Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-10-19
TIE UTE DIFFICULTY.

The present Ute difficulty, like all which
preceded it, has undoubtedly grown out of
the covetousness and dishonesty, not of
indians, but of white men. The history
of the relations between the Utes and the
Government has resembled nearly all In
diau affairs, The Government made a
treaty with the Utes, and decided large
reservation in Colorado TO them, pledging
Its word that they should be unmolested.
The word of the Government was as usual
worthless. White men saw that the Utes
had good land Miners found minerals
upon other parts Of it. Then fol-
lowed invasion, breach Of treaty
stipulations, circumstances, and presently
. proposal from the Government TO pur-
chase part OF the reservation, After
much discussion the Indians, finding they
could not help themselves, consented to
Ibis sale. But they were only at the be-
ginning of their troables. Tue Governors
OF Colorado, who appear to have been
mostly inscriptions demagogues, and Of
whom the present Governor, Pitkin, IS de-
cidedly the worst, set themselves to make
capital by favoring new aggregaions upon
the reservation. The border rul1ians, who
were mixed up with contractors and other
scenters Of plumber. were encouraged
in their hostility to the Indians,
and when the latter had been
exasperated beyond endurance the troops
were called in, as usual, and it was doubt
less hoped that they would be destroyed.
The massacre at the White River Agency
last year, and the attack on Major Thorn
burgh's command, were heralded as acts OF
wsnton atrocity on the part OF the Utes
In truth the Indians had suffered their
young men to be killed, and their women
and children to be stolen, before they
went upon the warpath. Judging from Gov
eror Pitkins' abominablemisrep presentation
ct that time, we are iudisposed to place
any confidence in bis present statements.
We do not believe that the Indians pro.
Yoked conflict with the teamsters, as
stated. It is not even proved that they
have killed the teamsber they are said to
have taken from his guard. All this is
n &c unsupported assertion, and it comes
from sources which arc VIGOROUSLY I'M
Trustworthy. Governor Pitkin appears
e be a great braggart, gifted with
little or no judgment anxious rather to
stand well with frontier bullies and roughs
than to sustain the dignity of his Office !;
AM he ia altogether too friendly TO the
conscienceless scouudrels who have been
seeking TO rob the Utes Of their lands
ever since the reservation was made
over to them. We hope therefore that
Secretary Schurz will stand firm, and
that he will not allow his agent
Berry to be hulldozed by the brutal
border rafians who want to get
an excuse for cleaning out" the
Utes, and who are quite capable of in
venting the whole story to servo their foul
eads. The United States has suffered
enough disgrace through yielding to white
thieves whose greedy clutches i. had not
che nerve to wrest from the lands of the
Indians. 1t is time that it showed a little
resolution IN support of its own honor and
che lives and property Of its wretchei
wards, and better opportunity than the
present msy not occur.