The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1877-10-26
Sitting Bull and the Indian Question,

1t is humiliating to confess that Sitting
BULBS contemptueus treatment of the Amer
ican Commission is not without justification.
The sullen Teton chief has seen his people
despoiled, and their lands taken from them
by these Americans. The noble white man
has not hestated to shamefully violate sol
emn treaties, to plunder and cheat the red
man on every occasion, and then to shoot
him down if resistance was made. 1. is not
to be wondered at that the Indian looks upon
the white man as liar and thief, whose word
he cannot trust and whose plundering pro-
pensities must be constantly guarded against.
Judging from the history of his race Sit
ting Bull was not far wrong in bluntly saying
to the Commissioners that they had come to
tell him lies. He had every reason to believe
that if he accepted the Presidents offer and
came back to the reservation the possession
of which is guaranteed to him by treaty, he
would not be suffered to stay long. He
knew that some white man would happen
there in search of gold or of a farm and
squat upon the Indian reservation; that if
the intruder was driven out he would return,
bringing many with him; that The squatters
would shoot all the Indians who attempted
to defend their property; and that if the In
dians retaliated great cry of savage bar
barity would be raised and detachment of
United States troops sent to protect the plun-
derers. In short, he would, as he expressed
it in his talk with the Commission, soon be
"run out of the reservation" The United
States would violate the treaty without
scruple, and the red men who remained
alive after the shooting was over would be
sent to another and poorer reservation, from
which in time they would be crowded. Fore
seeing all this the Teton chief preferred to
remain in the sheltering arms of the 'sWhite
Mother" as the Indians affectionately call
Canada.
The Indian affection for Canada and ha-
tired for this country is not without founda-
tion. The Dominion has dealt justly with
them. Our course toward them has been Iuni-
formly characterized by bad faith. It would
seem that even from the standpoint of policy
only we should see our mistake. The conse-
4uOuSO vi Jul III JuoIlCc Is u seTleS OI DlOOQy
and costly Indian wars. We would do well to
sit at the feet of the "White Mother for
while and learn how she treats her foster
children, and how she has earned for her
dominion the Indian title ''the land where
there is no blood". 1t is not too late to cor
rect our mistake. The Episcopal convention
lately in session at Boston has pointed out
our true way. The Indians must be led to
abandon their tribal relations, at least in
their intercourse with the general govern
ment. We must no longer recognize them as
nations. We must look upon them as of our
own people, subject to our laws and en-
titled to the same protection which society
gives the white man. If we can induce
them to become agriculturalists or herdsmen
we shall have a class of producers instead of a
horde of vagrants. But to accomplish this
we must first make them secure in their ten
ure of lands. So long as we pursue our pres
ent policy that whenever white man wants
Indian territory he may take it we shall have
mr. nynno IL I'll