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

u were put in their places The experimen
, proved signal failure. The Indian bureaI
in the hands Of the soldiers became NOR
{ corrupt, cruel and disgraceful than ever beior
and the order ofGen. Grant was reversed b.
( set of Congress, with Gen. Grants Cheerful
/, | approval, for nobody was more conscious o
, the mistake than himself. What then coul,
i be done: There was no hope for the Indian
from the army. The Indian bureau in thu
hands of civilians. with ii, partsanism ant
spols was sdisgraceiul failure, and he resolve,
TO try the only thing that ever did accomplish
any permanent good results among heather
l people anywhere. He saw the fruits o
| Christian labor among the civilized tribes n
this country. in Canada and in foreign land
| and he resolved TO make the same method
general throughout the service. This was no
| an original idea with Gen. Grant. II was tho
| Christian sentiment of the country that fir
gave birth to the Indian bureau. The fsilur'
of the bureau resulted from no defect IN il
| original plan. That was n CHRISTIAN plan. u
failed Of the desired results because il resolved
| itself into political machine ard 'aascd to bt
| a Christian appiancc. Government Is not
and cannot be i Christian missionary. Mission
ary work sometimes succeeds under the
auspices of the Government But the success,
Is dependent always upon the personal charac'
teg of the agents employed 20 carry on the
| work. suppose Congress should establish q
bureau to manage the missionary work ofthe
churches in foreign countries and should send
out into the various field irrs...rou- men TO re-
| form tire heathen, as il now sends out Indian
| agents, ignoring their hristian character :
| Anybody can see that the system would speedily
resolve itself into political machine and be-
| come like the Indian bureau nest o { unclean
| binds.
THE CHRISTIAN PEACE Foley.
| Gen. Grant saw that the only way 10 purify
| the service and gain the benencent ends for
which it was intended, was 10 divorce it from
| all political control, and put il into the hands
| of Christian men who had faith in the hui
| manity of Indians and in the possibility Of ele
| waiting them through Christian endeavor. He
| therefore appointed an evangelical Christian
minister of great eXpericnce in Indian affair,
| at the head of the bureau. lie appointed Il
| board of Indian Commissioners consisting of
the purest men in tine nation 10 supervise the
management of the whole work He called TO
his aid the different religious bodies of the
country. assigning 10 their care different
agencies, permitting them TO nominate the
agents and holding them responsible for their
fidelity. This reconstruction ofthe service has
been styled by way of distinction from the
spoilS system the christian Peace Policy in
Indian Affairs ii is simply an acknowledge
ment of the Christian religion rs the great
secret Of success, aud an enlistment Of religious
men and religious influences for the work.
And now 10 show the effect Of such policy,
cOnscientiou>ly aud faithfully carried out for
term of wears, will cite the experience OF a
man whose history furnishes 4 complete re-
buttal of the heresy that the Indian i, a hope
less subject and thst efforts 10 reclaim him are
vain.
Rev. James H. Wilbur. agent for the laki-
ma Indians, 4 large tribe in eastern Washing
ton Territory. q missionary Of the Methodist
church, one of the most conscientious, and
think quite the most successful Indian agent in
the United States, began his work there six
teen years ago. nrst as teacher, and after
wards as agent, which office he still holds. lie
has always acted upon the policy which Gen.
Grant in ls,2 undertook 10 make general. And
il was through his example and signal success
in part al least that Gen. Grant became con-
ynced of its utility. Mr.. Wilbur has been
repeatedly at different time invited to Wash
ingtOn TO give advice 10 the department in the
adjustment Of its plans. He began his work
with the children. The tribe was as lOw
down when he went there a any of the tribes.
They were degraded savage He took the
children 10 his home and 10 his heart lie
reared them in a I hriStian way. They learned
TO call him Father Wilbur and 10 love him
aud his wife ss father and mother. Through
the children he got the adults into Sympaihv
with him, and led them along into Christian
ideas and as they became Chri>tanized, they |
adopted civilized modes OF life, and are now |
prosperous, well-to-dO Christian people, |
with good houses. good farms, large >tock> of |
cattle and horses. They have Two Christian |
churches with several hundred communicants |
living in the faith and order of the gospel, and |
forming large worshipping congregations every |
Sunday, and have everything needful 10 their |
material and spiritual welfare. All this is the |
result Of Christian fidelity on the part of the |
agent leading the people up out OF their moral |
darkness and depravity into conscious knOwl- |
edge of the evil, of sin, the blessings of |
Righteousness and the rctributions of eternity. |
Several native preachers have grown up out Of |
MS -vtr,--i ,l--.-, men oc --r- -.,frIt. al
usefulness In their own and other native tribes.
The Indian service i not failure there. but |
Il success, and II i made successful in no new
or mysterious way, but 10y simple obedience 10
the methods that Christianity prescrbcs.
With that tribe the Government has no trouble.
