Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1876-09-22
rse Bottom Blunasr II Our Indian Policy.

fae Bottom Blunaer II Our Indian Policy.
From Rev. Or. Thompson in the Church Journal.
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 Gaul was governed by Ro-
man law /; the Salc Frank. his conquerer.
ty Salic law the Burgundian, By Bargun-
dian law; that there was as many laws as
races. To pave the way for European civil
ization, and the building up of Christian
commonwealth, Charlemagne, the great law
walker and civilizer, abolished this barba-
rous folly, and made law for the land.
Henceforth race was to be nothing. Over
every acre CT the empire, tue same justice
and right were to be meted out to every
man in the empire. The keynote of civlli-
zatlon 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 Charlie
magne 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 of its own territory. The wits
Of the courts do not run among the Indians
We have recognized the existence of hostile
or friendly powers on our own soil. We
have had peace commissioners, ambassadors,
and ministers plenipotentary dealing with
people living among US in our own country
We have officially announced that the nited
States IL not supreme over its own people,
nor its laws authoritative in its own terrific
ries
In the first place, we have made 1t the IL
terest OF the Indian to stay an Indian. As
long as he remains an Indian, and roams
over what he calls his .'cOuntrr." hunting,
robblng, and scalping. We rec ;nize MIN and
his few score wretched CONF lions as "a
nation" We send "commi ms to him.
We make treaties with him. We bring
him to Washington, and lioniz1 him about
New York-Red Cloud, Spotted Tail,
Speckled Nose, or Tin Kettle, or whatever
may beihis princelv name. We hold palavers
with him and smoke peace-p pipes and speech
ify at him, and generally contriye to impress
on his savage dizziness that he is a great per-
sonage-yery big injun" indeed and that
it is in his interest to remain "big injun,
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 rails
ing corn and potatoes. and wearing clean
shirts, to washing his face, and making him
self look semi-decent, he would lose all his
importance. No ''peace commissioner
wOnld visit him. No twaddle about his
Great father in Washington" would any
more be talked to him. No stilted nonsense
about "the tomahawk and the pipe of peace,
the war-path and the setti1g-sun." would
never more greet his ears from 1.-The general
commanding" lie would be simply law
abiding farmer, raising his own cOrn-cakes,
and eating his own bacon. and would be
subject of profound Indifference to Great
fathers and commissioners, Indian agents,
colonies, and treaties.
Across the line, Canada has had It's In
dians 1t has never had an Indian war, nor
an Indian peace twaddle nor an Indian mas
sacre. The secret is simple one. England
has accepted the civilization of ten centu-
ries, and makes the law f-llow the land She
does not recognize an independent nation of
gypsies, chicken-thieyes, or Indians, in the
region where the queen : writs run. Law Is
supreme The same law rules white, black,
and red The man that breaks the law i
tried by the law, and punished according to
the law 1t is the interest of the Indian to
become, in Canada, As soon a. be can, de-
cent citizen.
In PLAIN language, 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 other
outlaw, the Indian Just like any other man.
When the law reaches him, let him feel it
as the rest Of u do. Make it his interest 10
stop being an Indian. Never send hin an
other commissioner, nor another peace pipe.
Tell him Here is the land. \ section of
it Is yours. Settle on it, Plant. and SOW,
and reap. and vote, like other men. Do this
or get out Of the way. Either come under
the law, or take q VOLTS fate outside the
law; but We have closed the business Of
sending embassies TO fifty hali-staryed thieves
and marauders, and treating them as a ma
ton. There i only one nation in this
territory
Prem Mrs. Jane swisshsim q tie y. Y. lndepen-
dent
\ blundcr Is worse than crime, in that
It's effects, being altogether unforeseen, are
apt to be further reaching and PENIS
blunder about Indians liabilities has done
America more injury than all the cruelties
Of the Spanish Invasion. BY hedging In
dians about with the fictitious dignity Of
independent nations. it has prevented their
mingling with and absorption by superior
people. Ii has kept alive and guarded the
denominations Of the tribal system it has
made Christian people the ally and bull |
wark Of communism, slavery, polygamy and |
hereditary despotism - for every Indian |
tribe with which We are in treaty relations
is governed by a hereditary despot, is com
mune, holds slaves and practices polygamy, |
and these heathenisms are protected and |
preserved by our Government, acting at the
instance Of Christians and philanthropists.
The best portion Of the citizens OF the |
Republic have been so led astray, in their |
anxiety 10 do right, that they have invested |
Indians with a fictitious title to the whole |
Western COntinent-s title founded on prin- |
ciples which they utterly repudiate. And |
in attempting TO extinguish this title by |
purchase they have become involved in the |
guilt of recognizing and preserving the
tribal system, a barhIrism of the worst form. |
of fostering idleneSs and crime Of reward |
ing murder and of responsibility for a long |
series OF outrages, too terrible for eontem-
plation.
Had the nited States adopted, at the |
first, the policy of the king, instead Of that
of the Quaker, her Indian tribes, instead of |
living in the rapid process of determination,
would now haze been pretty nearly absorbed |
and lost BY intermingling with superior
ueorla