New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-01-10
CANADA AND HER INDIANS.
TUE ppy1rrs OF 4 WISE POLICY.

,-xnrp WHICH THE CANADIAN INDIANS Arr
prAcpADlY GOVERNED AND STEADILY AID
yANCRD IN CIVILIZATION.
TO The Edttor The TIT bunc
SIR: "Maintans lie DrOt" IS the motto OF a
corp, known az Northwest Mounted Police, whlch
was sent few years ago by the Canadian Govern
mont to the Northwest Territories, with the mission
of stopping the liquor traffic and governing the III
6;ans in that vast tract of land The Indians of the
Northwest Territories peaceful, and seem WILDE
to initiate the white man in cultivaing the soil and
earning living in peace. The intelligent portion OF
them see the benefits of civilization, and make no
secret of their aspirations. Thanks to the energy
shown when necessary by those in power, crime
has now almost Disappeared among tbom. There mas
been only one man hanged iii the country since the
police came. That manbad eaten his fainiy' anu az
Indians are sometimes Gven TO cannlpau'ih' IL was
necessary 10 make an example. A great many In
dams witnessed the execution. and were disap-
pointed only IN not seeing any torture.
The savages of the Northwest Territories number
81 900 all told and for six years there have been only
the 800 policemen to govern and manage that popun
ton. which owing to the almost total disappearance
of the buffalo has been in state OF semstarVauoh
for a long time. What 1t has cost in trouble and
paticnce TO the officers to gain over those wu trioeS
a moral power strong enough to make them obey
without using force IS known only TO them aud
those ON the SPOT The Government has now sent
agents ntrusted with the management OF the III
dams. The superintendent, Mr.. Edgar Dew inev' a
man of remarkable abilities and the highest char-
acter has established farms on or near the dereh'
reservations aud appointed farming instructors 1Or
the Indians, who gladly work for their living. lie
writes in his report for 1879:
No one can at force Indian to take hold OF me
Sns ven eomme1cea agriculture need
sght ass stance In the way OF lnSuucton' anu 'no
,naSine Themselves generally useful the reservations
md farming under the direction OF tne lnsrucIor VIII
soon pick 10 sufficient information TO settle Gown and
work a niece OF ground for themselves The IDEA OF
taking few Indians from each reservation anu tescn,
Ing them as you would pupils on model farm would
MOI be a success presume the wish OF the Govern
ment is obtain great return OF 1000 Tor Inc as
Indians cheap rate possible ana wnle
raising that on the themselves. give the
Indians opportunity of learning now 10 make thelr
own livlng out OF the ground.
The settlements around the forts are advancing
both in an agricultural and industrial point of view
Large herds of horned cattle can be seen grazing
peacefully in fields that formerly fields of bat
lie. immigration Is coming in slowly but surely.
and most of the newcomers seem to be at home on
arriving in the country. The courts of justice are
very often empty, but whatever Is done there is
done in businessike manner. There were last year
Mt Fort Macleod at one time about 1000 Indians
depending on the police for food, but there was no
disturbance among them. The officers and men of
the police go singy into any Indian camp and make
arrests.
THE CANADIAN PLAN.
The Canadian arrangement Of Indians is unique.
for # has survived over six years of difficult and
awkward circumstances without shedding blood.
The Government by the terms of the different trea-
ties with the Indians, pays yearly to every living
indian the sum of SIS. The chiefs Of bands receive
for nselves $25, and their councillors $15.
Tickets have this year been issued to them and
they will be paid next year on the production of
these tickets, which serve to identify their bearers.
when necessary for the issue of rations, etc. The
Government in choosing officers and men for the
police is very careful in selecting as much as posi-
BILE men who by their natural dispositions would
acquire influence among the Indians and it
in worthy of notice that the desired result has
In all instances been what was anticipated, and most
gratifying Heretofore everything has been left i'll
the bands of the Mounted Police and the Indians
learned To love and respect those officials, who were
always ready to assist and advise them
Since the arrival of the hostile Sioux in the coun-
try the buffalo have been stopped from going to their
old ranges, and in some Indian camps starvation
was the consequence. Last year was terrible
epoch in the annals of many tribes. Very little pro-
vision could be got in the country yet one could not
travel fifty miles the prairie without meeting
police wagons loaded with four tea and tobacco GO
ing under the charge of officers to relieve the wants
of the Indians. The Government then offered the
superintendency of Indian affairs in the Northwest
Territories TO Colonel j. T. Macleod, &. NJ. g.,
commander of the Northwest Mounted Police, but
this gentleman declined, for he would have been
Obliged to abandon his old corps. Mr.. Edgar Dewd-
ney, formerly member of the House of Commons for
If yala i'm british COlumhia accented
the Office He immediately made a tour in the North
west and established small posts of supplies. Reser-
yations were surveyed and given to the different
tribes But the Indians still seem to like the old
way best. If they want anything they invariably
come to the police The latter send them to the
agents but they not satisfied with that and the
police must be present at any transactions between
them.
There are few Indians who have not agreed to
the treaties and when the day of payment comes
they pretend to be still the masters OF the soil, make
speeches and try to create discussions. Two years
ago a party Of surveyors was stopped by band
of non-rreaty Indians. Word of 1T was given to the
police at Fort Walsh, and a detachment of forty
men was sent out. Matters rghted at once
Later on, the same band moested some traders.
Another party of police went and arrested three Of
the ringleaders. They were punished. One of the
policemen was murdered at Fort Walsh year ago
He was young man of eighteen and mad enlisted
four months before in Ontario IL was au Indian
vendetta, not against the victim himself but against
white men in general. The murderer'S father had
OF pretended to have, suffered some injury at the
hands of a white man, and lie died last year making
his sons promise take the first opportunity TO
avenge his memory. The murderer escaped and took
refuge in the United States Territories, where he
is.
THE PAYMENT III TICKETS.
Previous to the issue of tickets to the Indians it
was very difficult to pay them correctly. An Indian
has so many ways of Disgusting himself without ex.
citing suspicion that frand was largely practsed.
The payments were always made by some police