Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1878-12-10

In its orgigin the Postal Union com
Q pfised twenty three countries, having
: population Nf three hundred and fift
4 millions of Dheple. On the 1st Of Apr
Q next it will comprise forty three coun
tries and colonies, with population @
r more than six hundred and fifty mil
lions of people, and will soon, by tn
, accession of the few remaining countrie
r and colonies which maintain Organfze'
: postal services, constitute in fact as vel
| as in name, as its title indicates, Uni
: versal Union, regulating, upon q, uni
form basis of cheap postage rates, tn
, postal intercourse between all civilized
: nations.
} Some embarrassment has arisen on
of the conflict between the custom law
OF this country and the provisions of th,
Postal Convention, in regard to thu
! transmission of foreign books and news
papers to this country by mail. 1t il
hoped that Congress will be able to de
wise some means Of reconciling the diff
ficulties which have thus been created
SO as to do justice to all parties involved
The business of the Supreme Court
and Of the courts in many Of the cir
cults, has increased to such an extent
during the past year that additional leg.
islation is imperative to relieve and pre-.
vent the delay of justice and possible
oppression to suitors which is thus occa-
Isioned. The encountered condition ot
these jOckets is presented anew in the
report of the Attorney General, and the
remedy suggested is earnestly urged for
congressional action. The creation OF
additional circuit judges, as proposed,
would afford . complete remedy, and
would involve an expense-at the pres
ent rate of salaries-ofSnot more than
$50, 600 year.
The annual report of the Secretary of
the Interior and of the Commissioners
of Indian Affairs present an elaborate
account of the present condition of the
Indian tribes, and of that branch of the
public service which ministers to their
interests. While the conduct of the
Indians generally has been orderly, and
their relations with their neighbors
friendly and peaceful, two local disturb
ances have occurred, which were de-
plorable in their character, but remain
ed, happily, confined to comparatively
small number of Indians. The discon-
tent among the Bannocks, which led
first to some acts of violence on the part
of some members of the tribe and final
ly to the outbreak, appears to have been
caused by an insufficiency of food on
the reservation, and this insufficiencv
to have been owing to the inadequacy
OF the appropriations, made by Con-
gress, to the wants of the Indians, at
time when the Indians were prevented
from supplying the deficiency by hunt
ing. After an arduous pursuit by the
troops of the United States, and several
engagements, the hostile Indians were
| reduced to subjection, and the larger
mart Of Thorn anHorod
prisoners. I desire to call attention to
the recommendation made by the Sec
retary of the Interior, that a sufficient
fund be placed at the disposal of the
Executive. to be used, with proper ac-
countability, at discretion, in sudden
emergencies of the Indian service.
The other case of disturbance was that
of band of Northern Cheyennes who
suddenly left their reservation in the
Indian Territory and marched rapidly
through the States of Kansas and Ne
braska in the direction of their old
hunting grounds, committing murders
and other crimes on their way. From
documents accompanying the report of
the Secretary of the Interior, it appears
that this disorderly band was as fully
supplied with the necessaries of life as
the four thousand seven hundred other
| reservation, an6 that the disturbance
was caused by men of a restless and
lnlschlevOus disposition among the In
dians themselves. Almost the whole of
this band have surrendered to the mill
tary authorities, and it is a gratifying
fact that, when some of them had taken
refuge in the camp of the Red Cloud
Sioux, with whom they had been in
friendly relations the Sioux held them
as prisoners and readily gave them up
to the officers of the United States, thus
giving new proof of the loyal spirit
which, alarming rumors to the contrary
notwithstanding, they have uniformly
shown ever since the wishes they ex-
pressed at the council of September,
1877, had been complied with.
Both the Secretary Of the Interior and
the Secretary of War unite in the rec
omm 5ndation that provision be made by
congress for the organization of corps
OF mounted "Indian auxiliaries," to be
under the control of the army to be used
for the purpose of keeping the Indians
on the reservations and preventing or
repressing disturbance on their part. II
earnestly concur in this recommenda-
tion. tits believed that that the organ
ization of such a body of Indian caval-
ry, receiving moderate pay from the
Government, would considerably weak
On the restless element among the Indi-
ans by withdrawing from it a number of
young men and giving them congenial
employment under the Government. it
being matter of experience that Indi-
ans in our service almost without excep-
ton are faithful in the performance of
the duties assigned to them. Such an
organization would materially aid the
army in the accomplishment of a task
for which its numerical strength is
sometimes found insufficient.
But, while the employment of force
Tor the prevention or repression of In
dian troubles is of occasional necessity,
and wise preparation should be made to
that end, greater reliance must be placed
on humane and civilizing agencies for
the ultimate solution of what is called
the Indian problem. 1t may be very
difficult and require much patient effort,
to curb the unruly spirit of the savage
lndlan to the restraints of civilized life,
but experience shows that it is not i'm
possible. Many of the tribe which are
now quiet and orderly and selfsupport-
ing were once as savage as any that at
present roam over the plains or in the
mountains of the far West, and were
then considered inaccessible to civiliz.
ing influences. 1t may be i'm possible to
raise them fully up to the level of the
white population of the United States
but we should not forget that they are
the aborigines of the country, and called
the soil their own on which our people
have grown rich. powerful, and happy.
We owe it to them as a moral duty to
help them in attaining at least that de-
gree of civilization which tkey may be
able to reach. 1t is not only our duty
it is also our interest to do SO. Indians
who have become agriculturists or herds
men, and feel an interest in property.
will thenceforth cease to be a warlike
and disturbing element. 1t is also
well authenticated fact that Indians are
apt to be peacaable and quiet when their
children are at school, and am graft
fed to know, from the expressions of
Indians themselves and from many con-
curing reports, that there is q steadily
Increasing desire, even among indians
belonging TO comparatively wild tribes,
| TO have their children ed,rata5 Tiny;te