Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1879-01-03

conclusions, backed ty hard facts and reliable
figures, must carry weight with every
appropriated reader. They arc, in brief, that
the war policy is a terribly costly and fruit.
less policy. The Indian can be exterminated
only at an expense of untold millions, and al
cost of many lives of white men for the
life of each red warrior. The Indian can be
civilized and made selfsupporting member
of an orderly Christian community. This
can be done by gathering the Indian cail-
dren into schools, under Christian training
and influences. The Indian children of
to-day will soon be adults, and if trained
in Christian civilization will form the mem
bers of a civilized instead of a savage com
munity. Meanwhile. through them direct
humanizing and civilizing influence is exerted
on their parents The children are hostages
for peace while in the schools, and they leave
the schools to cultivate friendship for the
white men and to exercise the arts of peace
full industry This, it will be noted, is not
theory, but tried and tested system Nor
is it altogether new discovery. The
Cherokees, Creeks and Choctaws are notable
examples of the success of the plan of civiliz-
ing the Indians by Outstanding them. But
there has been a wide impression that this
plan would not work among the more savage
and depraved tribes of the Territories. Mr..
Huntington's discourse must largely dispel
this impression. lie tells US of tribe,
which a few years ago was formidable,
wicked and unmanageable tribe of hostile
Indians, and which now is q quiet, civilized
prosperous and Christian COMMUNICATIVE
result Ct the care and labors of a single,
faithful, wise and Christian Indian Agent.
What Agent Wilbur has done with the
Yakima Indians, can be done with other
tribes In fact, Mr.. Huntington was him.
self pursuing the same plan with the Makah
tribe, and with every prospect of similar
success, when, year or two ago,
his removal as Indian Agent was
secured by some unprineipled but
influential men in that quarter, whose
hostility he had earned by standing in the
way of some Of their schemes of plumber.
They made but too successful use of some
technical violations of some of the red tape
regulations Of the Indian Service, which Mr..
Huntington had disregarded, in his anxiety
to promote the success of his Indian school
and an incompetent and wholly unfit man
succeeded him and is undoing all that he had
done for the good Of the Indians. The re-
moval of Mr.. Huntington, We may add, has
not injured him in the estimation of those
who know him and the facts, nor has it
altered his character as an honest and unself-
ISL man, and as a self-sacriGcing friend of
the Indian race. Ii does not lessen the
practical wisdom of his advice. But it brings
up another question, of no slight Importance.
Granted that the Indians can be civilized
and made selfsupporting at mere fraction
of the cost of fighting them, where arc the
Wilbuis and Huntingtons to be found, able
and willing to devote themselves to the task
and when found, how are they to be protect
Cd from the Vaccinations of the reckless and
corrupt frontier spectators and politicians,
who have no sympathy with missionary work,
or Christian methods; and whose selfish in
terests are served by Indian tumults and
wars? The answer to this question must
rest mainly with the authorities at Wash
ington.