The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-03-24
THE INDIAN PROBLEM.

No question more seriously needs the at
tention OF our Government than doss that
of the Indian. This bureau in the Interior
Department should be among the first in
vsstigated by the administration "Lo,"
The poor Indian, has been deprived of his
lights, robbed of his lands and defrauded Of
Il provisions and supplies which the Gov
2 nment purchases for and is supposed to
Il rnish him, bot which he really gets
antily. IL at all.
Even into the printed reports of the many
I dian agents, made to the Secretary of the
II terror, creeps much information showing
he injustice done the Nations wards, while
rone revelations are made of scsndalous
1 allure.
The Indian Agent has and generally uses
vast deal of power. He often robs both
the Government and the red man at once.
he contracts for flour, blankets or other sup
plies for perhaps 5000 Indians, when there
ere probably not 500 on his reservation.
Even if there are SO many enumerated
es belonging at his post as he purchases sup.
plies tor, from half to four-6fths of them
are off on the war.path or long hunt, so
not ct the agency. OF course the contractor
and perhaps an army officer, if there be one
stationed in the vicinity in command of
detachment OF troops, stand in" with the
agent. He watches for his bsst opportunity
snd oisposes OF most OF the stores when the
tribe is far away on the trsil-for very few
tribes remain near the posts for any consid-
cradle period of time, except those in the
Indian Nation. S0metimes the supplies are
sold outright as damaged goods worms are
in the -four or moths in the blanketsl but are
bought in at low figure by the 'ring' and
the same plumber again sold to the Govern
ment by the contractor. No wonder few
tens of thousands of the almost extinct abo-
rhymes cost the United States so much
money.
On one pretext or another the whites have
gotten possession Of nearly all the best lands,
even the reservations passing out o.: the red
mans ownership or co1trol. This is accom-.
Dlished by ways that are dark and tricks
that are vain" usually; but when he can not
be cheated OF his bTthTight, The Indian is
compelled by brute forcs to give up his hunt
ing ground or cultivated fsld-step by step
he is forced to yield everything to the enter
prising, powerful pushing, bat hesrtIessly
cruel and avaricious white man. Not many
years hence our own people, who glory in
saying that we live in the most enlightened
age of the world, and that ours is the most
advanced Nation on earth in progress, will
have wresied from the tribes who own it
thst fair country to look upon, the Indian
Territory. Snch bur boosted civilization.
But worse and more inhuman than all
this is the utter Generalization of the
Indians inflicted by the soldiers of our
armies. Wherever troops are stationed near
an agency on the frontier the squsws are
contaminated by their presence, and diseases
most loathsome are thus spread through
whole tribes, until impure blood, incurable
maladies and ruined constitutions havs laid
the foundation of certain decay. This is
horrible indeed, and We would gladly avoid
the subject, but duty seems TO urge tell
the truth" and we have related the truth as
revealed by Indian Agents themselves.
The time has come when these wrongs
should be righted and the Democratic a /.
ministTstion should take hold OF it.