Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-08-10
THE INDIANS AND TIE GOVERNMENT.


Whoever undertakes to review the his
tory of our Indian relations in philo-
sophical spirit must reach the conclusion
that there has been some peculiar IN
luence in operation from the beginning OF
the republic, to prevent the just treatment
of our wards. For it is clearly not possible
to set down every administration that has
had dealings with the Indians as depraved
aud wicked, aud yet that is the superficial
aspect Of the entire Indian record. tbs
melancholy and shameful history of per-
fdy and oppression. of solemn treaties
swiftly broken, of repudiated pledges and
+. bad faith and injustice There has hardly
been a single Indian war which was not
brought on through treachery and false
hood on the part of the Government. This
is the simple truth, and the question is
how to account for it. When we find it ap
parently impossible for any administration,
no matter how well-meaning or honorable,
to treat the Indians fairly, we must seek
for some other explanation of the phenom-
enon than is to be had by denouncing all
who have ever been connected with Indian
affairs as scoundrels and thieves. And If
we look close enough, and analyze the
situation patiently, we shall be rewarded
by the discovery that all this bad
faith, or certainly the greater part of it,
has been primarily attributable to the po-
litical system under which the country has
been governed. In a Government by suf-
frage it inevitably follows that any class
deprived of the suffrage must be driven to
the wall. And if the interests of such
class clash with the interests of those
who have the suffrage, it will be impossi-
BILE for them to obtain justice. The Indians
have never been allowed a voice in the
Government, and therefore they have been
always at disadvantage. When people
without votes or representation are pitted
against people with votes and represen-
| tation, under a Government elected by
and dependent upon the latter, it is i'm
possible that they should succeed. The
history of our broken Indian treaties is
a history of constant aggressions on
| the part of white settlers. For example,
certain territory is set apart for
the sole use of Indian tribes. At the
| time of setting it apart it is far from the
boundaries of settlement, but in few
years the advancing tide reaches it, and
then if the land is good the settler coolly
invades it, Unnecessary commences hostilities
with the Indian owners, and leaves the
Government at Washington to settle the
difficulty as best it may. In such cases
the Government has very seldom been
able to secure justice to the Indians. The
white men who have invaded their lands
could go to their Congressional Repre-
sentatives and at once bring their influence
to bear upon the Administration. Parti-
san considerations were sure to arise, to
| prevent any serious efforts for the expul-
| sion of the invaders. In the end lying
stories would be Matched up about Indian
depredations and outrages, and war
would be declared against them in which
not only the land thieves but many greedy
contractors and others had interests at
stake In this way, with variations, our
Indian wars have been brought on. Some
times no doubt rascally Indian Agents
have goaded their charges to frenzy.
Sometimes tribes have been the aggressors
| themselves. But nine times out of ten the
provocation has been such as we have in
dicated.