Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1879-01-03
The Government and the fnaiaus.
Fom the y. Y. Herald, Nov. Goth. |


The Indian policy ftly holds the fore.
most place in the annual report Of the
Secretary OF the Interior. since it is the |
most Important subject committed 10
his department. The administration Of |
/ pensions aad paten,s requires only mod
crate attention to settled routine. with |
an occasional suggestion to Congress
/ fer slight changes 10 the laws. The |
uperutendenee of the land Office is !
more important and demands greater
/ vigilance, but it is not often that it calls /,
for reforming hand. Secretary Schurz
has tackled with commendable zeal the
trespasses committed on the timber
lands. and herein he has laid his re-
forming hrod on precisely the right
place, although his zeal somewhat out
ran his knowledge in his first steps
against these thefts, as zeal is ant to do
in men who court distinction as re.
/ formers. But these deprcdatious on
pubiic property ought 10 be arrested,
and 1t is the duty Of Congress to
strengthen the hands OF an officer who
has had the enterprise to discover the
courage to assail aad the persistence to
pursue and attempt to pproot aspeoies
II thieging which has grown to formid
aolo dimensions. Bat his is a simple
nlaitoF in comparison with the ggeat
problcm Of dealing with the indians.
The vigorous brush which has taken
place between Secretary Schurz and
Lieut.. Gen. Sheridan will be ofsergiee.
quite apart from the merits of the con-
'roversy between them, If it shall assist
in awakening public interest in the i'm.
portant question Of the Indians.
III we 20 back TO tho earliest period
Of our history and trace the Indian
question downward we shall find three
principle st9ges. In thc earliest OF
these, which existed some time after
the first settlement of the country, the
Indians were entirely independent Of
whites aud generally stood 10 them in
the relation Of mercilcss enemies. Dur
ing that period the savage aboriginos
wsre quite self subsistaut. They had
skin enough to fabricato their own
( weapons aud implements, and the game
Of the forest, the fsh OF tho streams
and the products If very rude aeri-
culture suiicei for their wants. liu.
the contact OF savage lite with civilized
iiie brought on the second stage, in
+ which the Indians became partially de-
pendent On the whites They acquired
u taste iur iadulgeucies which the for.
ests ana streams did not supply, and
they learned the use Of firearms which
they coaid never acquire the skill to
m9uufacturc. This led to trade in
which peltyies we're exchanged fr guns,
blankets, ornaments aud rum, and caused
= general Generalization Of the Indians.
They had the ability to make their own
I weapons and implements and with Il
their Independence. Intercourse with
the whites became necessary to their
subsistence, and trade and treaties su-
, pegseded the old relation of mutual
q hostility. The new intercourse was ai
9 vegsided with occasional Indian wars.
q bat there was IN the main a recognized
frontier behind in which tho Indians
llved as they pleased, 50 long as they
~ kept their treaties AMI did not molcst
, the settlements The Indian frontier
kept retrcatine until at length it passed
= the Mississippi and Missouri rivers
. without any essential change in our
modes Of dealing with the tribes. We
established regulations for the Indiau
trade aud bestowed aunua bounties on
frontier tribes as n means of maintain.
ing friendly relations with thcln Thi:
system worked not precisely well, noi
get intoicraoly i'll, until VIC began tc
y build Pacific railroads through the vast
Il stretch OF wilderness, aad cur mining
= and other settlements were pushed into
i that regioa. This ended the possibility
s. OF definite frontier with all the In
J dans on one side and all the whites OF
4 the other side of it, and created ne
q cessity for an entirely new Indiqn poll
z cy. This brings us to the third period
e whica presents problem about which
e We have been aoandering for years il
e vain attempts to solve it.
Indian afiairs wero committed to Tho
Department of the Interior while thu
le old frontier method was in operation
and the transfer seemed we'll enough
a until the extension of our settlements
" into the heart Of the Rocky Mountain
ot region rendered such a line Of separa
y tion obsolete and impossible. We doub
= if the Department of the Interior i
competent to deal with the problem il
its new shape. The time is past 70
n coaxng aud coddling the indians 0
il for negotiating and bargaining witt
y them. We are, indeed, bound to tres
,e them with justice and humanity; bu
a. we. not they, must decide what is jus
and humane. They must have n