The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-07-14
The Indian War and the Indian
Policy.

1OfmluaDle Jndlan war. Inc lnuians III
Idaho have inflicted severe losses on troops
and settlers, and are so far from being SUBJ
dued that Colonel Scully, one of the most
experienced Indian fighters in the West
urgently calls for assistance, and the Presl-
dent yesterday authorized call for two
hundred volunteer troops, while dispatches
from San Francisco report that all the regu-
lars on the Pacific coast have been ordered
north to the scene of the war;
Chief Joseph could not probably do much
damage alone, but Colonel Scully and other
officers report the old story, that the reser-
walton Indians are uneasy and will proba-
bly, join the hostile bands unless these are
promptly defeated and dispersed. This is
the way in which Sitting Bull gathered the
forces with which he made so bloody stand.
The reservation ''braves," tired of an idle
life, longing for excitement, well fed and
clothed and well armed also, are
easily tempted to join predatory
chief; they leave their women, children and
old men on the reservations in safety and
ride out light handed to shoot down our
soldiers and settlers. When they are tired
of the fun or get badly beaten they sneak
back to the reservations to have their
wounds dressed, and get their stomachs
filed and their backs covered again at the
governments expense. The Indians are
not fools, and we should like to know their
opinion of the peace policy and of the white
people who continue it.
We do not know what particular griev-
ance led Chief Joseph to take up arms.
When Captain Jack, the Modoc chief re-
volted, he said it wns because he was 'tired
of eating horse" He meant that the Indian
agents had fed him and his people on
horses when they were entitled to beef; and
so far as We. remember Captain Jacks asser-
ton was never disproved. If the Indians
of California and Oregon had fought
every time they knew themselves to
be swindled or cruelty abused we should
have had interminable Indian wars out
there. We have no doubt the present Sec
retary of the Interior will do his best to
secure just and honest treatment for the
Indians. We do not doubt that Secretary
Chandler wished them we'll ALSO But Mr..
Schurz will fail, as Mr.. Chandler failed, and
as General Walker, when he was chief Of the
Indian Bureau, failed. The system is wrong,
and if it were honestly and faithfully admin
istered it would still be wrong, and would
not tend to good, but to unsatisfactory
and bad results.
The object of an Indian policy must be to
civilize the Indians and meantime to make
IL. hoe
Indian reservation knows how this is
usually done. mass of Indians are
crowded together on reservation f; school
house and church are built for them they
are set to work cultivating crops for the
common benefit; they receive rations of
food and clothing whether they cork
or not; and mile of usually a
detachment Of troops is stationed to
catch them if they run away. The
labor exacted of them is at irregular in
tervals; the schooling and preaching are of
the rudest; and there is SO little incentive
in the whole system to lead men to like
what is presented to them as civilization
that if an equal number Of white people
were collected on reservation and treated
as the Indians usually are they would rap
idly relapse into barbarism.
TO civilize a savage it is first of all neces-
sary to lead him, or force him if necessary,
to acquire totally new set of habits. AS
savage he has lived an unsystematic, hap
hazard life [; if he is to be civilized he must
be habituated to regularity, system, order,
cleanliness in his person and house /; he
must be trained to do certain things at GER
tain fixed hours, in certain established
ways. Having been brought thus far
he ought to be shown the advan-
tage to himself of laboring indus
triously and productivity. If he is turned
out with two hundred others to till q
big field of corn for the general benefit or
for the benefit of the government, or, as he
most likely believes, for the advantage of
the agent, naturally he will skulk. If he
has his own little field set apart, which he
knows to be his, pride, avarice, forethought,
hunger may stimulate him to get little
more from it than some neighbor. II when
he has raised crop he may sell it and
pocket the proceeds he is likely to become
habitually industrious.
Now, it is not disrespectful to the very best
men who can be got to serve as Indian
agents to say that they have neither the
training nor the capacity needed to produce
good results upon savage Indians. West
Point officers, on the contrary, arc specially
fitted for this work. Their whole lifelong
training has made them rigidly systematic.
They are accustomed to exercise authority
over rude men. They IRE used to
place great Importance upon cleanliness,
order, regularity; they are familiar
with the best means ever invented
to impress such habits upon persons
unaccustomed to them. In short, West
Point officer Of good character is man