Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-11-15


nature with the disposition he possesses,
should be worshiper of the omnipotence of
force. He does not recognize the power of
moral suasion. Brute force is his god, and
he worships 1t with full faith and singleness
OF purpose. His report to the secretary of
war, a summary of which was published in
yesterdays GLOBE, illustrates his natural
bent to the fullest degree. In discussing the
means that should be employed to govern
the nomadic Indian tribes he says:
The reservations already set apart for the
Indians are large enough and should suffice
them to raise all the meat and grain necessary
for their subsist ence, but meantime they must
have food or else they will steal and fight. To
convert these Indians into pastoral race is the
first step in the upward progress of civilization.
That OF culture must be the next stage, though
slower of realization, but in this direction ia
the sole hope OF rescuing any part of nomad
Indians from utter annihllation. This end can
not be reached by means of the present peace
agents, because persuasion is wasted on an In
dian. There must not only be show of force,
but actual force and subsection used. Force
will be necessary to compel the nomad to cult
vate his own ground.
Perhaps Gen. Sherman is wiser in his day
and generation than all the soldiers and
statesmen who have preceded him. Perhaps
his method Of governing the Indians will be
productive Of better results, but yet we may
be permitted in the light of experience to
express doubt Of the fact. Why is it that,
although our government is constantly en-
gagged in wars with the Indians, the Canadian
government has never had any trouble worth
the name with the Indian tribes living in the
Dominion? There is certainly not radical
difference in the aboriginal nature produced
by residence on one side or the other of an
imaginary territorial line. With us one war
IS never over before another begins, and the
frontier settlers are in constant danger of
plllage, rapine and murder. The Canadian
frontier is safer to the settler than the streets
of Montreal particularly about the 10Th of
July-and we never hear of such thing
as an Indian raid. The cause is
simply this: The Canadian government
treats the Indians with fairness and impair
TALLY 1t contracts to supply them with
food and clothing, and it fulills its contracts.
thing by our Indian tribes, but it does not
respect it's agreement. The food and sup
plies for the savages are given into the hands
of set of rascally Indian agents, who rob
and plumber those whose rights they are sent
out to protect, and as consequence lily
clad, lf-starved and desperate, the Indians
are forced to leave their reservations for the
war-path or the chase. 1t is not in human
nature to endure such wrongs and hardships
as the reservation Indians are obliged to
endure.
While occasions may arise when only force
will be adequate to restrain the Indians from
committing outrages, it may not be consid-
cred out Of order to suggest that the expert
ment of treating them with justice should
be tried. The plan has worked admirably
in Canada, and force of mounted police
numbering only few hundred men, is alone
required to keep all the tribes in order. Even
Sitting Bull has no terrors to settlers on
British soil. We have no hesitancy in say
ing that if our government acts in good faith
towards the Indians, we will have no further
trouble on the frontier. To get rid of the
horde of robbers who use the food and sup
plies designed for the Indians for their own
profit, should be the first step. 1t may be
necessary, in order to effect this reform, to
turn the Indian management over to the
army, but it is desirable that some man with
better conception Of his duty than Gen.
Sherman seems to have should control it.
After our government tries fair dealing and
finds that it is powerless to effect change
for the better, it will be time enough to
adopt Sherman's policy of force, but not till