New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-03-08
WO.UEN md INDIANS.

"the verge of government" which are liable,
at any moment, to he seized upon and dragged
into the arena of politics. If it should happen
that the two great parties should suddenly get,
as it were, "Out of meat" by the settle
mcnt of the questions on which they now
we were about to say divide, but really,
what question Is there on which they do dl-
vide on party lines 7-if at any rate the bones
over which they now make their great con-
tcntion should be Withdrawn, the chances are
that one or the other of these two outlying
issues would be jerkcd incontinently into the
sawdust of the ring. Imagine for moment
that the financial question has been
permanently settled, either upon the
basis of resumption, leaving the country
with its head erect like man who
pays his debts, or upon the basis OF Mr. But
ler's paper dollar, leaving us in the condition
Of "A bankrupt who has property III his wIic's
name that the Southern question has been
settled by tie return of the good old times
when there was only one party in all the
South and opposition to it was factious and
sectional that Il satisfactory revenue system
had been established; and that even Samuel
Cox had ceased to lay back hi, ears and shout
|
fancy all these things settled and disposed Of,
We say, what more natural thing To do, for
any energetic statesman who knows the inn
portancc To himself of I" live ISSUES" than TO
seize one or both Of these, and on them set the
country by the carS7
| There are always two classes at the doors
of Congress demanding rights and complaining
of wrongs-Womcn and Indians. Should ever
peace fall on Congress and consequent stag
! nation impcnd, here stand these two living
issues at the door ready to be used in the
great and noble work of firing the popular
| heart and distracting attention by the cOnfiagIa-
| ton, while the penslve postmaster and the tumul-
| tuous tidc-watcr divide between them the real
responsibilities of government, and as they
| sign the monthly roll, repeaters send from poll
| TO poll. Woman and che North American
Indian are waiting to be rcdrcssed Both
| grow impatient of neglect, while Congress
| dawdlcs over currency and tariff. But Congress
| hc,itatcs and draws back. And not without
| cause. There are some members of Congress
| who know what the North American Indian,
| more who know what the North Ameri-
| can Woman is, when on the war-path.
There may be- none OF them who, in the
coarse parlancc of the Plains, have had their
"scalps lifted" by the former; but how many
are there who have not, i'll the finer phrase
of the drawng-room, been "snatched bald
headed by the latter? No wonder, then,
that they shrink from any rash encounter
with either Woman or Indian, and prefer
passing away their time in those vain
discussions of currency and finance. But
should the time ever come when the present
living issues are disposed of and new ones
must be raised. we make no doubt that some
such statesman as benjamin Butler will
waltz down the aisle with, say DIR. Mary
Walkcr-no one needs rcdrcssng more
and, standing her up in front of the
Speakers desk, say: "I.ook upon the vic
tim of tyranny and oppression. In
&" the name of humanity and philanthropy,
81 demand redress for herr And then while
| he goes away with moist eyes to recommend
| a postmaster, Samuel Cox will whirl down the
aisle with a North American Indian on his
| arm, and planting him by WOman's side, will
| say "BchOld the victim of fraud and pccula-
''tion and fraud, and robbery and fraud, and
"more fraud by fraud. AS "A representative
"of the Tammany tribe demand that he be
clothed with thc ballot and Il stovc-pipe hat
:" and appointed Oh the Capitol police" Then
| he goes away and recommends George III. But
| Ter rs Postmaster for the Black Hills.
That il the sort of thing that is not I'M
| likely to happen. But, meantime, Woman
and the Indian have made each others ac
auantancc in the lobby, and it is quite posi-
| bic that the acquaintance may result in the
removal of both questions from even the edge
of politics. The pcrscvcring energy, the pa
thence and courage and persistency which have
hitherto been exercised in the effort to secure
for Woman the boon of the ballot, are about to
be directed to the amelioration and ciyiliza-
ton of the Indian. a public meeting, or
meeting as public az fifteen persons and three
reporters could make it. has been held in tins
city to start the enterprise. 1t is proposed to
send committee of women. 4" with tracts III
"th, ir hands," among the Indians, to find ont
what they are, and REPORT. The proposcr.
who has lived for years among the Indians,
is confident that such committee will
find that the Indians have been very much
malgned. and that ait il as idle to keep gar
"Iisons near Indian camps as it would be to
"place troops on guard near a female semi
"nary.n A Ladies' National League for
" the Protection of the Indians" has been
formed to carry ont the design, and the gen
| tleman who brought forward the plan gave rs
reason for his belief, that this is the ap-
pointed time to bring humanitarian schemes
before the public; that :" the present Adj
mlnistratiOn has no political questions
"to vex it, because it is supported by no party;
"hence it has abundant leisure for humane