New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-07-18


" the future unfolding before u.s. Ihee has
been nothing like it since the world began.
"The schools of the old world the wisdom and
"experience of the past, are well enough IN
their way and for those who may profit by
"them but we require new theories, new
"precedents, new systems, and new laws"
And so these men, to the establishment OF
the civilized world, have been grayely
arguing that the grandeur OF our re-
sources and our own originality, fertility,
energy, activity, and restlesSness require en-
tirelv new systems of finance based upona new
principles and regulated by new laws. 1t IS
duite possible that the defense OF our Indian
policy will eventually rest upon the same
method. 1t certainly scorns all knowledge, Ill
law, and all common sense, and it shows the
same large ard serene disregard for the teach
ings of history and the plainest lessons of ok
pericnce that the infationist5 exhibit III thor
warfare against natural laws. 1t is sort OF
sublimated spread-eaglelsm
In the one instance an enlightened foreigner
looking curiOusly on at the effort to leglslate
promise into performance, and commenting
upon it as financial madness, Is told that he
does not understand this country, that It's ex-
tent exceeds his comprehension, that the
boundlessncss of its resources exhauSts the
cauacty of the currency of the world, ana
compcls the adoption of an independent medium
Of exchange. "You mean WELL" shy Logan
and Hendricks to the followers OF Adam
smith, "but you don't understand the coun-
" try. 1t is too large to be dependent upon
&" Performance, which has limitations. it has
,tuIsa IN
(which no limit can he set" In the other
case the curious foreigner, seeing that the
noble savage is at one time proprietor OF the
soil, at another outcast and outlaw now
ward of the nation and AGAIN tie
representative OF foreign government ana
treaty-makng power, and learning that the
Government not only provides for bis main
tenance in Winter, hut furnishes him arms
and ammunition for al offensive campaign
against his beAeiactors in the summer season,
might comment upon This singular policy in
terms not complimentary to its wisdom
or sagacty. The answer must be, OF
course, as in the other case, that
the foreigner does not understand u,
md does not understand the Indian. We are
WILLING ard Outstanding these aborIsincs,
and tbs is our process. No other people ever
had suth a problem a. TINS Indian question on
their hands, and no people ever treated an
question with such stubborn disregard OF ev-
crythin. like common sense. To-day We are
ENGAGED ia war with an enemy wn0 has
neither arms nor ammunition, provisions, cloth
ing. nor supplies, except as we ourselves
have furnished them. They cannot wage war
cxceut n we put arms in their hands, supply
~, md pptu al fIIm
the field. More than tbs, We feed and ciothe
them through the Winter, 50 that they may
make var upon us in the Summer, when if We
left them to themselves they would starvc,
and make an end of the trouble" \ stranger
TO orr method, would look on this process
with something of wonder, possibly
of contempt. And the only cxpiIna-
tion-or rather the only answer We can
make. for there is no explGnation-i5 that we
are not understood by foreigners; we are
ciyiliug and ChTi,tiauizjng the sava-cs. Next
Winter these muIdcrng bands will come in 10
the agencies and receive rdtions and ammlni-
ton and improved firearms for the next sum
mel's hostile campaign. To the subjects OF
entte monarchics what is called oar Indian
policy must seem - bc the most bIainloss ana
Suicidal but they don't understand us.
There are only two of three things lacking
to make our system Of administration homo
gencous Our Agricultural Department should
distribute Canada thistle seed, Colorado beetles,
army worms, cIasshoppcrs, and wecvii, ana III
all our state prisons there should be establish
ments for the manufacture of bHgms' tools,
and schools of instruction ia their use. We
do not thoroughly understand the matter our
sol, Int, ut
through all departments of government and
each foreign nations that We are outside OF
all law and all precedent, aud that we are too
Great country and people for them TO un-
dcTstand