Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1879-10-22
WASHINGTON LETTER,
IRON our regular eofIsspohash',l
Il.nunnIoa La d Dnl. I'LL. Il

cupied so much attention Tor some
days past, arc likely TO passover with
out 50 serious an outbreak ~ Al iirst
seemed imminent, But what has al'
ready transpired revlves tho talk about
our Indian policy generally, and Of
the proposed transfer OF tho Indian
bureau to the War Department 10
particular, The Indian problem prom
Ises 10 be one OF the mosl important
questions before Congress At The ap'
preaching session. Some tine ago
Congress called upon the Treasury
Department for information a. 10 'he
amount OF money that had been eS'
pended for tho Indian service "'aoe the
beginning Of tho Government but Tor
the lack Of an approprialion'lo PRINT
the statement prepared has not yet
boen put In type, II may be stated,
however but the ioelings OF this I'm
,nense mas, Of tables show that TO The
lst Of last July the Government has
expeoded on aoponnt Of the Indians, q
total Of $4,000. Tho estimated
number OF Indians now living Is sOO,'
900,
Indians say that white man Is
very uncertain. aud in this Mr., Lo
appears TO have learned something by
experience Abslraoliy viewed, q Ute
Indian may 10 one Of natures noble
men, but IN the concrete, so 10 remark
the unadorncd reality, he ia dirty,
lhievIng rascal, whose moral sensible
ties, II he ever had any, have been cor
ruplcd by long association with bad
white men. Reservations Tor such
clements, located in rich mining OF
gazing regions, have been, aud always
will be, n dclusion aud epgro 10 boil
Indian aud white man. MAY. Carson
who has just returned from the West
, says that, while he is not an expert il
, Indian matters, the origin OF the pres
cnt difficulty presents no mystery Il
/ him. lie says tho excitement IN al
parts of Colorado over tho mineral dc
yelopment is almost incanceivable
Every one has the mining fever an'
: stories OF suddenly acquired weal'l
e are on every tongue. The daily ar
= rivals nj Denver number from 500 t
9 1000 individuals. People scared.
J. stop to talk OF profits amounting Il
Il anything less than millions, and NOR
c significant than all else, is the TAG
y that mysterious rumors are circulatln;
n OF mines in the Ute country richie
n than have yet been fond in the Lead
;, vile region. The Indians know q
}, well as others that all this means ex
IS pa,ria,ion or determination for then
5, unless the Federal Government held
q its sacred when it pledges /. tc ih
, red man as it does when it pledges j
IS to the white man. Maj. Carson fear
c that an army ten times the strength Q
IS that of the Federal Government coul
IT not long protect the Indians under tn
} circumstances
, After all that has been said abou
d our Indian policy, and all the evil tina
vi has come from the doings OF iascall
;, agents, the trouble is not SO much th
e result of that as of an inherently ba
IS system. The reservation system ha
1t been productive of i'll results unde
whatever policy it has been admins
tered. Indians will not stay on thei
II reservations, and white men will no
o stay off of them. Year after year tn
1t army has been engaged in putting III
n dams on and white men off; and on
l. has cursed the army while the othe
n has fought it. 1.-THE hunting is bette
is of the reservation than on it, the lndi
n an will 90 of to hunt, and trouble be
/ gins. If there is gold or silver on th
e reservations, real or suspected, whit
l. men will 70 there to delve and dig
9 and again there is war. And so,
+ the Indian Bureau cannot take care G
IS the redskins without the army, Tn
j. army can take care of them wlthou
IF the aid of the bureau, and by tn
l. transfer all interests would be as we
'f served, while several millions woui
Y. be saved annually to the Treasury
8, The fellows who hold fiat positions,
'e with stealings, in the bureau would b
s. the only sufferers by the change.
The Post-Office Department is max
ing some lively times lately. In hi
u :. war on the lottery companies, and re
:, fusal to deliver mail to them, the Pos,
- master General will DO sustained b
IL public sentiment but in one of hi
10 late orders about imperfectly addresse
= letters, Deacon Key has raised yer