The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1879-12-03
The 99ailg Arens.
ROCK rsLAHD. ...........rLLrNo1s
The Chicago Times says:

The Chicago Times says:
The secretary of the interior descants
ia a pathetic strain of the dismal future of
the untutored savage. Whatever troubles
and perplexities the presence OF the To-
dians among US may cause, 1t is bis OPP
lnion that every man who loves justice
and values the honor of the American
name will admit that it is our solemn duty
to leave nothing untried to prepare bet
ter fate than determination, and better
rule than that of brute force, for the orig
inal occupants of the soil upon which so
many millions of our people have grown
prosperous and happy. This is very fine,
as sentiment But too intense reali-
cation of this sentiment would put out of
view the very important fact that the rule
of force is the only rule the nature of
which the savage is capable of compre-
bending or obeying, and for him, there
fore, so long as he persists in being a saw
age, Is the necessary rule and the best
rule. OF the rule Of law, which is plain,
and easily comprehended by the civilized
secretary, the savage Ute is simply incapa
BILE OF forming any conception. 10 him,
law and force are expressed by one sym
boil, not two; and that is the symbol OF a
power he must obey. because its force is
greater than any force he can exert
against it. He can not be governed by any
other rule until he has acquired in some
degree the civilized faculty of compre-
hending some other rule of government
10 the meantime he must be governed.
The interest and right of civillZ alton de-
mand it, nor will this interest and right
give way to any merely sentimental con-
sideratlon. however pretty it may be,
though the consequence Gifts demand be
the determination of every remaining
tribe of savages 1t is true that the lem-
nants of few tribes have risen to prom
islng degree of civilization, and it may
be true, as the secretary thinks. that il
wisely guided some Others would be found
capable of following their example But
it is also true that many more and greater
tribes have been utterly exterminated
since civilization began its march across
America. The rest that persist 10 the
savage state will inevitably meet with the
same fate No sentimentalism can save
them. And it Is rather plain that no effort
to introduce among them q rule that Is
not pure force, before they are capable Of
even imagining what il means, will save
them either,
The secretary deoTecateS the practice OF
treating with the savages as independent
uations, and earnestly advises its dlscon
tinuance There Is every reason to believe
that this preposteCons practice has tended
10 increase rather than diminish the
tendency Of the savages to persist in the
tribal and other conditions of their savage
state, II is an absurd practice, favorable
to the peculating schemes of Indian rings,
doubtless; but indeIenslble on any other
ground. II is to be hoped. whatever else
may or may not not be done, that congress
will agree to the secretery's recommeuda-
ton on this point, and discontinue wholly.
all dealing with the savages which rec0g-
nizes the different tribes as 50 many indie
pendent state sovereignties.