Bozeman avant courier. [volume] (Bozeman, Mont.) 1872-1882, 1877-08-23
TERRITORIAL PRESS
The Indian Policy.

ton hint that there may be change in tn
i Indian policy Of the Government befor
! long. it cannot come too soon. Tn
!, blood Of the murdered citizens of Hors
. Prairie calls aloud for change. Tn
!, humanitarian scheme of farming out til
Indians to certain religious societies, tina,
in the end they may be converted I,
Christianity, has proved disastrous fail
: ure in every particular, save that of film.
the land with mourners, and enrichins
agents and contractors. We know tn,
peace policy was inaugurated to satisf,
!, The mawkish sentlmcntality Of Eastern
, people, who have formed their estimate o
The Indian from reading accounts of tn.
J, Princess Pocahontas, King Philip, Pow
haitian and others. The dusky maiden OF
Longfel!ow's creation is something no.
found in the West. Here in Montana
aud everywhere else In the Northwest. the
noble red and his dusky mate are dirty,
shiftless race, aud they will meyer be any.
thing else. They are natural thieves and
murderers, and the only reason that life
IS safe anywhere On the frontier is due
solely to the fact that the Indians are
afraid II is fear of the white man. MOI,
friendship for him. that restrai,,s The rcs
Iervation Indians from committing all
kinds of drprccations. The ex-
pertinent OF making Christians of IrIi
ans IN The manner now in vogue is a
fraud upon the white population and u
disgrace to the Government. If these
st'cklers for the continuance Of the peace
policy toward the Indians could hear the
yells of the demons as they descend
upon the settlers and send a bullet
through his brain. or witness the agonv of
the mother as she fees her helpless of.
spring butchered in the most hear,less
manner, or See her despairing look when
she realizes that a worse fate is in store
tor her, they might lose some of their
sympathy for tie poor Indian and be
stow little of it upon the pioneers Of
Any change in the MANAGE.
ment OF Indian affairs will be hailed with
Joy by the frontiersmen, for all know
mat worse one THIN the present cannot
be devised, aud there is possibilit, that
better one might be adopted.
Inc Husoandman, after paying deser
Vcd tribute to Gen. Gibbon and his com
mand. pays the following tribute TO the
but what shall we say of the little .
handful of volunteers who engaged in the
1ght? Their loss in killed was one sjxtb
while that of the regulars was one,ninth, ,
which is evidence that they led the front
lhey fought. not because it was their oc.
;npation, for they were free and indepen t
lent citizens to whom protection was due
rom the Government, but in defense of 5
ne homes and fresides of Montana TO 4
'Venge the blood of their butchered neie h. l
'ors IN Idaho, and to repel a merciless il
mo lnsolent foe that the scenes of Idaho =
night not be repeated in our valleys Il !,
vas an hour of need, and they were too E
lobie to talter. The five volunteers who n
ell on the bloody battle field of the Rio e
tole were worth more to Montana than +
IL the Nez Perez nation, yet no en,o.;.s .
an compensate for their lives. nor com. h
OFT the bereaved ones at home. whose d
MY consolation is that they fell in de- O
ense OF those dear to them, and were too d
airing and brave to allow a band of red.
anded murderers to 20 unwhipped of n n
lstice. !"
1t is a stigma upon our government that f,
few, because they were patriotic and o.
ming, should be made to do battle y,
galnst such odds. There are a thousand !"
len in Montana who would have been r,
pom the scene of action had the goyern- IN
'ent authorized it, men who woule have IL
'ked nothing but commiseary stores VI
lille in the field. But as 1t is, the voluo-
ers, 200 in number, were necessarily =
sbanded--alI efforts on the part of the
overnor to obtain authority having fail
]. n