The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-11-13
The Indinn ErOntiCr.

The territorial delegates in the House are
pleading for n large army on the ground
that without it the Indians will massacre
the settlers The disgncciul fact is that
during the past fifteen years no Indian war
has occurred which was not provoked by
white men. Sometimes the cause Is cOvct-
BUSINESS, sometimes ignorance sometimes
recklcssness, sometimes violence some
times fraud; but, whatever its origin, the
function Of the army has uniformly been to
consummate n wrong. "1ell the white
people" said the chiefs to the Sioux Commits
sion Of 1876 that this is not an Indian war;
it is white mans war" The same Com
inissioncrs report that when they heard
savagcs say, "a great many widows and or
phans have been made on both sides; it is
time to ask who is to take care Of thcm-ths
matter has not been begun with Judgment;
it is displcasing to the Great Spirit" they
recalled the words Of JEFrERsoN: g trcm-
ble for my country when l remember that
GoD is just"
We shall be told, of course, that the views
Just quoted are those of mawlish humani-
tarianism Mr.. TowNsuND Of New York in
besccching Congress, ON Friday, mot to
leave the people to the tomahawk aud the
scaping knife. in the interest Of economy"
Dragged that he had "no namby-pamby sen
timcnt about tho Indians. l would put
power enough upon them to make them
civil" Very well; let us see, then, what
army officers say about the origin OF Indian
wars. The commission ON the Powder river
| war declare:
"The Indian. ALTHOUGH harharlan is yet man 'us
cepuhlo To- those ocnns which rr.lond io masnnnimp
I l.r..H hut .sfF s
the savage. l. savage r.i-ts civilization, Win The
| Ten Commandments one hand aud the sword IN the
other. demand, h- nnm"'iiac determination That u"
goes To war BE- not astonishing hc h "hh eumpel'h 10
! 800 Wrons- are borne boy him ~ silence hat never
il drive civilized men 10 deeds at violence. Among
CIVILIZED men. Usually rIrii-
CO., .1oe when We learn that tho same rule holds good
with Indians rae choi difficulty i removed Bat A. Is
that wars have been almost constant HIre ne
,,e n,vo. ME ays' We answer, unhc staunsly, l,.'
Who are the men that say this? Are they
namby-pamby sentimentalists of the sort
that displeasod Mr.. TOWNSEND? They are
Gen. G. c. AUGuR, Gen. w. S. HARNEY, the
veteran Indian fighter, Gen. TERRY, who
| pursued SITTING BULL across the border,
and Gen. WILLIAM T. SHERMAN. In signing
that report, they signed confession OF
national shame wrung from them by an cx-
animation of the facts ON which they, with
four others, were commissioned 10 report
What we point ont il that, whereas Con-
grcssmcn like Mr.. TOWNSEND declared last
week that the way TO avoid Indian war Is "
increase the army on tho frontier, Gems.
SHERMAN, TERRY, AUGUR. and IlARNEY say
that the best way to avoid Indian war is u
avoid injustice.
We might cite pages Of testimony from
army sources alone, showing that it is the
violence and the fraud Of white men that
cause all Indian wars. Seven years ago
Maior-Gen. STANLEY, writing from Dakota
said: al am ashamed longer to appcar in
the presence of the chiefs Of the different
tribes Of Sioux, who inquire why We do not
do as we promised, and in their vigorous
language aver that we have lied" 1t was
the violation of the treaty Of 1868 that
caused the latest Sioux war-the very treaty
arranged by the military and civil commits
sion from whose report we have quoted.
With army officers repeatedly tcstifyinl
that they have boon called in to carry OF
needless and outrageous Indian wars, how
is an Increase of the army to guarantee
peace TO the frontlcrl Tho larger the mill
tary force Mt command, the greater IS thu
violence of settlers, because they have
less TO fear from Indian revenge. "Witl
the help Of my COP, will give my influence
in favor Of protecting our people" says Nj
townsend. Protecting them in what? Ii
a course of fraud, violence, and oppression
toward the red men, regarding which the
Sioux Commission of 1876 says =" It's rccta
by the Indians made our checks crimson
with shame" What is needed for peac
, on the frontiers is not moro troops-tha
will never bring peacc-but the beginning
OF good faith and justice.