New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-11-26
4 STUDY IN COMPENSATION.

It seems to be impossible for the United
States Government to deal fairly with Indians
even i'm ice-bound Alaska The Northwestern
Trading Company gives employment to sew
eral tribes in whale and seal catching Not
long ago a medicine man was killed by
the explosion of q bOmb-lance on board
a steam launch belonging to the company.
The Indians, not being able to convince
themselves that it was an accident, seized
several boats, demanded two hundred blankets,
and threatened to destroy the buildings at the
trading post if compensation shOnld be refused.
The commanding officer of the United States
revenue cutter Corwin, being informed of that
had happened anchored off the settlements,
made counter demand for four hundred
blankets. and threatened to fire upon the viii
lagos unless the fine were promptly paid. The
chiefs collected eighty one blankets .and de-
clared that they could not furnish any more.
The commander took the blankets and then
slcled the villages According to an account
of the cruise which we find in San Francisco
journal, the huts, boats and winter supplies of
the Indians were destroyed. For the credit of
American civilization it is to be hoped that
these details are inaccurate, or, at least, that
the important fact has been suppressed that
the eighty -one blankets were returned to the
Indians and arrangements made for their sup
port during the Arctic night. Alaska, when
Mr.. Seward purchased it, was tolerably near the
North Pole, and unless the climate has sensibly
improved under American administration, it is
not Il favorable locality for testing the hygienic
merits of starvation diet ana blanKetess sleep.
If this account OF the COrwn's cruise be accu-
rate-and it will he observed that we give the
commander the benefit of the dOCbJ-it will be
interesting to learn on what grounds he iust-
ies his action. The Indians had threatened to
destroy the buildings ut the post, but they had
not attempted to execute the threat. Their own
boats, huts and provisions were destroyed, there
fore, not for anything they had done, but for
what they had threatened TO do. This is IA poll
ICY of retaliation which is below the ordinary
practice of savage races, to say nothing of the
precedeuts of civilized nations. Then there are
the two conflicting claims for compensation.
The Indian demand was not wholly unreason-
able If a workman in New York loses his life by
an accident attributable to the negligence of his
employers, his heirs have "a legal right to bring
suit for $1,000 damages. Now il the Indians
could Ina We been convinced that the explosion of
the bOmb-lance was accidental, they might have
held the trading company responsible in some
measure for the death OF the medicine man, and
considered themse YES justly entitled TO dam
ages Their demand for two hundred blankets
would have had some legal warrant in the
courts of a civilized land. But what can be said
In defence of the cOunter-claim for compcnsa-
toni If the boats and buildings of the COM
pany had not been damaged, what right had the
commander of the Corwin to demand four hun
dred blankets Compensation for WHAT The
threats, we suppose and when only eighty-one
blankets were forthcoming the villages were
shelled.
On the opposite side of Behring's Strait from
Alaska is the Chukch Peninsula. where q year
ago the officers and crew of the Rodgers were
smoked out OF their winter quarters on board
ship. Without means of barter and with scnnty
supplies of pow der and provisions, they were
dependent for seven months upon the good ma
ture of these Polar savages. Fortunately the
Vega had wintered on that coast three years
before and had established excellent relations
with this impoverished race When they were
reduced to the vergo Of starvation they had
been fed with supplies from the ship. The
Rodgers crew benefited by the reputation
which Nordenskiold had left behind him ia the
peninsula. Probably the Chukchcs would not
have been so hOspitable if the Corwin had been
cruising in those waters and Smelling the vii