Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1876-09-29
The Bottom Blunder in our Indian Policy

One thousand years ago, in Europe it was
the barrier in the way Of her civilization
that law followed race and not land that
the Romanized Gau was governed by Ro-
man law the Salic Frank. his conqueror,
by Sale law the Burgundian by Burgun.
dian law; that there were as many laws
as races. To pave the way for European
civilization, and the building up Of a Chris.
tian commonwealth, Charlemagne, the great
w.maker and civiizer, abolished this bar
barous folly, and made law for the land
Henceforth race was to be nothing. Over
every acre of the empire, the same justice
and right were to be melted out to every man
in the empire The keynote of civilization
was struck. Law goes with the land, and
law is supreme over every man in the land
Strangely enough, American Indian policy
has revived the barbarism which Charlemagne
destroyed. We have made, in our case, the
law to 60 with the race, and not with the
land. The government is an alien in par.
Of its own territory. The writs of courts do
not run among the Indians. We have re-
cognized the existence of hostile or friendly
powers on our own soil We have had peace
commissioners, ambassadors, and ministers
plenipotentiary dealing with people living
among US in our own country. We have
officially announced that the United States
is not supreme over its own people, nor its
laws authoritative in its own territories |!
In the first place, we have made it the in-
terest of the Indian to stay an Indian. AS
long as he remains an Indian, and roams
over what he calls his country" hunting,
robbing, and scalping we recognize him aud
his few score wretched companions as "a
nation" We send commissions" to him.
We make treaties with him. We bring him
to Washington, and lonze him about New
York-Red Cloud, Spotted Tail, Speckled
Nose, or Tin Kettle, or whatever may be his
princely name. We hold palavers with him,
and smoke peace-pipes aud speechify at him,
and generally contrve to impress on his
savage dulness that he is great parsonage
very "bg Injun" indeed and that it il
his interest to remain "big Injuu," all his
days.
Should he settle down on two or three
hundred acres of land, and give up the
hunting and scalping business, take to raising
corn and potatoes, and wearing clean shirts
to washing his face and making himself look
semi-decent, he would lose all his Importance
No "peace commissioner" would visit him
No twaddle about his "Great father in
Washington" would any more be talked to
him. No stilted nonsense about "the toma-
hawk and the pipe of peace, the war.path
and the settings sum-" would ever more greet
his ears from "the general commanding"
He would be simply a law.abiding farmer,
raising his own corn-cakes, and eating hi:
own bacon, and would be subject Of pro-
found indifference to great fathers anC
commissioners, ludian agents, colonies, and
treaties.
Across the line, Canada has had its Indians
1t has never had an Indian war, nor an
Indian peace twaddle, nor an Indian mas
sacre. The secret is simple one. EnglanC
has accepted the civilization Of ten centuries
and makes the law follow the land. She
does not recognize an independent nation o
gypsies, chiCken-thieves, or Indians, in the
region where the queens writs run. Law
is supreme. The same law rules white
black, and red The man that breaks tn
law is tried by the law, and punished &C
cording to the law. 1t is the interest Of tn
} Indian to become, in Canada, as soon as h
can, a decent citizen.
In plain language let us abolish the bal
, barous absurdity, buried in Europe thou'
and years ago. of two laws in one land, LC
the Indian outlaw be Just like any other Out
law, the Indian just like any other mar
When the law reaches him, let him feel it a
7 the rest of us do. Make it his interest
! stop being an Indian. Never send him al
! other commissioner nor another peace pip
| Tell him "Here is the land. A section {
Z it is yours Settle Oh it. Plant, and SOW
q and reap, ADD vote, like other men. Do tn
or get out of the way. Either come undo
: law, or take VOLTS fate outside the law
but we have closed the business Of senC
. ing embassies to 90 halt-starved theivC
] aud marauders, and treating them as a ma
tion.. There is only one nation in this te
j ritory, aud it is too large to go into sue
e very contemplate business. "-Church JOn'
/ nal