, 1877-07-21
Our In6;an Policy.

iniependeut nations. Although these
tribes are located within the boundaries
of the United States, and all other ma
tions have considered the Indians as sub
jeets Of the government OF the United
States, and the courts of the United States
have decided that both the tribes and the
individual Indians were subject to the
laws of the United States, yet the polItl-
cal department Of the government has
permitted the tribes 70 administer their
savage customs and laws, and 10 MAINTAIN
a seeming independent nationality, and
have made treaties with them a. such
In 1861, Congress indeed passed an act
prohibiting future Indian treaties, yet
the practice Of the govenme ent since that
time has been 10 send commissioners TO
make agreements with Indian tribes, to
be reported for the approval of Congress,
SO the only practical change effected by
the act is to change the name treaty TO
agreement. and to make this treaty or
agreement necessary to be ratified by
Congress inst I'd Of the Senate only. The
result Of this policy Eas been uniform
As settlement has S1vaneed west, treaties
have been made with each tribe rs they
we're approached. Money IN large sums
has been expended to fulfill these treaties;
a separate department has been created to
administer Indian affairs, and this depart
ment has become formidable political
power.
Treaties when made have been Of brief
duration there has followed an Indian
war, then another treaty, quickly follow
ed by another Indian war, and thus tribe
after tribe OF Indians have been aanlhla-
ted, and all the other tribes are III the
process of extinction Missionary labor
has gone hand IN hand with this policy TO
at least save the souls Of the Indians
even if their bodies were destroyed, but,
alas the work OF destruction IS 50 rapid,
and the conversion and regeneration of
Indians SO slow, that most of the souls of
the Indians have gone whore their relig-
ION carried them.
Now, side by side with this policy the
British policy with Indians has been
tried. This policy has been simple and
! logical. 1t Is, that the laws Of that gov
ernment extend over all Of It's territory,
and are equally effective upon al parsons
/ therein, whether for-in or native, Indi-
an, Negro, or white The history Of this
policy IS, that there are 10 Indian wars,
and the Indians are better preserved than
they are IL the United States.
The British policy requires no depart
ment, with lis army of officials, which eats
out the substance and eo:Tupts the morals
of the psople
The Nez PeTces now at war in idaho,
are only IN the process Of extinguishment,
under the usual treaty reservation system
Of the United States. The So-calied treat
| les, which We claim bind them to reside
upon their reservations, was not signed
/ GA the part of Indians VINO had any right
or power 10 bind them. BY what Indian
custoIa, usage, or law has any Indian
chief the power to bind the individual
Indians Of a Tribe 10 live only within GER
tain narrow limits
There was according TO Indian customs
and laws no Nez Perce nation, and no
power ACKNOWLEDGED over the NeZ Perez
people, or It's territory as a unity On
! the contrary, tie 1,ez Perces were thirty
distinct, separate tribes, each tribe claim
ing It's own particular territory, which
was claimed by 70 other tribe Tie III
dams puD0rtIng ID convey land by the
so-calied treaties, never had any claim 10
The land they proposed to- convey; the
/ hand Was claCEed!.y other Nez Fv-ce tribes.
/ The treaties specially provide iaat the IN
dams shall have the s2me right to the cc-
ded land, not actually occupied by white
settlers, Is before To be sure, one Of
the treaties contains 4 provision thai the
indians shall move on to the reservation,
while the same treaty provides that the
Indians shall have free access to all the
springs, streams and lakes, and the right
Of pasturage over the cedad land To
move on to the reservation and sti!l Ie-
tain the right Of fishing, hunting, root-
digging and pastu-age heretofore enjoyed
by the Indians, except on places actually
occupied by white men, cannot mean any
thing more than that the Indian shall
make his home on the reservation. What
these Indians call home IS what We would
cali Il regular winter camping ground, and
no more.
The only sense in which these Indians
had home was, that they had regular
place where they ealaped winters. Al the
rest Of the year they rambled from root
ground 70 rOot-mound, from fishery to
fishery, and from one hunting ground to
another, not only through what We call
the NeZ Perez country, but over a vast
amount of trritory claimed by neighbor-
ing tribes. Whether bound by the treaty
or not, no Indian could have considered
that he was deprived of this right of max
ing his living by roaming over a vast ex-
tent OF country.
General Howard in the spring time,
just as .he Indians we're about to com
mence their ramble orpleasure and food,
ordered them to move upon a reservation,
or they would be put there by an armed
force Such an order given at that time
OF year appeared TO the Indians an order
requiring not only removal on to the
reservation bat an order to remain there.
The alternative was presented TO him,
whether lie would choose to lie imprison-
ed on the reservation forever and be de-
prIVsd Of his usual food and his liberty 10
travel as before, or tight against people
whom he knew to be more numerous and
powerful than the Indians.
1t vii be observed that these Indians
did not object to the whites settling in
the country, and did not propose 10 mo-
lest the land actually appropriated and
occupied by the whites, but they objected
10 being restrained from rambling over
and obtaining their food from land not
thus occupied They ela;m-d only the
right which every American or British
subject enjoys and considers his liberty
, and his right.
1t can be easily seen that this war Is
fought by the Indians for a right which
the British always comedies To her Indian
as well as other subjects. All the Indian
tribes nov peaceable VIII fight before they