The New York herald., 1876-07-31
Tho Indians and the Governm

show the drifts,Qf the currents.
Tho Indians and the Government.
When the stern lesson of repression shall
have been duly administered to the savage
tribes now in arms against the government,
and the boldness which our recent reyerses
have naturally given them has been de-
stroyed by the punishment which awaits
them, it will become the duty of the nation
not only to devise the means Of preventing
a recurrence of the present deplorable events,
but to consider the causes which have led to
them. To talk Of determination is puerile,
for to accomplish it is impossible, even at
the cost to the country of twenty-fold the
valuable lives already squandered without
result in the campaign against the Sioux
The present attitude of the Indian tribes
is the natural outcome of the system in
Washington under which Indian affairs have
been administered, and Of thorough dis
trust by "the wards of the nation" of the
performance of our promises. This distrust
is equalled by their intense resentment Of
the perpetual frauds practised upon them by
subordinates and the apathy with which these
frauds have been regarded by still higher
authorities. The only lessons that civiliza-
ton seems thus far to have taught the savage
have been an intimate appreciation of whis-
key the use Of arms of precision-whi are
now fatally turned on ourselves-a certain
knowledge Of military evolutions, and
violent hatred of the white man. This hatred
must be turned into wholesome fear, which
in its turn must be based upon respect and
respect can only be forced upon the savage
method of reasoning by superior power and
honest performance of our promises and
agreements.
There is but one means Of accomplishing
this most desirable end, and that is by turn
ing over the Bureau of Indian Affairs to the
authority and management of the War De-
partment. The Department of the Interior
has made wicked and disgraceful failure
in its administration of the bureau;
but there are other cogent reasons for
intrustng it to the War Department.
to which it of right belongs. The
main duty of the army in time of peace
has been to maintain the police of
the frontier, to preserve the rights
of the Indians rs we'll as our own, and to ad-
minister Justice difficult tasl-while injus-
tice has been practised by the civil arm in
every transaction. Again, the army posts
are the most fitting places for the distribu-
ton of Indian supplies, more especially as
this could be effected without the cost to the
government now incurred, through the COM
missary and quartermaster's bureaus at
tached to each post, and with the additional
assurance that the distributions would be
made with the honor belonging to military
discipline and under the strict account
ability of the War Department.
The high courage of our army is as certain
as its discipline, but it is also undoubted
that, as a rule, it's officers are averse to In
dian wars. The pursuit of the savage
enforces life of isolation, hardship and pri-
vation such rs none of the most sanguinary
wars of civilization have required in our
time The enterprise is always hazardous,
yet no military glory awaits success, no laurels
attend on victory. The army understands the
temper of the Indians and has more init
mate knowledge of their character than can
be possessed by any other branch of the gov
ernment, as is shown by the fact that the
President has invariably selected military
officers to servo on commissions to confer
with the tribes. Let the Indian affairs, then,
be turned over to their fitting administra-
tors, and we may still hope to see fair
settlement of tho terrible Indian question.
homely apothegEa of the late President Lin
coin, 1T is not wise to swap horses while
crossing a stream" fails in application.
CIvII. SERVICE. While the friends of HAYES
are making canvass upon the platform of
civil service reform, the President shows his
respect for that policy by removing from
Office every man who had any part in the
punishment of the whiskey thieves, every
friend of Bristow and Jewell. We have yet
to hear the first protest from the republican
Senators as to this course. Grant is doing
yeoman's service for Tilden. The country
may say that the party's real purpose is bet
ter seen in the acts of Grant than the prom
ises of Hays 1t looks now as if the second
Washington was bent upon having demo-
cratic successor.
.For MAYOR N PLACE OF WILLIAM III.
WicEuAM. This is the cold, formal way in
which the official proclamation calls upon
the people Of New York to vote for new
Mayor. There can never be q Mayor in
place of William IL. Wickham." lie stands
alone as another Alexander When he re-
tires from public life We shall never see his
| Like again.