The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-10-05
THE INDIAN QUESTION,

solved. To this time it has been handled so
Intellectually, with so little defniteness of
purpose and determination, that nothing
permanent has come of it, and the question
is as important now as at any time during
the past. Hitherto the government has tenn
ported by granting concessions to the In
dian, and of such nature that they could
not in the necessity of the case, be per-
petuated. Reservations have been set aside
that in the very nature of things had to be
taken back In every case the Indian has
been bought off and made to move on. This
he has not done willingly, and it was not
expected that he would. Incapable of reas-
oning against his prejudice and ill-will, fire.
quent collisions have resulted, all, of course,
in the end against the Indian. But the status
of the question has now assumed shape
that demands final adjudication. We
can no longer temporize, nor can we longer
hold out inducements in the shape of
enormous reservations of the best lands in
the West These lands are being rapidly
taken up. The time is near when every acre
will be demanded for the uses of civilization.
The valleys that have hitherto furnished
grazing for herds of buffalo must now be
given over to cattle, and the hills that shell
tered game must feed sheep. There is no
justice in reserving five square miles for an
Indian and his family while ten white fami-
lies are asking to live on the same territory.
The argument that the North American
savage has a hereditary right to this great
expanse of territory, whether right or wrong,
must be abandoned. The needs of the white
man-and they are just as real and urgent as
any felt by the Indian are such that vast
reservations of comparatively unproductive
hunting ground can no longer be made
and maintained. 1t would be altogether
cheaper to put the Indian wholly on the
bounty of the government and let the white
man render the reservations more produc-
tive. But these reservations must not be
opened simply for the use of spectators and
rings The lands must be reserved for the
individual use of those who will settle upon
| them and improve them-for the people and
| for the whole people of the country. The In
| dian has been on the bounty of the govern
ment long enough. 1t cannot be so much
longer. 1t is neither fair nor just nor rea-
sonable that any person or people should be
| perpetually pauperized. Let the Indian
have the same property rights as has the
white man-no more, no less. He is no bet
| ter than the white man-let him work like
one 1t is a crime against labor to allow In
| dian youth to be reared in idleness. Now,
that vast reservations are no longer possible,
| let the aborigine be given farm in fee SIM
pie. If it be argued that designing white
men will cheat him out of his slender means
of earning livelihood, let the title be vested
in the family irrevocably, say for fifty or
even hundred years. In this time habits
| of thrift would certainly be acquired To
is this or humiliation.
There is no need Of Strengthening the argu-
ment by recounting the Indians past his
tory or referring to his present attitude. The
vidua without regard to his tribal relations
is one that must be solved soon Thus far
we have treated with vagrant tribes as though
they were foreign powers, have made unrea
sonabe concessions, and pampered them to
degree greater than ever conceded men of
reason and civilization. The personal visit
of members of the congressional COM
mittee will probably do much
toward solving this vexatious ques-
ton. Between the romantic views
OF the East where the nature of the Indian
is little understood, and the vindictive ideas
of the West, where the people are only too
we'll acquainted with the savage nature of
the red man, little progress has been made.
1t is to be hoped now that something def
mite will be accomplished. Let the Indian
be placed on farm adequate to his needs
be accorded all the benefits of law, and ED
accountable for his conduct. In any event
the Indian must not and will not stand as a
blockade to the civilization and development
of the entire count try, and this seems now
the only possible way of making him a use
full citizen and protecting the white settler
against his cratic savagery.
|
THE Sentinel says that Mr. Schmuck twill
not sell out 20 the new street railway COM
pany," No one seems to have supposed he