McCook weekly tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 188?-1886, 1884-10-23
WASHINGTON LETTER.
Washington, D C., Oct. 10, 'S4.

vi OohSrcsS 10 40 something TOWARD
the amelioration Of the present con
dition of our Indians. What terri
BILE story comes to us of the famish
ing Piegans who are being decimatee
by disease brought on for want o.
proper food And the stories are true
because they come from officia.
sources dispatched by the Govern.
ment for the express purpose of inves'
tigating them. In this Indian bust
ness we have held most unhappy po-
sition from the time that we have un-
dertaken an Indian policy. The solu-
ton of the aboriginal problem has
been tried by every President from
Washington to Arthur, and Mr.. jeff
erson whose Quaker policy was first
inaugurated made more dismal fail
ure of it than Grant did a.half a CEN
fury later. eve should govern them
by love and Kindness" said Mr.. jeff
erson, and SO he sincerely endeavored
to do, but the contractor was abroad
in the land as he has ever been since,
and the Indian Bible of Eliot has been
transformed into a euchre-deck, and
the principal English that the Indian
first acquaints himself with is that
used for the choicest Of profanity.
Though the maintenance of an army
of school teachers may be cheaper
than that of soldiers, and school books
less expensive than cannon, there is
still sentiment among a large por-
ton of the American people that civ
ilizaticn has got to be crammed down
the throat Of the red man, as turkeys
are stuffed for Christmas.
From official data furnished by the
director of the mint, we find that the
whole circulation of money in the
country on October 1st was $780,
425, O54, Or thirty-three dollars per
capita, were. it not for the fact that
more than one-quarter of this vast
sum is lying idle in the Treasury
vault! Of the S14,O00,000 in gold
and silver coin In existence here,
s3S6,00O,00O Or neaely one half lies
rusting in rotten canvass bags, not
only earning nothing but depriving
the business interests of the country
of the means to contribute to the pros
perity of the people. And the useless
taxation of the people continues on.
Instead then, of having thirty-three
dollars per capita of circulation, we
only have little more than twenty
four per capita, which is less than that
of France, Germany, England, or even
Italy with all her paupers. What
kind of craftsmanship is it that thus
boards up in the Government Golfers
the money that is absolutely robbed
from the people in the way Of taxation
when there is no earthly occasion for
it Another beautiful illustration of
our monetary system is the fact of our
coming 100000 silver dollars per
month under the requirements of the
law, when we have 142,OO0,OOO of
these same dollars locked up, and all
the available space in the Treasury
" eults filled up with them
IN the quiet of a sabbath afternoon
I visited the dark and bloody ground
at BlaG7ensburg, which is about a
twenty minutes horseback ride from
the capitol. In the memorable epoch
of duelling, when every mans wound
ed honor carried its appeasement in a
vicious-looking horse pistol, this spot
was the chosen field for both civilians
and knights of war. 1t was here that
the youthful Decatur went to his doom
by the unerring aim of Barron. 1t was
here that Cilley, member of Con
eress from Maine, bit the dust when
Graves, of Kentucky, got in his work
first. 1t was here that Clay received
the fire of Randolph after delivering
his own, and each, finding the other
unhurt, fell upon each others neck
and wept. 1t was here that Thomas
H. Benton, Henry A. Wise, and a
core of other Congressman have met
a nd settled their differences either by
5 he code or by compromises and NUT
IA concessions. The place is pecul-
iarl' V adapted by nature for the pur-
nose to which these sensitive public
+ put it, for it was at that time sur
rounded by dense forest of trees, at
a suitable distance from the road to
avoid scrutiny from meddlesome pass
ers-by. The spot is broad plat of
ground just east of the Baltimore turn
bike, and by the side of a sluggish y 1t