Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1876-09-29
NO. 80.
The bottom BIunder In our Indian
Policy.

FOlicy.
tFrom Rev. DR.. Thompson in the Church Journal
One thousand years ago, in Europe it
was the barrier in the way of her civliza-
tion that law followed race, and not land;
that the Romanized Gaul was governed by
Roman law; the Salic Frank, his conquer
or, by Salic lawi the Burgundian by Bur
gundian law; that there were as many
laws as races. To pave the way for Euro.
pean civilization, and the building up Of a
Christian commonwealth, Charlemague,
the great law. maker and ciyilizer, abolish
ed this barbarous folly, and made law for
the land. Hencelorth race was 10 Ue moth
ing. over every acre of the empire, the
same justice and right were 10 be meted
out TO every man in the empire. The key
note OF civilization was struck. Law goes
with the land, and law Is supreme over
every man in the land.
Strangely enough, American Indian pol
icy has revived the b2rbarism which Char
lemsgne destroyed. We have made, in
our case, the law TO go with the race and
not with the land. The government is an
alien in part ofits own territory. 1he wr,ts
of the courts do not run among the Indi-
ans. We have recognized the existence of
hostile or friendly powers on our own soil.
We have had peace commissioners, ambas-
sadors, and ministers plenipotentiory deal
ing with people living among us in our
own country. We have officially announce
ed that the United States is not supreme
over its own people, nor its laws authorita-
tive in its own territoriesi
In the first place, we have made il the in
terest of the Indian TO stay an Indian. As
long as he remains an Indian, and roau.s
over what he calls his Country" hunting,
robbing, and scalping, we recognize him
and his few score wretched companions as
"a nation" We send commissions" to
him. We make treaties with him. We
bring him TO Washington, and lionize him
about New York-Red Cloud, Spotted
Tail, Speckled Nose, or Tin Kettle, or
what ever may be his princely name. We
hold palavers with him, and smoke peace
pipes and speechify at him, and generally
contrive to impress on his savage dullncss
that he is great parsonage "big In
jun" indeed; and that it is his interest to
remain "bg Injun," all his days.
Should he settle down on two or three
undred acres OF land, and give up the
uniting and scalplng business, take TO
ra ising corn and potatoes, and wearing
clean shirts, TO washing his face, and max
ing himself look semi-decent, he would
lose all his importance. No "peace COM
mi ssioner" would visit him. No twaddle
about his "Great father in Washington"
Wnnld ha falkah in him n
still ted nonsense about "the tomsbawk and
the pipe of peace, the war-path and the set
ting sum-" would ever more greet his ears
from 'the general commanding" He
would be simply a law-abiding farmer,
ra ising his own orn-cakes, and eating his
own bacon, and would be subject OF pro-
found indifference TO "Great fathers and
commissioners, Indian agents, colonels,
and treaties.
Across the line, Canada has had its In
dians. 1t has never had an Indian war,
nor an Indian peace twaddle, nor an Indi-
an massacre. The secret is a simple one.
England has accepted the civilization OF
ten centuries, and makes the law follow
the land. She does not recognize an inde-
pendent nation of gypsies, chickeH-thieves,
or Irdians, in the region wherO the queens
wriIs run. Law is supreme. The same
law rules white, black, and red. The man
that breaks the law is tried by The law, and
punished according 10 the law. 1t is the
interest of the Indian to become, in Cana
da, as soon as he can, a decent citizen.
In plain Ian guage, let us abolish the bar
barous absurdity, buried in Europe thou
sand years ago, of two laws in one land.
Let the Indian outlaw be just like any oth-
er outlaw, The Indian just like any other
man. When the law reaches him, let him
feel it as the rest OF us do. Make it his in
terest to stop being an Indian. Never send
him another commissioner, nor another
peace pipe. Tell him: "Here is the land.
A section OF it is yours. Settle on ii. Plant,
and sow, and reap, and vote, like other
men. Do this or get out of the way. Eli
ther come under the law, or take a VOLTS
fate outside the law; but we have closed
the business of sending embassies tU so
half starved thieves and marauders, and
treating them as a nation. There is only
one nation in this territory, and it is too
large 10 go into such very contemplate
business"