The New York herald., 1878-11-26
LOl THE POOR INDIAN.

INTERESTING ADDRESS BY DR. wAYIAND EoYr
IAscAIs AS INDIAN AGENTS.
During the past summer the Rev. Wayland Hoyt.
D. D., of Strong Place Baptist Church. Brooklyn.
took his vacation with General Miles in the Indian
country. He absent long among the hostiles
that some of his friends here feared for his safety
He. however. returned safe and sound. full OF enthu
sasni for the aborigines and OF condemnation for the
government and the agents. who break faith with and
rob them numerically. lie gave the results OF his
intercourse with the red men in very interesting
address OF over hour long yesterday to his minis
terial brethren in their conference. He began by
saying that there 800 600 Indians Western res
ervstions. and then described somewhat in detail
their religious, social tribal and personal peculiari-
ties. Their religious beliefs superstitions very
largely control their conduct in They believe
that they die in daylight they will be forever in the
happy hunting ground; if in the moonlight. they
pcct to be forever in such light but ii they die in
the darkness they remain forevermore in that condi-
ton. Hence. DR.. Hoyt says, Indians Will
prise a camp either Of white men or hostile In
dians in the night time.
CAUSES INDIAN WARS. I
The causes of Indian wars are. according to DR..
Hoyt threefod. First the no-fulflment of treaties
by your our government Nothing could could be worse; he
For instance the government tells tribe that they
shall have certain tract OF country and be protected
removed thither band Of miners 60 out prospecting
for gold: II they succeed little town springs
up II it be i'll the Indians territory fends and re-
prisals and war follow: for Dr. Hoyt stated,
the Indian trail does not 1ghten away game but the
| white mans does The white men build wagon roads
in every direction and game is shy of all such trails.
The Doctor described how the Nez Perces Indian
| originated. The tribe than half civilized.
| They were largely hcrders and many OF them
wealthy. One man who was captured worth
$4,000. The government. having given them tho
country, demanded their removal. They refused and
| took the warpath instead And Dr. Hoyt believed no
/ white except . coward would have acted diff
ferently He believed they justified in their
sstance And, If you look ct the moral right of It,
| the Indians We're in the right.
! RELIGIOUS RoGUEs
second cause OF war is the frauds OF agents. The
agent gets salary of 81 200 or $4,000 year land he
holds his position by very precarious tenure. But
through his hands pass S20.0O0 or $4,000 annually
Do you wonder then. asked the Doctor of his
audience that only from five to twenty-five per cent
five than twenty-five per cent. The majority of those
agents villains who under the cloak of religion
agencies that they steal and enrich thcn
selves before they are removed. General Miles has
seen Indians roofing around agencies to gather up
refuse enough to keep them from starving. The
| honest agents are few. The Bannock Indian war
/ was brought on, the Doctor said. by starvation
Their game driven away by ytheencroachments Of
reservaon to save le but their ponies we're sone
and they had to fight to capture steal others. And
| though General Miles struck them and captured
many and killed sone he told the Doctor that he felt
ashamed OF himself to have to do it under the circum
stances And General Miles. DIR. Hoyt declares is not
i
had done their duty there would have been no Ban
| mock war;
THE TRUE TREATMENT OF THE INDIANS.
The third cause OF war s the constant incursions
of whites into Indian settlements This the Doctor
thinks cannot be helped. few years ago the great
/ Northwest was Sitting Bulls hunting ground; now
it is rapidly filling up with settlers from New Eng
land and the East; and all this country is going to
be the balance to the South. The who 20 there
| are men who believe in and love freedom.
Tho true treatment of the Indians will be found in
a change from the present system, than which moth
ivv0 enn1d no q n n hnp and
| abroad. During the present policy have had six
OF the bloodicst with Indians. But what we
| to do with them2 We are to put them completely
/ into the hands Of the army. Tho reason why SO
4 much blood and treasure wasted in Indian war
| fare is that have not army large enough to
that the government responsible for the death
| Of General Custer aud his 800 brave The army
has more to do with the Indians than any other
] Of the government. 1t stays among them and its
| officers know moro about them than ninctenths OF
the agents know during their comparatively brief
be changed His country is a pastoral country and
not agricultural. The Indian is nOmadic in his
habits and you can't get him to hoe potato patch
but he can be made herdsmnn OF. Instead of giving
them mcat sugar. &c, they should be given cattle
and sheep, and it will not be long before they will be
able to supply Eastern markets with meat. Dr. Hoyt
would have the government open schools in all its
unused western forts and give the Indian children
common school education and leave their Chrstiani-
zation to be taken up by the churches voluntarily.
The present system unites Church and State and Is
subversive OF the American theory. which would keep
both separate. Because of the character Of many
Indian agents in that new country religion and dis
honesty synonymous i'll the minds of the red
men, The government ought to educate them and
then the Church will Christisnize them.