The New York herald., 1879-11-23


a,.r ,o s.,.. ~,.r rra,., h.., hrnt" +" aud tbsv
,ns.ht 49, ,y,r sa,a - tha goyeramsr, xvom,d a.
nr;ve ths ~ the rsserva,o,s SET a,,art nv tr-atv
,.hst ssrra,.a eo,id ,hav havs tbat ~ ,vould not
| i'm the end drive them from their homesteads The
| SAVAGE saw and distrustful Of the white
| ,,,sneS he ;raa,n.d That lie Was ahout no
| he comns-d 70 work or 10 be driven
| from his huntng grounds nv the encroachmentss
Of The Whites on every side Mr. Meeker would tell
the Indians that thew should cutiyate the soil and
adopt the habits and customs of civilized life and
| thereby become civilized and produce their own
sunplies, but rhev would repy in saving that they
preferred their own modes of life to those of cvi-
zation which is not in accordance with the customs
| OF their fathers who were good men and brave and
| whom thew venerate and that the United States in
consideration of the cession of certain territory
which from time ont OF mind had belonged to their
| tribe or had been aconired by Conquest from the
| Shosbones nv THAR own prowess had agreed to
| furnish certain sunplies 10 their tribe and
must erform the agreemsnt or else re nouish the
| ce,ed Territory which lies between their present
| reservation and the Wind River Mountains to the
north and the S,notv Hills to the east and was too
big a nr,ce for what they received in exchange Mr.
| Meeker,s primary object was the civilization of the
| Utes-arriculture was only a means to that end-a
tact yS;ch he did not ATTEMPT to conceal although
renn"nant 10 tribal pol,ty He lacked the tact nee
essary 10 the successful attainment of his object
nos because @ he was isnorant but because he was
too honest to practice DISSEMINATION and too brave
ms aaGe 81 au. at sesmsd TO s1d
| the accomplishment of his purpose. however abb
horrent it might be to the Indians modes of thought
and however To their m modes of life He
m;ght have enticed them by the aIlurements OF ag-
rcnlture If he had not been too Ingenious to con-
| eaa1 ii
| ever nnnermost in his mind and acts appallna the
savage mind and menacina his barbarous institu.
| the aoveroment having promised to furnish Certain
| supplies. must keep it's promise and continue to
| furnish them in consideratlon of the cesslons
| already made but nasmuch as the govern ment has
| not undertaken to furnish certain other things
| that would promote their comfort they should
produce those things and he would assist them in
their without curtailing their OF her al
owances they would have regarded his agricultural
onerations with more favor But he not only held
| M auriculture as a means Of civilization but ud-
vsed the production of -four an article which the
aovernmeni was fnrnis shino in large ouantities no
Sroduce fiour would necesstate the poughing Of the
valleys whereby the area of pasture land for ponies
would be reduced and in order to cultivate crops of
wheat the Indians must either work or at the ex-
pense of their allowances employ labor Such being
the case they would lose their pasture land without
recevipg anvthinp in EXCHANGE therefor except the
civilizn9 culture OF agriculture which they could
not appreciate and in COMPENSATION for their labor
or the reduction of their allowances they would re-
ceive only what the goyernment in yirtue of it's
obligatons would in any event furn sh in consider
alton OF cessions of territory already made In
nace of rnisinr wheat for -four which the govern.
rent is bound to furnish he might have advised the
raising of potatoes, which could be produced in
| great abundance at small expense and which are
| an article not furnished by the government
| The Utes are Yampah or root caters and
| very fond of potatoes, which would have
been in addition to their other suppIes increasing
| their comfort by augmenting their provisions. In
cnmnensation for the land reouired for notato cui
turs oats cond have been raised for the ,onies in
i;a of the nasture that the plouohe wonl6 II,
their native state have aforded 80 that the BONES
wonld he az we'll if not better provided tor than
| Formerly Proceeding in this way the Indians
| wouId have been convinced that agriculture would
| ada to their means of comfort withont doing vio-
ience to their modes of life and such course would
| most certainly have promoted their welfare and
| made aoriculture less obnoxious but not less po-
| tent in It's civilizinp influence
WRONG END FOREMOST
And 50 the alurements of peace and the blandish.
ments Of ease were nut wrong end foremost and the
Hes failed TO perceiye in promised civilization
solaee for labor and s hns for the
nast;mas had more charms for them than Ali that
| Culture could offer or civilization afford Father
Maatar because he knew he was riqht. the
| Indians onnosed him because they thonrht thew
were right: and when he ploughed the land they
| tnrned The burrows back He was righr in one re-.
sweet buf he had moi the mower 10 execute Mis- will
thpsv were il, the wrong Int had the mower and a
sanh,anco of r;ght Ee aud thev wers hon.st IN
| thar intentions and little tact mioht have
ayerted what afterward followed but instead
s ase. .H ~arc,ss ~ tact hundar ostsr hnrdr ts
iov,nc 90 in ,nicT snccession Father Meeker inssted
| that he was RIGHT and the Indians remonstrated.
he persisted in his course and they assaulted him in
| n hrutal manner He called for protection, and
h.h as ordared 20 ~,oceed 70 the ann nnu
with military force and restore order and enforce
thev aemsnded to know why ne had called for SOL
diers he honestly told them that he did so for the
| nnrnosa of restoring order by euforcinc his com
pa,Ss and nj to brine TO instice the Offenders who
| woud be arrested nut in chains and hanged
They doubted his ability and ridculed r., him
| bnroh md the chains and would assist him
This was on tho 26th of septem per when the scene
| heoop 10 ,iarken Neeker was at the agency with
| his family and the agency employees. Thornburgh
was advancng. with column Of three Companies of
cavalry and small detachment of infantry, on For
tiscat;on CreeL a hundred miles awav and the
Indians were encamped on White River. the princi
nal caInn consisting of some sIxty lodges wherein
the families of a hundred and fifty warriors slept
| being about ten miles above the agency All began
| 80 r.aiiya tho situation and three council tres
| burned on the nipht of that dav Meeker BEGAN to
| realize that he was at the mercy OF the Indians
| whom he had proyoked and kent watch at the
| agencv that MONT and for two NIGHTS thereafter
ne he would have done on the next succeedup nioht
were il not that eliminated soon. not be-
| cause he apprehended danger. for Douglass and
Sowowich were for peace but because there might
be- for Colorado and Jack for In the field
on Fertilization Greek the gallant Thornburgh began
to realize that If there work for him to do
time for action would arrive. and disengag-
ing himself from all impedimenta and leaving the
infantry under the command OF Lieutenant Price in
charge Of field depot. he went forward next day
with the cavalry Of his command-Company +,
Tk Davu I'm