The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1877-11-25
THE INDIAN FRONTIER.
TESTIMONY OF ARMY OFFICERS.
New York Sun

The territorial delegates in the House s,e
pleading for large army on the ground
| that without ic the Indians will massacre
! the settlers. The disgracefol fact is that
during the pact fifteen years 20 Indian war
has occurred which vas not provoked by
white men. Sometimes the causs is coves-
BUSINESS, sometimes Ignorance, sometimes
reckie5sneee, sometimes violence, some
times fraud but, whatever it's origin, the
function of the army has uniformly been TO
consummate wrong. Tell the white Eco
ple,s said the chiefs TO the Sioux Commis-
sion of 1876, "that this 10 not an Indian
war; it Ia a white mans war" The same
Commissioners report that when they heard
savages say, a great many widows and
orphans have been made on both sids il is
time to ask who is Co take care of them
this matter has not been began with iadp-
ment; it is displeasipg to the Great Spirit" !"
they recalled the words of Jefferson: 81
trembie for my country wtHn 1 remember
that God is just"
We shall be told, of course, that the views
just quoted are those of mawkish bumani-
tarianism. Mr.. Townsbeud, of New York. in
beseeching Congress, on Friday, "n not to
leave the people to the tomahawk and the
scalping knife, in the interest of economy" !"
Dragged that he had 6! no namby- pamby
sentiment about the Indians. would put
power enough upon them TO make the u
CIVIL" Very well; let as see, then, what
wars. The commission on the Powder river
war declare:
The Indian, although a barbarian, is YET =
| man susceptible 10 those feelings W hich re-
spoad to msgnanimity and kindness. Here
the treaty broken, but not by the savage.
Ii the savage resists, civilization, With the
Ieti CuiDn andnents in one hand and the
sword in the other, demands his immediate ex.
| Ierminaiipu. That he goes TO war is nothing
Dston,sniDg. He is often compelled to do SO.
| Wrorg are borne by him in silence that never
fail to drive civilized men 70 deeds of violence
Among civilized DeD, war nsoally springs
then, TO avoid is 10 do no act of injustice
When we learn that the same rule holds good
With indiana, the chief difficulty is removed
Bot it is said that oar wars have been almost
constant. Hare ire been uniformly URjRst? We
| ans wer, unhesitatiDgly, Yes"
Who are the men that say this7 Are
! they namby- pamby sentimentalists of the
sort that displeased Mr.. Townsend They
are Gen. G. c. Augur, Gen w. s. Harvey,
| the veteran. Indian fighter, Gen. Terry,
who pursued Sitting Bull across the border,
and Sen. William T. Sherman. In signing
that report, they signed q confession of
national shame wrung from them by an ex-
| animation of the facts On which they, with
| fopr others, were commissioned to report.
| What We point out is that, whereas Con-
| gressn1en like Mr. Townshend declared iaat
week that the way to avoid Indisn war is
| to increase the army on the frontier, Gen
erals Sherman, Terry, Augur, and Harney
say that the best way to avoid Indian war
is to 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,
Major General Stanley, writing from
Dakota, ssid: 81 am ashamed longer to
appear in the presencs of the chiefs of the
different tribes of Sioux, who enquire why
do we not do as We promised, and in their
vigorous language aver that we have lied )"
1t was tie. violation of the treaty of 1868
that caused the latest Sioux war-the very
treaty arranged by the military and civil
commission from whose report We have
quoted.
With army cfieers repeatedly tegtifying
that they have been called in to carry on
Deedfess and outrageous Indian wars, how
is Rn increase of the army to guarantee
peace to the frontierf The larger the mil
itary force at command, the greater is the
violence of settlers, because they have less
| to fear from Indian revenge. "With the
help Of my God, will give my inf huence in
favor of protecting our people," says Mr.
Townshend. Protecting them in what In
| cOurse of fraud, violence, aud oppression
! towards the red men, regarding which the
Sioux Commission of 1876 says: "Its recital
| By the Indians made our cheeks crimson
with shame" What Ia needed for peace on
tie frontier is not more troops-that will
never bring peace-but the beginning of
good faith aud justice.