Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1878-12-03

believed that the organization of such a body u
Of Indian cavalry, receiving moderate pay al
from the government, would considerably Ell
weaken the restless element among the In
dians by Withdrawing from it a number OF v
Young men and giving them conRenlal en- ~
ployment under the government, 1t being N
matter of experience that Indians IN our ser =,
vice almost without exception are faithful IN \
the performance of the duties assigned to I;
them Such an organization would mate. I,
rally aid the army 10 the accomplishment OF a
a task for which Its numerical strength Is 4
sometimes found insufficient. But, while the .
employment OF force for il
THE PREVENTION OR REPRESSION OF IN o
DIAN TROUBLES f
is of occasional necessity, and wise prepare t
ton should he made to that end, greater re-
lance must be placed on humane ana civil U
izing agencies for the ultimate solution OF
what is called the Indian problem. 1t may {
be very difficult, and require much patient J
effort to curb the uDruly spirit OF the savage 7
Indian to the restraints OF civilized me- out I
experience shows that IT Is not Impossible. :
MANY of the tribes which are now quiet and ,
orderly and self-supportlng were once as saw
age as any that at present roam over the
plains or in the mountains of the far west,
and were then considered inaccessible to CIV
liking influences. 1t may be impossible to
raise them fully up to the level OF the wnIIe
population of the United States; out we
should not forget that they are the apo,
rhymes of the country, and called
the soil their own on which our
people have grown rich, powerful, ana
happy. We owe 1t to them as moral duty
:. 10 hello them 10 attaining at least that degree
bf civilization which they may be able to
leach. 1t is not only our duty-it Ia also our
interest to do so. Indians who have become
kgricutursts or herdsmen, and ieei an IN
crest in property, will thenceforth cease 10
be a warIlke and disturbing element. 1t Is
auth tad fact that Indians
: hre apt to be peaceable and quiet when their
children are at school, and | am gsati1ed 10
know, from the expressions OF Indians them
Ielves and from many concurrlng reports
hat there Is steadily increasing uesHe'
: even among Indians belonging to compare
lively wild tribes,
TO HAVE THEIR CHILDREN EDUCATED.
!, invite attention to the reports of the secre.
q tary of the interioT and the commissioner OF |
4 Indian affairs, touching the experiment re- |
\ Gently inaugurated, In taking htTy Indian
childIen, boys and girls, from different trloes,
to the Hampton normal agricultural lnstl-
tute, in Virginia where they are 10 receive
an elementary education and training In ag-
riculture and other useful works, to be re-
turned to their tribes, after the completed
course, as interpreters, instructors and exam
pIes It is reported that the otflcer charged
with the selection of those children might
have had thousands OF young Indians sent
With him had it been possible to make proVl-
.ion for them I agree with the secretary OF
the interior In saying that the result OF this
interesting experiment, 1t favorable, may De
, destined to become important factor
IN the advancement Of civilization among
the Indians The question, whether
a change in the control of the Indian service
should be made, was, at the last session OF
, congress, referred to committee Tor inquiry
and report. Without desiring to anticipate
, that report, | venture to express the nope
that in the decision of so important cues
ton the views expressed above may not be
lost sight of, aud that the decision, whatever
il may be, will arrest further agitation OF
this subject. such agitation being apt to pro-
j d1ce a disturbing effect upon the service as
well as on the Indians themselves. Ia the
enrolment Of the bill making appropriations
= for sundry civil expenses, at the last session
of congress, that portion which provided for
e the continuation OF
r THE HOT SPRINGS COMMISSION
|, was omitted As the commission had COM
J pleted the work Of taking testimony on the
: many conflicting claims, the suspension OF
l their labors, before determining the rights
: of claimants, threatened, for time, to en-
d barrass the interests, not only of the govern
{ ment. but also of a large number OF the cltI-
zeLs Of Hot Springs, who were waiting tor
: final action on their CLAIMS before beginning
L prevent serious difficulties; which were
: apprehended, and at the solicitation
. of many leading citizens OF
/ Hot Springs, and others interested In
4 the welfare of the town, the secretary of the
# interior was authorized to request the late
: commissioners to take charge OF the records
i Of their proceedings, and to perform such
: work as could properly be done by them
: der the circumstances, to facilitate the future
s adjudication of the claims at an early day,
e and to preserve the status of the claimants
e until their rights should be finally determin-
e ed. The late commissioners complied with
: that request, and report that the testimony
: in all the cases has been written out, exam
: ined briefed, and so arranged as to facilitate
i an early settlement when authorized by law.
