The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1876-07-30
WENDELL PHILLIPS ARRArdlls GEN. SEER
gtF MAN.
BosToN, July 18th, 1875.

bCeTONy July xCSOs
To Gen. Sherman:
S;r.-An American citizen, entitled and
hound to inquire whether the officers OF
the Republic are men or something below
humanity, respectfully claim the right 60
ask You, are the journals correct when eDey
represent you as advising the DETERMINATION
of the Indiansf This charge has been made
several times during the last three years.
II it be false, beg you, for Sne Donor OF
the Nation and of the service, to deny 1t.
While you neglect to do so tne press nees
your supposed example to commend that
Infamous course, and GO create puolic
opinion which shall approve and demand
If the charge be true can not but re-
member that you are better acquainted
than most Americana with the real relations
of our Government to The Indians. You
were, in 1867, the head OF an Indian Com.
mission, and it's report, Bigned by yourself
and printed by the Government, is one Of
the most terrific pictures ever drawn of the
wrongs the indiana have suffered from this
Nation. This Investigation and your gen.
erai experience showed you how cruel and
unjust has been our treatment of the In
dian for the last 100 years. You know that
we have surrounded him with every de.
moralzipg influence, stepped him in in
temperance, melted him to RIGHTEOUSNESS
by the example of those set over him, and
tempted him to every vice. You have
yourself spread on the public records the
evidence that the Government has robbed
him of his land, cheated him of his dues,
and informally broken faith with him. If
any of the tribes are to-day liars, thieves
and butchers, they may rightfQlly claim to
have only copied, at humble distance, the
example we have set them.
You are not ignorant that the Indian has
been outraged and plundered by the from
tiersmen without stint or redress, and
butchered by our soldiers, under the Amer
lean flag, with brutal and detestable cru
eligible description of which in plain
terms the press would not admit to Its COL
umne. You kuow-no one better-that the
worst brutality which prurient malice ever
falsely charged the Indian with Is but weak
imitation of what the white man has often
inflicted on Indian mes, women and chill
dren. You know that on the plains we
have violated every rule of civilized war,
massacreing women and children with
worse than savage brutality. Your career
has not shown you an instance where the
Indian has lifted his hand against us until
provoked to it by misconduct on our part,
compared with which any misconduct of
his is but dust in the balance.
Your experience will fully indorse what
President Harrison, when Governor of In
diana, said to his Legislature ia 1907,
that the utmost efforts to induce the In
dams to take up arms would be unavailing
if one only of the many persons who have
committed murder upon their people could
be brought to punishment"
You will not in the slightest degree doabt
or deny the grave charge which Maj Con.
Harney, after fifty years. service on the
plains, made to a Congressional committee,
" that he had never known an Indian tribe
break its word to our Government, and he
had never known the Government TO keep
too much of soldier not to confess that
had You been placed In the Indians cir
cumstances you would have been ashamed
not to have acted ae be has done.
You would accept, as every honest man
does, the statement of Mai. Gen. Pope, In |
1875, that the army officer "can not pre-
vent wrongs which drive the Indian TO war. |
On the contrary, at the demand of every
agent whose unfair dealfnga with the In |
dams has brought on a difficulty, he is OBJ |
liged to pursue and force back 20 the same |
deplorable state aud place Indians whom he |
knows to have been wropged, and who |
have only done gu bstantially what he would |
have done himself under like provocation."
You must be keenly sensible what q re-
proach it fs to religion and culture that our !
multiplying millions, with all tho resources
of civilization and Christianity 10 their
this email and capable race, and been able
to give it only their vices-that all of good |
the Indian has is his own most of his vi
eee he can rightfully charge to the white
man.
Except the negro no race will lift up at |
the Judgment seat such accusing hands |
against this Nation as the Indian will. We
have subjected him to agents who have |
Systematically cheated him. We have made |
causeless war on him, merely as q pretext
to steal his lands. Trampling under foot
the rules of modern warfare we have made
war on his women and children. We have
cheated him out of one hunting ground by
compelling him to accept another, and rob
bed him of this last by driving him to
frenzy, and then Furnishing resistance by
confscation. Meanwhile neither pulpit nor
press nor political party would listen to
his complaint. Neither in Congress nor in
any city of the Union could his advocate
obtain a hearing. Craftsmanship, good
sense and justice, even from the Chief Ma
gistrate, were unavailing when they plead
hate and pillage as our Indian tribes.
Can it be possible, then, that with such
knowledge and such experience you, sir,
L L u