The Worthington advance., 1881-02-17
OUR TREA THENTOFT THE INDIANS.


Rev. Geo. B. Cheever, b. d., famous
as one of the few clerical anti-slavery
leaders, recently published letter in
the Boston Daily Advertiser, upon the
perfidy of the government and the peo-
pie in violating Indian treaties and
making the Indian the victim of the
white mans cupidity and brutal selfish
ness. We regret that we have not
space for the whole article which is sew
eral columns in length. h. Cheever
says:
If an Indian, robbed and maltreated
by 4 white man, and perhaps maddenetl
with ''rot-gut whisky" shoots the Dor.
der-ruffian in self defence, we call it
murder and send Il regiment OF soldiers
after the criminal. If Custer fights
valiantly against the Indians, at the
head Of United States troops, We call
that heroic patriotism. If he is defeated
and slain by Indian courage, obstinacy
and numbers, that is Il massacre. If we
invade the Indian Territory, secured to
them by a hundred treaties, with solemn
adjurations of ours government before
God. bnuing ourselves to protect them
from violence, the invasion is justified,
because we cannot restrain our own
citizens from robbery and our own ava
rice from coyeting and stealing what
we have conveyed away by treaty with
out knowing how much it might in af-
ter years be worth. If there were gold
mines upon the Indian possessions, and
we did not know that when we coven-
anted, forthwith, rs soon rs the gold is
discovered. the covenant is found un-
tenable, and we affirm the treaty to
have been an obstacle against our own
advancement, i violation Of future
State rights, an injury to civilization, a
bar against the manifest destiny Of the
whites, and al infringement of the
rights of squatting discoverers and
miners, whom We as a Christian and
civilized nation have no power to keep
back or resist.
The boastful and the bigoted church.
es, as rule, are silent upon the subject
while their members are absorbed in
their own money getting or endorsing
the wickedness of the government and
the people. OF this DR.. Cheever says:
Against all these CT ines of our gov
ernInent and people there has hardly
been u voice lifted, even in the churches
Tie great Pan Presbyterian council.
while glorifying God for the increase of
our missionary stations, and the pro-
gress Of the gospel in heathen lands.
has not uttered i word of ofexpostulation
or rebuke for these glaring and repeat
ell wrongs against a helpless heather
community within our own borders.
and completely in our power, to bless
them, If we choose. with all the bless.
ings of Christian education.
Qftle sure punishment which awaits
us, he says:
An old commentator on the eighty.
second Psalm says: Every act of in.
justice III i judge. i ruler, or any person
in power, is 4 nail in the coffin of the
State" The texts that we used in the
great conflict against slavery spring a.
new to our lips: Oh Lord God, to whom
vengeance belongeth.. show thyself,
Thou judge Of the earth. render Il re.
ward to the proud. The ninety fourth
Psalm rises in our supplications: 'Shall
tho throne of iniquity have fellowship
with thee, which frameth mischief (5v :,
law? If any people ever needed. for the
preservati ~ Of their own liberties. q
conscience to,rdrd God, it is we of the
United States. We cannot otherwise
preserve even our unity, which will be
disintegrated ard fall asunder when
our regard to Gods Word ceases. The
one condition on which "tle Lord will
not cast off his people nor forsake his
inheritance" among us is this, namely
s-s.that Judgment shall return unto
righteousness. and all the upright in
heart shall follow it,
We have frequently spoken upon this
.smljrct, and can not now express our
views, or our endorsement of the above
IN better terms than those used last