e it is recommended that the requisite author
: ity be given at as early day in the session
e as possible, and that a fair compensation be
8 allowed the late commissioners for the eX-
= pense incurred and the labor performed by
: them since the twenty-fifth OF June last.
d | invite the attention OF congress to the
= recommendations made by the secretary of
: the interior with regard to the preservation
s of the
r TIMBER ON THE PUBLIC LANDS
of the United States. The protection of the
7 public property is one of the first duties of
4 the eroyaYa,aaont. GF= rispe-ttIItsnu OF the in
e terror should, therefore, be enabled by suffi-
i Gent appropriations to enforce. the laws in
. that respect. But this matter
=. appears still more important as a
9 question of public economy. The
6 rapid destruction of our forests is an evil
= fraught with the graYest consequences,
. | especially in the mountainous districts, where
y | the rocky slopes, once denuded of their trees,
- will remain so forever. There the IN ury,
oDce done, cannot be repaired. l fully con-
cur with the secretary of the interior in the
: opinion that, fer this reason, legislation
e touching the public timber in the mountain
Gus States and Territories Of the west should
/ be especially well considered, and that exist
e ing laws, in which the destruction of the
= forests is not sufficiently guarded against,
Il should be speedily modified. A general law
: concerning this important subject, appears to
u me to be d matter of urgeAt public necessity.
e From the organization OF the government the
= Importance OF encouraging, by all possible
4 means, the increase of
= OUR AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIONS
= has been acknowledged, and urged upon the
. attention OF congress and the people as the
q sutest aud readiest mears of increasing our
q substantial and enduring prosperity. The
s words Of Washington are as applicable to-
: day as when, In his eighth annual message,
he said: - 1t is not to be doubted that with
! reference to either individual or national wei
a fare, agriculture Is OF primary Importance.
Ia proportion as nations advance IN
, | population and other circumstances of ma
: turity, this truth becomes more apparent
and renders the cultivation Of the soil more
= and more an object of public patronage. H.
stitutions for promoting it grow up, sup
ported 10y the public purse-and to what OBJ
lect can it be dedicated with greater pro-
9 propriety? Among the means which have
: been employed to this end, none have been
5 attended with greater success than the estab-
J lishment OF boards composed Of proper char
= acters, charged with collecting and diffusiDg
n information, aid enabled, by premiums and
8 small pecuniary aids to encourage and as
sst the spirit Of discovery and Improvement
this species of establishment contributing
doubly to the increase of improvement by
+ stimulating to enterprise and experiment,
q and by drawing to a common center the re-
= suits everywhere OF individual skill and oh
> servation, and spreading them thence over
: the whole nation. Experience accordingly
hath shown that they are very cheap instru-
, ments OF immense national benefit"
! The great preponderance of the agricultu-
: raj over any other interest in the United
= States entities it to all the consideration
/ claimed for it in Washington; About one
, half OF the population of the United States is
engaged IN agriculture.
THE VALUE OF THE AGRICULTURAL PRO-
I DUCTS
of the United States for the year 1873, is es-
timated at three thousand millions of dollars.
{ The exports of ayr cultural products
s for the year 1877, as appears from the report
of the bureau of statistics, were five hundred
and twenty-four millions of dollars. The
great extent of our country, with its diversity
of soil and climate, enables US to produce
! within our own borders, and by our own
ldoOT, nOI oHiy Inc ASCessatlCSi out tnOsI vi
the Injuries, that are consumed in civilized
countries. Yet, notwithstanding our ad
.. vantages of SSH, climate and intercommuni
! cation, it appears from the statistical state
! ments in the report of the commissioner OF
agriculture, that we import annually from
7 foreign lands many millions of dollars worth
j., of agricultural products which could be
I. raised il our own country. Numerous ques-
I tons arise 10
: THE PRACTICE OF ADVANCED AGRICULTURE
which can only be answered by-experiments,
, often costly and sometimes fruitless, which
, are beyond the means of private individuals,
and are a Just aud proper charge on the