The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1879-01-11
Carl Schurz's Self-Praise and Praise of
HAYES.

Mr.. CARL ScHURz is now deep In one OF
those wordy warlarcs which he enjoys, be-
cause they give him chance TO show his
knack at verbal hair-spltting and jaunty
rhetoric. In his last rejoinder to Gen. SHER-
IDAN he ASSUMES the pose of one who has
not only demolished that presumptuous Off
GER but has indicated the ways Of HAYES
10 an admiring nation.
Is Mr.. HAYEs's Secretary really the VIC
tim Of self-delusion so gross Does he be-
lieve his pirate OF what has been done for the
Indians since the incoming of the present
Administration 2" II he forgets, the people
do not, that within the first twenty months
Of HAYEs's misrule there were waged three
bloody and costly wars with the red men,
sacrificing hundreds Of lives and wasting
many millions OF dolars-wars every one
strictly preventable, and due solely to the
Ignorance, incapacity, or corruption OF
HAYEs's Indian administration aud no other.
The Nez Perez war OF ls77-the most needless
and one Of the most atroclous in our history
was begun by HAYES against peaceful law
abiding, and self-supporting bands, whose
only offence vas that they would not give
up to covetous settlers lands pledged TO
them by solemn treaty, and go upon a
reservation where Mr.. SCHURz's bureau
could pedde iut rations 10 them. The Ban
mock and northern Cheyenne wars OF 1878
were due to irregularity and insufllciency OF
supplies. Mr.. CARL SEIZURES controversial
nourishes do not cover up the fact that with
excess OF provisions at some agencies, there
was default at Others and that this pro-
longcd default caused two wars. The north
ern Chcyenncs failed for many months TO
receive the supplies pledged them by treaty
all this under HAYES. Major MINER, re-
porting on the cause OF the Cheyenne out
break, says:
They always complained about their raaonS During
the latter par, u the winter and the early part OF the
spring the beef poor and much complained
Of by all the Indians; and It really bad From tie
LIST Of July to the Isl oSeptcmtcr the issue of raons
very unequal The full ration Of flour was issued hut
twice. while beef issued constantly. There
little -four and coffee sugar"
Let II be remembered that these Indians
were moved down into the Indian Territory
by the HAYES administration, under an ex-
press stipulation upon the food that should
be given them as an inducemcnt to go. In
dian Agent MILES said, in one Of his earlier
reports, that the Cheycnncs had not received,
since their removal, the rations thus prom
ministration. that CARL Schulz thinks
above criticism.
Very likely the puerilc vivacity OF Mr..
SEIZURES debating-club style Of argument
may astonish and delight the intellect OF
HAYES, but it never will compensate. in the
popular mind or In history, for the waste
and misery Of HAYEs's three Indian wars,
the fruit OF Indifference or incompetency.
Indeed. IL is a bitter reflection that the In
dian question is turned To n petty play Of
| verbal parry and thrust in personal quar-
rel, between SCIIURZ and SHERIDAN. The
! HAYES-iiko profoeeion OF humble earnest
ness to be tod the path Of duty. that his feet
may walk therein, is perhaps the most or
fcnsive part Of SEIZURES letter. The Indian
Office magnanimously pronounces Lieut..
LEES suggestion" that n military officer
! should supervise the issue Of Indian agency
supplies to bo good one, on which, how
ever, Mr.. SCHURz had already" thought OF
acting. People in general would not sus-
| pcct that this suggestion Is contained in the
Revised Statutes, in the language OF law,
and that it was there when HAYES and
| SCHURz went into Office.
Mr.. SCHURz plumes himself and praises
| HAYES for the number Of thieves forgers,
and frauds left over from GRANTS admins
tration, whom they have found at the In
dian agencies and turned adrift. But turn
! ing out the appointees Of other people and
putting your own DEFENDANTS in their places
is not new discovery; and ScHUms sue
cessor will be n better judge OF him than he
Is himself. The activity Of Messrs. HAYT
and HAMMOND in detecting rogucs left as
lcgaclcs from GRANT will not atone for
HAYEs's three needless, bloody, and costly
wars.