Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-03-26
MAKING INDIAN WARS.
nc Usadtttt0s to FOlIOav the Mes Perees and
Observation-Disclosures Of the "IMdtan Cues

~~~'o'SNS'S" XNSO~
tiO,s."
Boston Advertiser.
The passage of the Cascade mountains by
the Columbia is that of the Hudson through
the highlands raised to the 9th power, with
rapids thrown in, and the common express
sion, shat at the Dalles the (mile- wide) river
sis turned upon its edge'' graphically de-
scribes the situation. AS we saw it, an
Indian camp, with the men taking salmon
as they went over the hills, added local
flavor land odor) to the scene.
That region of the upper Columbia fear
is destined to be permanent battle-ground
or slaughter house until the Indians are. not
simply subdued, but destroyed, AS once
had occasion to remark in print, "The Indian
question is nothing but one of horror. how
ever viewed; and if jefferson, looking at the
negro trouble for his country, trembIed
when he reflected that God is lust, the
statesmen of to-day may we'll shrink from
the settlement of this account" The people
generally, and as represented in Congress.
seem to think it a languid, Laodicean kind
of way, that the Indian is not properly
treated; but by the time they awake to its
true realization there will be no Indians left.
Perhaps it is because I am now little
nearer the scene that it affects me more
strongly, but I incline to the belief that the
treatment of the Oregon Indians is even
worse than that accorded those on the
plains. It certainly seems SO, because many
of the tribes, being pastoral, are in higher
plane. The Modoc war began in imposition,
and was precipitated by a blunder. The Nez
Perces' was heroic though despairing strug-
gle by Joseph for his rights-rights that any
court into which the case could have been
taken would have sustained. But week
before the outbreak occurred Joseph was at
the house of an officer, and talked, with
tears in his eyes, about his people and their
wrongs. On that wonderful retreat, with
their herds and their families,-a running
fight for hundreds of miles-no white was
killed but in battle; and up to that time no
white had been killed by a Nez Perez since
the country was settled The other branch
The Umatlllas are an intelligent and prosper
GUS tribe on the upper Columbia, whose
focks and herds are numerous, and whose
territory is fertile. The whites, with cove
tous hearts, were determined to dispossess
them; melting them at first by trespass and
murder (they have already killed some) to
sorne violent act of revenge, thus precipitat
ing war.
The same course is being pursued against
Moses, who controls powerful band on the
north side of the Columbia. He has no de-
sire to make trouble, but the whites (only in
face, not in hearty now hold him in custody
without real cause, and will almost surely
provoke hostilities. I believe that the official
records show that there has not been war
on this coast, and they have been many and
fierce, when the Indian was the aggressor.
Words cannot express my detestation of the
average whisky-selling, brutal and blood
thirsty squatter, who hangs on the borders
of these tribal boundaries and seeks to pro-
woke war. Of course most of the Indians
are virtual savagesj (Joseph was not), and,
when exasperated, retaliate in a savage way.
The whites want war, so-called, to kill and
dispossess the Indians, and to sell supplies
at high rates to the troops called out. The
army is the last body that wants Indian hos
tilities. That means extreme hardships,
great peril and no glory. Every action
means success or humiliation. There is no
mean. But far transcending the physical
objections is the consciousness of the troops
that they are mere cat s-paws for the I'M
scrupulous rascals who have brought it
about-the feeling that right and justice are
with their adversary, and the only recon-
pense is the consciousness of doing their
technical duty because SO commanded. Of
course, when they commit the excuses to
which they are driven, the savage must be
restrained, and force is the only argument
that can be applied.
You can understand that the army, as
such, has no desire to control the Indians;
such control will only bring endless wrong
and injury to its oficers-although in most
cases, doubtless, to the Indians advantage.
But if the army as police force could be
used against the white outlaws who bring
on the wars, as it is against the Indians,
there could be some hope. But the civil
courts are supposed to control that, and
when popular sentiment is all one way JUS
tice is really blind.