked up; even this Tibe, who
have done no act of treachery o. hostility
for years, would fare hard If the Wild, half
ruilllnly element Of tho old froatersmen
could have its say. They believe, wi
Sheridan, that "a good Indian d dead
Indian" But there arc two sides TO every
question, aud propose TO look the side
of poor 10 for little while. We have all
heard how this was his country, and VIC are
usurpers who have driven him out, but
such sontimeutality is q hundred years or
SO too late. Let us look at the question az
it is to-day. We hear only one side. When
the negro is oppressed there are negro ore
tors, and negro newspapers, and negro SYM
pathi22rs, AMI the whole press Of great
political party who are the negro's special
defenders, roalYto lake his part. The To-
dian has none OF these. lie makes q COM
plant to an Indian agent, the agent poclSets
an additional fee from the government for
his time listening to it, or steals an extra
portion from the government subsidy, and
there the matter rests until the Indian, sup
poses the great fa.hcr at Washington has
heard and denied his request for justice,
| aud then he does just as humanity does The
world over, just as our ancestors did one
hundred years ago, rise sin rebellion against
| oppression, aud after killing twice as many
white men is killed himself.
The Indians understand that tie Black
| Hills country belongs to them. They have
a right to understand so for only last year
the government offered to buy it and pay
them several millions of dollars for it. As
they would not accept the offer they natur-
ally believe the land to be theirs still, and
when the miners began to fill the country,
arming themselves for protection against
the natives, the indians were rightly indig-
nsnt. What mattered it that these miners
were not authorized by government to 60
there. They were allowed to 60, and the
inference naturally drawn by the Indians
| was that they went with the consent of the
government. This was an cncroachmcnt
on their rights, and Sitting Bull organized,
as he clsim', and the claim ID substanli
ated by the evidence Of Ridgey, the trap
per who was a prisoner with Sitting Bull
at the time and has since escaped "not to
| fight the whites bu. to drive the miners
from the hills Wouldn't the people OF
| Vermont Lave done the same And when
| Custer presented himself in battle array OF
course they "wcnt for him, and, being
well preplred and located, cleaned him
out" Even now, Sitting Bull, the most
fefocious Of them all, is sueing for peace
upon an equitable adjustment of the diff
fetencCs.
Oar Indian policy is all wrong. In the
first place, We encourage aud perpetuate
their tribal and feudal customs by not deal
ing with them as individuals but by tribes.
We discourage civilization. The INDIANS
are capable of being civilized and edu.
Gated, rs can be seen in the case of the
Cherokees, who even publish newspaper
in their own language. BY proper means
they could be induced to raise stock an
gradually from this to cultivate land and
become farmers. They haze in some in.
stances raised horses in large numbers and
traded them to the Mormoas and other
whites. The business Of sheep-herding i.
one to which the habits of the Indian
would lead him to take kindly. But The
greatest barrier opposed by government il
the way Of tie civilization Of the savages
is the constant changing of them from one
reservation TO another. At every ses
sion of congress we see bills brough
up to move some body of indiana
from one section Of country to another
Nov the Indian 10 great lover of home
He may annually go from the place he CALI
home to some hunting ground for gam,
and skins, but he loves his home even a
the Vermonter loves the rocks and hill
aud waterfalls Of the Green Mountains
For the graves of his ancestors he cherishe
as much tender, regretful love as we fo
the graves of our loved ones, and the great
est calamity that can bef4ll him is to be de
MED TIL privilege Of looking upon tn,
grave Of his size. He il not wanderinl
gipsey, AMI al the long years of efforts OF
! the part Of Our government to make hin
one have failed.
Let him be given ample territory in
fertile lection Of country, and given to I'm
2 der,tand that IL is his, so long as he obey
I the laws, TO hunt and fish in. Let whit,
} trespassers be kept away, and Let enough
soldiers be kept on the spot to enforce til,
2 laws ut any and all times. So much done
and whites kept from trespassing in an,
way upon the soil, and there will lie NJ
: more Indian wars. Then let no govern
ment rations be issued to any Indian unlcs
| he cullivates the ground. Let cultivation
lie encouraged by the distribution of arri
cultural implements to those who cultivate
the soil, and seed grain issued under sucl
regulations that it shall be made certain
that the grain is used for seed lie. thi
be done with the Indians Individually, ant