The Leavenworth weekly times., 1876-07-20


the earth.
Why, sir, what conceivable motive ma:
the army 10 provoke a warf are or TO incit,
the Indians to depredstions? Is there an,
honor or glory to be achieved in Indian
warfare Ga the contrary, would it no
he the object and purpose OF the ARMY
they had control of Indian affairs-it
maints in peace with those tribes? Woulc
it not be the inevitable result-if thi,
transfer we're made-that the army would
be devoted TO the peaceful solution of the
Indian question, What officer or private
desires 10 lose his LIE in an Indian cam
paign? What glory, honor, or distinction
Is to be obtained either bv the general com.
manding the expedition or by the soldier
who shares in the hardshiPs OF an Indian
campaign, Why, sir, that theory is alb
surd and untenable. l trust when these
general allegations are made, that this is a
policy of bloodthirstiness, OF extinction, ol
determination, that the Senators who en-
tertain those views will no! believe that
the country is to be imposed On by as.
sertions of that description.
The Senator from New Jersey, in the re-
marks which he has made, which do honor
to his heart and credit TO his sensibilities
| alluded to the fact that the Indian tribes
existing in the country are little rem
nant as he calls them, Of a once proud ma
ton. II the Senator from New jersey were
q little more familiar with the facts in re-
gard TO the Indian population Of this coun.
try he would somewhat modify his state
ments. There are at the present time within
| our dominion about three hundred thous-
and Indians, and there never WAS over hall
a million from the time Columbus first dis
| covered the continent, including the tribes
that lived in New England, those that in
habited the great Ohio basin, the Mobiiian
family that now reside in the Indian Ter
ritory, and the Dacotah or wild Indians of
the West, then beyond the Mississippi
River there never have been to exceed half
a mii!!,n in this country since it was first
discovered; and that is a statement which
is borne Out by the facts of history. In 1892
the great mas OF aboriginal population Of
this country was on the Mexican plateau.
There were some twelve or fifteen million
Indians then inhabitiBg this plateau
around the City of Mexico; but up the
valley of the Mississippi, along the Ohio.
upon the fanks of the Alleghanies, and in
New York and New England, there were q
few scattered, incoherent bands of Indians,
incapable of being either powerful or
wealthy from the fact that they moved from
place 10 place without settled agriculture
or definite habitations and there never
have been at any time to exceed 10000
fighting Indians on the soil of this country
since white men first visited our shores.
That apparently Insignificant force, by its
turbulence, its ferocity, its ab1olute indiffer-
ence to danger, has resisted the westward
progress of Anglo-Saxon civilization in Its
successive movements, and has compelled
the tide of hum Al ity, as it has flowed west
ward down the Alleghanies and along the
Ohio and across the Mississippi and Mis-
souri, to break forever upon the frontier in
surf of flame and of blood. They are
Just as capable of mi-chief, just As capable
of inficting indescribable wrongs and
nameless outrages upon the inhabitants Of
the West to-day as they were one hundred
wears ago upon the citizens of the then
West, OF Ohio and Indiana and Kentucky
and Tennessee and Illinois.
No, sir, this question of bad faith on the
part OF this Government toward the Indian
that is continually conjured here by the
sickly sentImentalism OF our humanitarian
friends on this subject is a feeble and flesh
less phantom. The Government, the peo-
pie, have always manifested good faith
toward the Indians. When you describe
them as the owners of the soil, you might
as we'll aver that the ratllesnake, the coy
ote, and the buffalo are the proprietors Of
the land where they dwell. They were
never the owners of the soil. The law Of
nations, the law of civilization, the law Of
humanity IeiSis rne ase.o" I ~ 80, IS
anu uhioun1e' T' ihe ~ ~ M, NJ ,o .x;ss. hu,
occupancy. !hey nAu 'ue
III the "Siaon ."A. :,..: L.. ,t
'na' are sip..iot " .i...;.a a,,n..o, ~
savage Is eht'ieu
asains the Ill snJ ~
ing ProPosi'toh ,na. -. -"
oe,ehueis ainons o "e -,
uohai law. ine inos
tnal were superior W LIE ''''' VI
tioh.
Mr.. President, II Is not my purpose 10 de-
tain the Senate, and l beg to say that L am
not unconscious that 1t implies . larger
amount Of intrepidity than most men are
supposed to possess to dIter with The senator
from Maine, who Is 80 soon 70 deprive US
sne iignt Oh MS couh.enan aau I'LL" a Ds.s.
n. Ii ms sussesuo"s - ~ III; - mv oonI
oi ou'y' however, W myen anu .on
s.i'uens con,p.'s me " sIn'ute ~ AP,
.ne oPihlo. lha' 'ne remaAs nc mas meue
IN oPPosiuon 70 aHe Sl ~" nups
upon my Mo.ion .; ne 'o ~ sapp.e
hension anu rs O Saoi.o,;an VI VIC suoe
before .ne oen. .l: ;-S"0J .Ia.
gumen', 1 snvulu % -. - ,ha g.,
case was noPe'ts, ~, E hn ,ha Ssn.,n.
tnat nas Jus: o ~ IshonId
trom Main Il "a !; No. ,,1,-,-, n;ST !.
oe unwlliins W suu no - .,,.,,n, ~
ouI y me. ,tn ne H HsS;.. .an;n;s,rs,;on 10 the
W. nsn,,,ment ne nrorose that eyerv
III, .rJ bIacLsmi,b and matron shall be
an an,;.,.d man he Certainly il going into
a.. 80, of f,ncv Why cannot a omar
...,ss,sr hire , miller or a teacher or a
h,.cLsm;,ho What il there in the cousti-
,n,;on 81 N. .rmy that prevents its officers
to-, nsv;,. ont their annuities in money
., IN oooJs to the various Indian uibes? !?
C.r,.;eIv nnder ordinary circumstance, if
th., L;na Of .rpument had been raised
sa.;,., ..v other biII on this floor. should
ssv Tbs, . commis.ion de Iunafieo inquirendo
ar.h, - hs ;s.ned n oooe.
IT,. .h,.,u,. total m;ss,.,ement
lu. - :" a.. h,n IT,. I.
anu ms.ppS =. .ta r.. mil.
no, no in.en,,on ud ,snhsns snJ nSy.;c,.n. and mat
na iels anu .n,;s,.S 'nsn IN the .rmv bnt .;mnly
oons en mn" -. ~. d;.h,...,r.n,. nnae,
10 Prosiue '"I. .L VIC - -. .nnn;-
.ns'e ', ,La b;r;no oi these empIoves
n,, tes, 'I =. nndsr the direction of
snal u ~ -. .ruv We b.y.
tne onoes ,,.. - ,b.;, c.n.c;tv
~ ,u.E uI ,S;s - ~o,t and their honesty to carry
on, Wv N. 90 n,ov;.;ons of the laws a. We have
Ia dm,,na the last eiobt wears in the ad-
;. ";.;s,,.,;e, ] nnd.r the ue.ce policy.