The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1879-10-18
INDIAN AGENT STANLEY.

There existsA widespread conviction
that, as q class, Indian agents are the
most useless and contemplate set Of
men living. We do not Of course
indorse this opinion. But many of
the agents have placed themselves
before the country so az to justi-
fythe irl-wiIl of the nation which they
profess to serve. 1t is almost worth a
mans respectability to become an In
dian agent Most of them are a greater
tax upon the country than the Indians
themselves, and the annuIties which
they draw are no more earned than
are those which are issued to the In
dams, There are of course some excep-
tions to this rule. Father Meeker was
airare exception, He attempted to i'm
prove the Indians and to teach them
the customs of the people of civilized
lands, that In the future, when the gov
eminent should become more inst in
its administration, and cut of this
great drain upon one class to feed and
clothe another, they would be prepared
to take their places alongside or other
people, and earn a livelihood In an
honest and, manly manner, such as be-
comes citizens OF . free country. 1t
was this individual honesty that made
Mr.. Meeker so conspicuous; he was one
among ten thousand. Here and there,
separated by long distances and rough
roads are to be found afew followers Of
Mr.. Meeker.
The man Stanley ut Los Pinos agen-
cy, Is not of this class. He has put
himself on record in a manner which
win place him before the country for
all time to come in a most contempt
ible light. He says there is no danger
Of Indians, either near or remote. In
making this statement Mr.. Stanley has
either allowed himself to be wofully
deceived by the Indians, who are pre-
pairing to u for peace. or no has de-
liberately misrepresented the case. In
other words, Mr.. Stanley is either a
fool or a liar. He may take his choice
cI terms. N
Whatever he may be he has done
Colorado vast harm. His position,
evidently unworthily bestowed, is
sufficient to give him audience with
the powers that be. Recently the au-
thorities at Washington and eastern
opinion, by which Washington actions
are SO largely controlled, have shown a
disposition to look upon this Indian
question in Its true light. Mr.. Schurz
himself, the mild secretary of the inte-
rior. has even gone SO. far as to concede
that there is danger in the Utes, and
In Ms instructions to Gen. Adams said
that the offenders must be punished.
Now comes forward this government
pnnsioner and says squarely in the face
of the bloody record Of the past two
weeks, that there is no fear of the In
dams.
Probably there was no danger when
Joe McLane was killed. When old
man Elliott was killed? When the
two prospectors on the Eagle were
killedp When the boy herder in the
same vicinity was killed? When John
son beat Father Meekera When the
massacre at White River agency was
committedp When Thornburgh was
shot down while parleying with the
savages, and when a dozen of his men
fell victims to barbaric fury? Proba-
bly, they were peaceable and well dis
posed when they burned Major Thomp-
sons and Mr.. Smart's housesp When
they have stolen horses, from Snake
river to the Rio San Juanp When they
have driven all the game out of Middle
and North Parksp When they have
set fire to and burned millions Of cords
of timberp Probably their intentions
toward the whites were good when they
notified Mr.. Stanley himself that he
should leave Los PinosY For shame,
mani Look at the record, and then
confess yourself deserving Of a cow
hiding, and ask someone to castigate
you severely for what you have said
against--not Colorado or C~olorado's in
terests or people-but against humani-
ty. Even Ouray warned the people of
San Juan against the Indians, and
Ouray is q savage. Douglass is a saw
age, but be found it necessary to inter-
pose in behalf Of the women Of White
River agency, to protect them from the
ferocious assaults of the Indians.
Mr.. Stanley advances the idea that
the whites are responsible for the trou-
BILE now existing. Mr.. Stanley should
read the statement of Col. John W.
Steele, also a government employe,
noted for his sobriety and common
sense, who says: Eastern papers, the
secretary Of the interior and Brooks are
seeking some ~proyocation for this out
break. It was not the encroachment
of miners, for there are none nearer
than Bear river, fifty miles from the
agency; they are few and scattered, and
their only safety for life and property
has been In retaining the friendship Of
the Utes. On the other hand, these
Ctes have since early summer, been of
their reservation from fifty to two hun
dred miles, have destroyed all the tim
Der and grass they could, have destroyed
the property Of miners near Hahn's
Peak, and burned the houses and hay
"a --k--- n--- -. IT. g