The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1877-01-20
camp fires within sight of Boston.


aud the Navahoes of Mexico, and the
small remnant OF the Mandans, in Wy
oming, build houses, manufacture cloth,
till the soil, and are capable of further
improvement, though they have remain
ed stationary for fifty years. But the
Sioux, ,Arapahoes, Chey Kioways
Comanches, yes, the Utes and Apaches
are scarcely above the Australian.
With these we are dealing.
The notien is quite prevalent that it
was unjust, if not positively cruel, to
remove several tribes from their original
homes to the West. We shall have
occasion to refer to this matter again,
but here we desire to ask, What else
could be donei Thskwo races are 80
dissimilar that they cannot live togeth-
er on terms of equality. From the very
nature OF things one must increase while
the other decreases. One race is lazy,
the other Industrious; one is improvid-
ent, the other looking continually to the
future; one is converting luxuries into
necessaries, the other is contented with
the rudest kind OF life, it it only salts.
ties present desires; one has noble aims,
and animated by lofty impulses, the
other is content with his ignorance, pow
erty aud filth. And our best men saw
that this ;'lrrepressible conflict" was de-
stroyihg the Indians. They were sent
West. then an unexplored region.
They were uuwisely assured that they
would never ~gain bt disturbed. But
the white rase are again surrounding
them, and very soon the question of
their removal, which few years ago
was debated in Florida, Georgia, aud
Michigan, will be debated in Arkansas,
Texas, and Kansas. But the Indians
can GO no further. There is no refuge
for them l.. our vast territory, and so
the ever-recurrng question, What shall
we do with them?
Many answers are given to this i'm
porhant question. But the difficulties
we encounter in any policy we may
adopt towards them are numerous, SER
ious, end we fear insurmountable. l:
we but glance at them We sec their i'm
practicability.
| We are told for instance, that we
must treat the Indians like men. This
may be good advice, but it is to indefi-
mite to have any practcle value. But
we will let that pass, and inquire. What
if they wont be treated like men !?
What if, when Government makes them
u present, they receive the gift as .
tribute extorted by fears of their PROV
esss What, if when we talk to them
in spirit Of love, they call us squaws?
What shall we do with those who, ac-
knowledcing no power but brute force,
were never known to manifest the least
gratitude for favors received? who SCOT
fed at our respect for the treaties? who
in their savage pride will not speak
our language, even when they under
stand it? who from childhood have been
taught that work is disgraccfuI, who
have often boasted that they have tor
tured prisoners, but are ashamed to
acknowledge that they ever had pity
on cartives? How. we ask, can we
treat them as mens Destitute Of the
sentiment OF honor, we cannot appeal to
their pride; deaf to the voice Of compass
sion, we cannot appeal to their human
iiy; holding in utter contempt our man
ner Of living, we cannot appeal to their
ambition.
Some of our wisest and best men are
in favor of destroying their tribe rela-
tions aud holding them amenable to the
laws as Individuals. For many reasons
this seems desirable. With their tribal
relations recognized, We have the snom-
alous spectacle Of an independent State
existing within an independent State, a
people differing in language, habits and
aims, from their surrounding and more
powerful neighbors. Such spectacle
l., we cay, an anamoly, aud must result
to the injury. If net in the destruction
Of the weaker race. The two are not
agreed, and cannot walk together.
Practical illustrations can be found in
the removal Of the Seminoles from Flor.
ida, the Greeks and Cherokees from
Georgia, tho Delaware from Pennsyl-
vAnis, ths Seaecas from New York, and
Potoswstanas from Michigan. II ths
remnant Of few tribes ssill inger Ia
Maine, Massachusetts,, New York and
Pennsylvania, thej remain - interiors
\ The nost enthasiastic of our humanit.