The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1886-01-22
IN DEFENSE OF THE NOBLE RED
MEN.
BUFFALO, N. Y, Jan. 1885

BUFFALO, N. Y, Jan. 1886.
Editor Free Press.
In your issue of the Sth inst. read
the following: "If there be n Indian
tribe that deserves the effect OF a little
government powder and lead more than
another, that tribe is the Apache. Every
zeal they spill innocent blood and blot
ont scores of lives that have cast their
lot with the developing country on u
southwest borders, and thousands of dor
lars worth of property is destroyed or
confiscated... News that the outraged
~populace had succeeded in exterminat,
ing every one of the red brutes, would
be refreshing, ETC., ETC."
Verify, this is a curious country. When
one reads about 't%reacherous fiends,"
innocent blood" ''red b%rutes," out
ragged populace" one is sometimes at a
loss to know whether the Indian is u
ma or beast.
Ask the average western man the
question, and his answer almost invari-
ably is that he is a beast, Il wild savage
brute who ought to be shot at sight; your
own article says substantially that he
ought to be hunted down-exterminat-
ed. Yet this brute can speak, think and
handle Il rifle, AMI wlen left To himself,
get his own living.
Let MS be fair in this matter. W. will
.rant from the outset That the Indian Ii
cruel, vindictiye and wuntonly brutal In
his treatment OF the whites, when Oh
the war path. We will grant that he il
as thoroughly bad as the most fervid
western writer can picture him. We
grant it simply for the sake ofargument,
although personally w do not believe
that the percentage of bad" Indians il
any greater than that among the low and
ignorant whites of the country. The
question is: Is it, or Is 1t not right for
the white man to rob the Indian. Let
us call Things by their right names. We
try to make ourselves think We are doing
about right by making them promises,
THAT are never kept but is it right to
rob the Indian? The western IN IN says
practically, it is right He says "why
should Il splendid section of country be
given up TO ''red devils" who will not
till the soil; let us kill off these "red
skins" as we would black snakes, and
take this land for ourselves"
This white a if he wants land in
the east must pay for it, and paying for
it means that he must work for 1t. But
he can steal it from the Indian, and If
the latter makes the slightest resistance,
he is q ''bad Indian" a "red brute" 4
fit subject for government powder and
lead"
1t is a well settled axiom that "self-
preservation is the first law of nature"
Now Mr.. Editor, can you point out one
single instance where it can be shown
that the red man has ever acted contrary
to this law
Take the New Ulm massacre as an H.
lustration. WAS there any other law at
work in this casef Is itnot true that they
were shamefully treated by the whites
for years and years previous to this up
rising? Is it not true that their wives and
daughters were shamelessly debauched
by the white trader, or agent, or ad-
venturer2 Is is not true that the govern
ment had agreed that they should re-
ceiye their annuity in gold, and then
sought to pay them in currency worth
but fifty cents on the dollar? In the
whole history of the Indian race, from
the time Of the landing of the May
Flower. until the present day, there has
been but one story to tell.
The Indians have given way to the
Whites, have trusted and been deceived.
For a straight hundred years the Indian
has found the white mans promise a
rope of sand" Year after year has he
fallen back with constantly depicting
ranks. In a few years at the farthest,
he will have been wiped off the Ameri-
can continent, and his wild, desperate
struggles for "self preservation" will
haye become Il mere matter of history.
Had he been born white, his struggles
for existence would have been called
brave, patriotic.
Ifa burglar enters your house ut night
in search OF plumber, you will shoot him
1t sight, and you are called brave, you
are justified. But the same burglar can
enter the home Of u red man, for the
very same purpose, namely, plumber ;
but if he gets hurt, meets with any re-
SistanGe, lie Is d 'ipuOr settler who
ought to be projected by the government
with powder and lead" And this is
civilization! What IA travesty.
II al the Indian been born white, he
could have sold his land at some agreed
p,i.. per ,ora, or kept 1T, bat his shin
happened to be red, therefore he Is hit
| ,niv to be rubbed. Ii he makes No re-
| Sistauce he Is d 'cowariiy red skin,' ii
he resists he Is a red devil" who ought
10 be shot at sight.
Let us be lair about this matter, if but
for the the moment; at least let Us I'M
luine ourselves fair with one another II
no ,sible, although fairness Is a trait i'll
The white mans character that Was new
er discovered by the Indian, yet we use
II among ourselves as though it were the
commonest kind of every day ware
After the Indian is Ext rminated and
all his land gobbled by the noble white
man, then what! What about the "Iaw
of retribution." Is there anything in I'll
Is It swift? Is it sure2 don't know, but
| think there is such a law, and that it il
both swift and sure.
| believe in the eternal law Of bal
ances." You remember the old saying
what is got Over the DEVILS ba,k will 60
under his belly" We all agree to the
truthfulness of this in general, but when
it is applied to the Indian question, the
average white man says the only law
that IAN apply is that in regard to the
"surylval of the fittest.' But let us see
ohout this claw of retribution."
Have you studied SOCIALISM," Does
il seem possible that there are Over
500, 600 socialists in this country to-day
Men who believe that all property should
be held in common. Now this may al
first flush seem funny, but think of it a
while, then think of the thousand and
one so-called ''Laboring Mems Unions
The latter do not as yet advocate a divi.
sion of property directly. They have
other ways of accomplishing pretty
much the same thing however. To illu-
strate: An engine driver applies to u X.
X. Co, for a position. He shows good
credentials, but is met with the answer
that the places are all full. He says he
is out of work, has a family TO support
and pleads his case SO earnestly that the
official at last tells him to call again
shortly, there may be an opening, which
if it comes, is gladly accepted by the EN-
gineer, who, upon taking his position
knows exactly how many hours he Is to
work, and how much money he ls to re
ceive for it. Now watch him. lie drifts
into a "hall" some evening, where he
meets his fellow engineers, and It Is but
a short step to a Union" and a demand
ON the official who employed him, fol
what? "for more pay or l will be obliged
TO leave your employ |" Oh no, but ''fol
more pay or IRE will stop every train Oh
yonr road" These men do not 20 al
they came, singly seeking the job, they
90 ont en- masse in order to force the OIL
| fetal to an acceptance of their terms
lest they destroy the business OF his com
pany.
sounding title you may please, but it i.
only a step from SOCIALISM," and the
strangest part of it is that newspaper,
generally uphold these men in suci
dishonest transactions, as witness the
attitude of nearly all the New York pa
pers during the Threatened strike on the
Elevated roads there last week. No
long ago, u theatre manager In New
York was driven TO the verge Of bank
ruplcy by his musicians. Just think o
II. Business running rather light, b,
thinks to get On with less music, blu
when he undertakes to prune down LII