The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1876-08-25
HOW TO DEAL WITH THE
INDIANS.
Take Away Their Arms and Horses and
Turn the Redskins Over TO the War
Department.

The only way TO conduct this wal is 70
treat all Indians found outside their
reservations as enemies and to make
prisoners of all who return to the agen-
cies from the hostile camp. 1t is a de-
lightful piece of absurdity to allow the
young bucks to carry on a wal during
the summer and then retire to the
agency to be fed during the winter by
the government with the certainty
that as Don as summer comes they will
again take the field and make wal on
the people who have kept them from
starvation. The advocates of the pres
ent policy say that it is much easier to
feed the Indian than to fight him, but
it certainly is not cheap to fight him
during the summer and provide for him
during the winter, and the best way to
put an end to this absurd system is to
disown all Indians returning to the
agency, eventually disarming all of
them. For this purpose sufficient force
should be sent to the agencies and the
sale of powder and guns to Indians be
strictly forbidden.
Foolish philanthropists insist on CIV
ing the Indians arms to kill game, but
every n who knows anything of In
dian life practically, knows that the
Indians do not use their firearms in the
chase. The buffalo, ON which thetfibes
of the plains depend almost wholly far
food and shelter, are invariably killed
with the bow and arrow, which is bet
ter adapted to the purpose and much
cheaper than wasting powder and ball
and frightening the herd unnecessarily.
In depriving them of firearms they are
simply deprived of the power to make
war, which in the end would be a bless
ing to themselves and would relieve the
country from the necessity of carrying
on an expensive and inglorious war.
The abolition of the Indian bureau
and the transfer of the Indians to the
War Department could not fail to pro-
duce the best results, both for the
Indian and the country. The Indian
respects the army officer. who is in his
eyes a chief, a warrior, a man with
power to punish, and who can fulfil
his promises as well as his threats. 1t
may be safely affirmed that the army
officers are the only class of American
citizens for whom the Indian has the
slightest respect.
Strong as it may sound there is no
doubt that the meanest loaing Indian
despises the white man and his civilian
ton even while he begs from him. His
code of morality is to be a great war
rior. He despises every one who is not
a brave. The peace policy has proved
and will continue to prove al absurd
failure. The Indian will not lay down
his tomahawk and his rifle unless he is
compelled to do * by force, and all pre-
tended success in inducing him to is
either the result of idiocy or knavery.
The smaller tribes who have gathered
into the agencies would go On the war
path tomorrow if they dared. 1t is
only the convection that without the
protecting arm Of the white man they
would be aunihilated by stronger hostile
tribes that keeps them loafing around
the agencies and forts, gratifying, from
time to time, their taste for murder, or
robbing by raids on the agency where
some hostile tribe is gathered under the
protecting arm of the government.
Gen. Brisbin on Indians and Indian Agents.
"a correspondent who recently inter-
viewed Gen. Jas. S. Brisbin, obtained
from him some points of interest, which
we give herewith:
Are there no honest Indian agents?"
Gen. B.-"Yes, some, l dare say, but
there are ten thieves to every honest
Agent. Personally, l know of but one
really honest Agent, DR.. James Irwin,
for the Shoshones and Bannocks. Many
years ago l was in command Of the
Wind River district, and these Indians
had fine reservation, 80 by 80 miles.
On one occasion they rendered signal
service to the government and settlers
by helping the troops to drive out the
hostile Sioux, and I resolved that as
long as I lived they should never need a
friend to redress their wrongs. They
had a dishonest Agent, and I wrote to
Washington and urged his removal.
Afterwards when in Washington, acer-
tain Senator pitched into me, saying
the agent was his friend / told the
Senator that his friend was a scoundrel
and a thief, and he ought not to sustain
him. It was a long time before the dis
honest agent could be removed, but it
was finally accomplished. While I was
up there in the Wind River country the
chief, Washable, came to me one day
and said some white men were coming
upon his land, selling whisky, and de-
moralizing his people. examined the
treaty and found by its terms that white
men were not allowed to settle upon or
even travel across the reservation with
out permission of the government.