The Yakima Indians are truly friend. of
white men white men friends of cath IA
other. From them We never hear of out
breaks. OF rapine or murder. They are at
peace among themselves and among white
people as truly IS are the people of any
civilized Christian community. And vel, in
1855, before Mr.. Wilbur went there, and before
they had been taught the lessons of Chri>tiani-
". they were the most formidable and the
most forward of all the tribes in that bloody
war that prevailed all over Oregon and Wash
ington Territory in the years Isjj-6. But now
when the tribes east OF them in idaho and
south ofthem in Oregon, are at war with the |
Government and LAYING waste the whole
nobody is disturbed in lskima Valley
and nobody has any fear from the Yakima
tribe. But with all Mr.. Wilbur'- fidelity and
success, the lines Of red tape have been 20
drawn of late as TO give him trouble. Civil |
service reform overhaulcd hi, accounts, de-
tected great Irregularities, suspended many
thousand dollars Of hi> disbursements and
him TO go in person 10 Washington
and answer for himself before the powers that
be. ! am in correspondence with him and
have great pleasure in reading YOU the follow
ing extract from his last letter;
PoRr SIMoOE. ". T.. Oct. Is, ISIS.
DEAR BRcTHER | have Just returned from
Washington, ID. {. spent three weeks there. |
There was little haugins Of accounts in the set
lement there that | attended to, and am happy
20 say to all my friends who in the past have taken
tOck in my honesty, and u some extent in my |
Diety that in settling my accounts for twelve years
here were only two clerical errors which added
made 1870. The Department paid all my expenses |
here and back and had M opportunity of lectur
missioner appointed by Congress- TO examine and
eport for or aga nst The service going over to the
var department am under very strong
Impression that II will re-nsn where 1t is,
md that more vigorous tlOrts will he made to |
ducate the Indians to work This is their salvation
md it is ,ur5 in reference to them To educate them
o work the children must he taken into boarding |
chools and there taught to read and write, the
ther Indians must be put to the handle Of the
'lOw and hoe. and taught to cultivate the sill. |
}ould the Indians be properly Instructed to work
N reservations where the land is good where white
men could prosper in the cultivation of the SOIL In
I've year th" expense OF taking of the Indians
would be reduced one half and in ten years the
indians OF the Nation N. .ht be well ngh sel.-sup- j
,orting. The great want in tho Indian service Is
lot more money but practical, piOu5, business .
men that take in the Interests Of both worlds that
With the Fight hani OF faith reach up and take hold
| 4
,rOmlsed thrau gh Jesus Christ our Lord and with ,
lie leit hand reach down and lay hold Of humanity
,oweser near the pit they may be- found. and bring
hem up by Gods help while the bles.n. ia brought
own In answer to frayer upon them. 7
AN yours truly
JANE II. WILeJE. ,
Ihc-e rVtract- give an index to the spirit nl
he man, aud "t The -'ry ice ,ndcr hi- manage
nent.
II the American B0arJ OF commissioner Tor
'orelgn Missions should send out irregou. /
nen with money and good~ 10 distribute
trirT'E 'tr- i,sa.i.eI. ....tter how -uAily ~
lberully. would they lee expected 10 accom- I
,lish any ul.9 for the Christian civ NiliZation
II the heathen: l. not the first condition OF
uccess the per-onal di-interes todnes, and .
'er-UnHl conservation Of the missionary To :
he work in u religion, sense Would +,
he church contribute a dollar To- the
iSasury OF 4 mi ,iOnafary society thai should !
snore the personal rei character e. it. igent
uch tociety would b., the world laughing stock
he FIRST thing iobC cared the soul. OF The pso
.r. The mere bestowment OF blanket OF foUl or !
money upon savage race don't make them m, /,
he less savage or AM the less dangerous TO thr I
hite race, but tends rather to demorai.e them Il
esToys what little self reliance ami 'slf IL poet
hey may have and encourages thb!r natural pro /
llvity to ldlenes- and vagrancy.
The place TO begin the work OF rrIorm - ~ IN the
hilfren. You can work upon the adults To no nj |
antage except through their children Al the I
hildren OF the tribe oi suitable az -houd he d.
orc"i entlre) from savage lie, p-IccabIy II YOU ,
an & i.rcisy u you mul. The policy Of coercion 7
very family 0! the tribe tJ he repr, ,ented IN the
shooL There attach the children to you b. the a
I'VE and Kindness o! your heart This Will soon Il
IN them TO their new and better home aud put I
hem in your hands 10 be nodded Ike putty for a e
etter humanity. This gives you control of the v
duits Tho children are your hostages and while a
Ou retain them In your pOwor the adults Will not r
urt a hair Of any white mans head Through the
hildren you bring tho adults Into sympathy with b
GU. They are strongly attached To- their children
nd In proportion as they find you to bo friends u L
heir children and Just TO themselves they will DO
'endly 10 you and yield to ysur influence This l.
course is the work Of years and costs money 9
Ut small per centagc Of tho money spent o
II Citing them will cover the whole cost and save
u tno bood ana rapine that now from year to year
rhlsh tho most sickeni1g page Ia human history o
VISIONARY MEASURES. =
There is large class of well meaning humanitt- n
ans who are advocating the abandon 1ent OF the a
ssrVation system and the throw NJ open o. Indian II
mus ior promscuOus settlement. giving to the In i
ANS homestead rights promiscuously among
hlte people and leaving them to work their way
Other men do. This is what they call ''uaking Il
zen OF them But no true friend Of the Indians =
no knows their Meak and thagr ! ii