The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1885-03-07
THE LATE GEORGE l.. DAVENPORT.
"B0emers" of an Earlier Date and
Nearer Home.

The Chicago Tribune has a lengthy
editorial concerning the late George l..
Davenport, who was buried in this city
yesterday. which describes his relations
with the growth Of this locality:
The death of George L. Davenport was
announced few days ago. and the event
was naturally made the subject OF much
comment on the great changes in the
northwest during Mir. Davenport's life
time He was born at Rock Island in
1919, and, of course, nearly all the pro-
press made in the settlement of the ups
per Mississippi Valley was inside the per~
iOf of his life. He saw the first steamboat
on the upper Mississippi, the great ine
pouring of immigration, the coming OF
the railways, the building up of cities, and
the founding of states. Born in fort on
the frontier, Mr. Davenport lived to see
his birthplace become the scene of busy
life, and the events which passed before
his eyes certainly form panorama which
it would be difficult to match.
Mr.. Davenport was an Indian agent, as
was his father before him No name is
more prominently associated with the In
dian affairs Of the northwest than that OF
Davenport, and it must be admitted thai
in this important phase of national policy
Mr.. Davenport witnessed scarcely any
progress or Improvement during his life
time In the last year Of his life he saw
repeated the blunders and mistakes that
must. have been familiar 10 him carly il
his boyhood When boy at Rock Isl
and lie saw Col. Zach Taylor use a de
tachment of the United States army t
burn cabins and drive settlers out of the
country beyond the Mississippi much in
the same manner that Col. Hatch has
been doing recently in Oklahoma. Then
as now, it was held that a great tract O
land was owned by tribe of savages be
cause they had been in the habit of roam
| ing and hunting over it, and, although
the government had bought the land from
| France, it was held that it must buy i
again from the Indians, and in the mean
time keep its own citizens out at the
point of the bayonet.
The early settlers in many portions o
the west have been compelled to struggle
against the absurd land regulations ant
Indian policies of the government, and il
nearly every instance they have been sue
cesstul Long before the homestead &C
was passed the settlers banded themsclve
together in claim clubs organized fol
mutual protection, and the regulation
of these clubs were made as binding a
the civil law In this way large tracts 0
Iowa and Minnesota lands were brough
under cultivation before they were tech
nically subject to entry, and the settler
maintained their rights as against tn
land spectators ON the one hand and Tia
government agents on the other. Away!
tie settlers were denounced as laWlcs,
and lacking in respect for authority, bu
when the government was finally forced t
mend its laws it usually copied after thos
the settlers had established for them
selves.
The recent act in regard to openin
Oklahoma to settlement is virtually tn
work of the Oklahoma farmers. Itwoul
never have been passed but for the pei
sistent efforts of the settlers to get int
the Oklahoma district. The act is who'll
in the interest of the settlers, and if faith
fully carried out ought 10 result in open
ing Oklahoma to settlement in a shoI
time. 1t only a repetition Of histor
when government agents and Speculation
arc found standing in the way of the sci
tlemcnt of a new country, and when tn
first settlers have to prove themselve
thoroughly in earnest before their claim:
will be treated with respect The Okla
homa boomers" have done this in gool
style, and ought soon to be enjoying til
fruits of their victory.