New-York tribune., 1879-01-18
THE CIVILIZED INDIAN.
AT THE CAPITAL OF THE CH0CTAws.

To tb> Edifor Of The Tribune.
SIR. little more than two months ago, return
ing from, q short trip through the lndlan Territory,
where had an opportunity of a glimpse ut the TWO
extremes of nat may be called Indian civilization
the Nez Perc6S not yet out of blankets ahd PANT
fresh from the plains and the path. Just start
ING in toward civilization from barbarlsm ana 'he
Choctaws more than fifty years ont of the blanket
condition and among the furthcst advanced of the
Indau tribcs-I gave The TRiBUNE short
sketcn of my visit to the former in their camp ana
promised 20 give sometime an account OF WISH
Co the legislative council of the latter so long
time has elapsed that the Journey has lost some
,hng of IFS freshness in memory, and d0uht'cSS the
reader has forgotten the promise entirely Win
ont going into n detailed narrative then oil my
visit To Chuhta-Tamaha. the Choctaw capital J
shall make the present discussion of the lndlan
question in Congress my excuse for teS passing on
THF TEIBUNE's space and the readers patience
with q brief sketch of what saw and how 1t M
pressed me.
In several particulars the North American Indian
differs from the North American Tramn. lie came
TO tins country earlier for one thing He paints ms
cheeks instead of his nose and makes cXtclhaI aP-
plicaton of forest dyes instead o. firing II? inter
ually with the product Of the still. lie Is much
finer in his beads and feathers than the Tramp IN
his rags; his mOccasins ncatcr than the lattei
wornout india rubbcrS; he is more rcticcnt ana uses
a different hrogue: poses better for "a statue ana
figures more gracefully in poetry and ro'nance' ana
il fragrant of balsam rather than redoienf OF gn.
Rut both are like the lilies of the field in that they
toll not neither do they spin and both hold h1 the
world owes them a living, which they mean to have
without working for IT, A. the East "" ar better
ACQUAINTED with the North American Tramp than
with the North American Indian. We accordingly
admire the Indian and dcSpise the Tramp. We Sa}
tbe Indian has been despoilcd of his lands by the
white man. and give him our sympathy and pui
him on reservations where he can have thousands
Of acres to roam over cultivate rs he p'ca-'s ;
hunting preserves to which the parks OF tine pam
pered aristocracv of England are but a garden
patch we call the Tramp a lazy vag9hond, ana
turn him over to the police. When the Tramp be-
comes Qregariou, for Wllage murder, we give
him short shrift impr-On or hang h.m when the
Indian goes on the war-pth we surround him, tI'd'
him tenderly make a new treaty with him, give
him clothing and ratOnS, and reserve tJG his eAcu-
sive occupation vast areas oi our most lcrtle an"
productive lands.
There must be some reason for the difference in
treatment Of these two classes of noW"GS. J. the
statuary Indian and the Indian of poetry and 10
nance were the actual Indian Of the forest 'A"
plains. could understand that The GovruHca'
miah feed and clothc lim and keen him ~ barnar
case and comfort aS thing Of beauty ma aj"y
forever. But that kind of Indian doc, not 'Ns.
outside Of books and bronze and stone image !,
is not to preserve him in his prmitlvr -imnacity
aud innocence either that Government al.'ts ln"
supcrfuitt of land, and clotA,s ana feeds
him; for in all the dealings of Goverum'.t
with him it is expressly stated that the
end in view /, 10 bring him ~ ont of
his innocence and barbarian au! r,""'ie and
fl him fer civilized life. suppose that @ IRE bot
tom of all this tenderness for the udu Is the SELL
tilncnt-it can hardly bc called th"orv-'ha' "a
Indian races owned this whole confront IN fee
originally. and that We white people have lobhe'
Them of it, Well, If that bc So, there Is 40 such
favored child of fortune IN the broad universe a.
the North American Indian. BY the report OF IN"
Commissioner of Indian Affairs for 1876. there are
oG61j1 Indians III the United states. Accord
ing to Colonel Garrick MalcIy VIII" Ia
made If a subject of long and car ful study,
and ha. recently published cNhaua;iN'
essay upon 1t which has attracted tn"
attention of scholars in Lur'pe ~ well a.
America the number was no larger ar th" il~t SCI
Element Of the country than now; thc} hay" H.
creased rather than decreased. THESE ln"'"h>'
then--in round numbers 500 0N0-Wcrc tlc oVu-
ers in fee of more than 3,G0O00o square niles "I
territory or ten square miles apiece, oo' one square
foot OF which did they ever cultivate or improve
And our Government. winch never gives foot OF
land 10 a white man, except upon condition lnat he
shall occupy and mproy, it, comedies tina, every h-
dian wascutitcd To ten square miles BY the ~ CdcH
of birth without ever turning finger 10 redeem
If : and hecaiSc white men came mere and took dnt
cultivated the land theJ needed, We have .lI' CIIrd
over the wrong, of the Ted man for the pa,i nun
dred wears spelling hm by sentimental olinrd'h'
ana cuddiing, while We tried TO compromise W'th
our morbid consciences by pretending To suffer re-
morse without making restitution. 1t may nave
been heqrtess aud cruel to take these wild lands
from IL, savage who dill not u>e them, and redeem
them from nature TO the uscs of ciNliIcd man; bat
have ol,.cryc1 tnat CIVILIZATION is always clucl TO
what ob,tructs II and that labor il always more
OF less hard and that folks who don't work and
won't work must get out OF the way Tor those who
do. | know OF no subject upon winch 50 much cant
has been delivered as on the treatment Of the In
dany Had there been les, cant We should h0yc
had less trouble and wiser legislation.
TIE INDIAN TERRITORY.
Referring 70 the map you VIII see that the Indian
Territory lies between the States Of Kansa- Mis-
souri, Arkansas and Texas, With a marrow strip at
the northwest touching Colorado and New Mexico.
1t is directly IN the track of Western oungla, ion,
scparatng Kansas from any communication with
Texas and the Southwest except across IT,, and
shutting OF Arkansas in such way a. 10 make
the western boundary Of that state practically the
western boundary OF the United States except 10
Won goaronnd through Kansas or Texas and strike
New Mexico. Tor the Indian Territory, YOU under
stand i closed to white men and citi-
zens of the United states 1t is for all practical
pmpo~e, foreign country. No citizen Of tie United
States. unless he be an Indian by adoption, through
marriage into one Of the tribes, own land or do
business in the Territory except under spec al per
mlts from the Indian tribes III possession. Al! white
nc,, not a.Ioptcd into the tribes coming INTO the