New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-05-28

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TIne ,,gatnst the whites 40 far as / know while
their neIghbors the Sioux are warlike ana aggres
sve, and always have BEEN teope TO tbinE that
All Indians were Poncas while those coming inlo
contact with the Sioux would think all Indians
were Sioux This has gwen rise TO g9ou u'ai u
misapprehenslUn on the Indian question:,
What about disarming the Indians III; ~,
You can disarm OF the tribes by thelT con
sent, and by negotiation some Oh 'nel tht force
ful whether you can dlsarm WITHOUT Ioi 10
Just how or when II should be con" calnot 10 w
termined by any general rule. 1t is 10 the lhiIess
of the Indians that il should be done as speculy az
no.sible when il can be done without great irctoh.
They should settle down To farming st3c h-I'lsIns
or something of the sort. And If they had 10 arms
no pretence could be made that they had gone Oh
the warpath 1t is undoubtedly true tnlI ihuIhiis
are sometimes charged with outrages uCn Ino{ uo
commit. II they had no aims that IT, COO one
won id IN all cases prove their innocence see one
New.York paper says | am going TO take away .llo
arms of the Indians so that she people OF the lIou-
tier can kill them off easily. IL II geat ll I
to suppose that there is bitter hatred OF tue in
OH the frontier or that people there welcome lnu tt
wars. No who has seen the tnTll OF norroI t't
goes through frontier community az tne prospect
of an Indian war could believe that Ihey grow eA-
cited OF course, when their personal irlehds arc
killed, Just they are IN Arizona to-day, WheIe
40 or 100 people have been Killed. IIlehu VI
mine came in TO tell me the other day that zen OF
twelve of his pers )nal frenIs had been killed, IN
GLIDING old friend of mine But II the people
on the frontier knew that the Indians were dis
armed that feeling would subsde in day, -,
lone thing Is very important-that the
ri should
that they will not DO shifted. Now here
is an illustration of the way IN which another
Injustice Of that kind might have been been
dOue lt shows how those things may come about
Congress directed that the Mcscaero Apaches should
he consolidated on the same reservation WIN inc
.Jicarllas The former are now ON reservation III
southern New Mexico, much healthier and warmer
than the latter rescryatlon when Is on lhe lloIu
ern edge of New-MexicO The act provided that tne
Mescalcros should go, If they consented ana the
agent there at the time reported That they were
willing 10 90. But the agent now there reporter
later mat it would be necessary to use the Army
That ended 1t, and sOnt Instructions TO the a5eh
10 90 on with the spring crop. III the removal hau
been forced, we should have had another long chap
ter of Indian troubles"
WHAT system OF securing the land to them would
you fayoTp
By patent to the tribes, with the five tribes OF
the Indian Territory. hat l. acceptable 10 an
classes of Indians, civilized and unciViiized lhls
IL the principal need of legislation now, IN my
opinion. am opposed to the scyeGa'ty system, De
cause believe tnat under any limitation mat mas
been prOpOscd-twenty years Is the lOngest-Che IN
dams would all be without their land III geher-
alton" -.
Because they are so improvidentW
Yes that Is "a characteristic of the savage state
They vouId sell the Land. Even in the indian Ter
itory among the civilized tribes, the leaders do not
deem safe yet ~ give land to the masses I'D sever
atty The common Impression tha the Indians tnere
hold their land IN severaty arises, no doubt IRON Tue
fact that 1t is worked III plots the territory OF eacn
Indian beng respected, and he beng allowed 10
ell the improvements upon 1t to another But the
title of the land remains IN the tribe. The expert
ment of land Ill eycrllty has been tTled NUMBER
of times, and always, 80 faI as KNOW, WIN the
same result-failure. We gave "a large number OF
Indians III Michigan land III seycralty some years
ago. and before long it had passed out OF their
hands. Land i'll seyeralty ~ an old cry. Ii has
b,en heard again and again. Inc experiment. was
rlcd even In he days OF John Eliot and The Indian
GhIc The people who make the demand do not
understand that he1ndans themselves have resisted
this idea with much energy as they nave ever
resisted any thng. IL Is opposed to their political
economy aud to their rel,gon. Us crime against
Indian morals. The Indians think it j. not right
thai one man should have more land than he can
work. 1t is part of their religion that what they
own Of the land like the air and water-lt must
be free TO every body. Why, have 10 doubt that
"A good many OF the tribes would regard the par
ceiling ont of land III scyeralty as "A good zeal more
of "A crime than the murder OF an enemy. lnaJ
would be ali right, but to divide up tie land
never. When Chef Joseph was ncillng MS
wrongs lie gave among other things the tact nat
tine white people wanted them 10 divide up the
land. lie grew pOetIcal he EARN,
he said is our mother. We have dweit
upon her bosom. and now they ask Us to
cut her up' have no doubt he ielt about II very
much as a white man might II lie were asked TO
murder his mother. " hen the treaty with the
'trs which requ red them to take land IN seyeralty,
was read to them, the whole tribe protested. The
Indians do want patents, and many persons who
nave heard them a.kIng for a paper to Their
lands have made the mistake OF supposng that they
wanted lands IN scyeraty. For example, we nave
GIVEN the IOncds PaWneeS and tie NcZ IcrceS each
some land III the Indian Territory, Tor which they
ought 10 have patent. The more intelligent Oh
them want patent, Lut they do not want tue iahd
IN acycTdltJ." ID. d. IL