The New York herald., 1878-12-04
General Sherman On the Indians.

The General of the Army appeared and
testified yesterday before the Committee OF
Congress appointed to inquire into the ex-
pediency OF transferring the management
OF the Indians from the Department of the
Interior to the War Department. The re-
markable quickn ess and penetration of this
officer and his thorough acquaintance with
the Indian country and all that has been
done in it since the close Of the civil war,
give to his opinion q value and authority
which belong to that of no other individual.
Still, if his views were found to differ from
those Of other army officers of equal or
nearly equal experience among the Indians,
such conflict Of views might cause distrnst
in the soundness Of General Sherman's
Judgment on this subject. But in point Of
fact there is no such conflict. Every army
officer Of eminent standing who has served
long in the Indian country and knows it
well, including General Sheridan, General
Pope and many others, holds precisely the
same views on this question as General
Sherman. It is only people who have not
had their opportunities that impugn
their judgment. When Secretary Schurz
holds one opinion on a question of
Indian policy and General Sherman
holds another, the opinion of the Secretary
being supported only by civilian agents
and that OF the General indorsed by all the
higher officers in the army, it looks too
much like ignorance pitting itself against
knowledge
An amusing illustration Of the liability
Of the Secretary Of the Interior to be i'm
posed upon by his Indian agents is afforded
by the dispute respecting the quality of
the water at Fort Sill. One of the chief
reasons alleged for the removal Of the.
Indian agency from that point was
the badness of the water. General Sher-
man thought this reason ridiculous
display Of Ignorance, and in his written
Endorsement Of General Sheridan he stated
on his personal knowledge that the water is
excellent. This seemed staggering blow.
but Mr.. Schurz thought he could parry it.
To be sure, he replied, the water at Fort
Sill is good enough, but the stream which
supplies it runs through the post and is
contaminated by its filth before it reaches
the Indians, who are located below. This
answer has the same defect as the original
statement-it is founded on ludicrous
error Of fact. General Sherman is reported
to have testified yesterday that the Indian
encampment is not below the post, but
above it, suggesting q new application Of
the old. fable Of the lamb and the wolf.
When the wolf accused the lamb of rolling
the water the defence of the latter was not
more logically perfect than General Sher-
mans reply to the charge that the soldiers
defile the water at Fort Sill. The wolf was
up stream, like the Indians. This incident
shows how easily Mr.. Scburz can be prac-
illustrates the difference between Sherman
and Schurz in the quality Of their knowl-
edge Of the Indian country.
General Sherman maintains that the pres
ent Indian system ID bad economy, because
it requires two organizations to do the work
which might be performed by one ; that the
present system creates Indian wars instead
Of preventing them, because it is circum-
locution Office which does not permit
prompt action to nip difficulties in their
first stages that it is unjust and inhumane,
because it exposes the Indians to be de-
frauded by dishonest traders. 1t is UNDER
stood that Mr.. Schurz is to appear before
the committee and give rebutting testimony
on Friday.
Socialism I'm Church.