Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-09-20

/ Sedan, plotted ont the rIelSH eiu PAio'
and the only aspirant for that throne
who had any right OF eXpet'atio1n cues
in war that has not even the dignity
of being respectable. What is that
blush on the cheek of England to- day?
What is the leaf that England would
like to tear out OF her history? The
Zulu war. Down with the sword and
up with the treaty.
We in this country might better have
settled our sectional difficulties by arbi-
tration than bv the thrust of the sword.
Philanthropy said to the North: Pay
down n certain amount OF money Tor the
purchase of the slaves, and let all those
born after a certain time be born tree.
Philanthropy at the same time sald 10
the South: you sell the slaves, and
, get rid of this great nat :onal contest
and trouble" The North replied: Il
won't pay cent" The South replied:
won't sell" War! War! A. million
dead men, and national debt which
might have ground this nation to pow
| der.
Whv did We not let William H. Sew
| ard, of New York. and Alexander II.
Stephens. OF Georgia, go out and spend
a few DAYS under the trees on the banks
of the Potomac and talk the matter over.
| and settle it. as settle it they could,
rather than the north pay in cost of war,
| four billion seven hundred million dol
lars, and the south pay four billion
seven hundred and fifty million dollars,
the destroying angel leaving the first
born dead in so many houses all the
way from the Penobscot to the Alabama.
Ye aged men, whose sons fell in the
| strife, do you not think that would nave
been better? Oh yes! we have come to
believe, l think, in this country, that
arbitration is better than battle.
Imay be mistaken, but hope that the
last war between Christian nations is
ended. Barbarians may mix their war
paint, and Afghan and Zulu hurl
poisoned arrows. but think Christian
nations have gradually learned that war
is disaster to victor as we'll as van
bought by blood is bought at too dear a
price. wish to God this nation might
be model of willingness for arbitra-
ton. No need of killing another In
dian. No need of sacrificing any more
braye Gen. Clusters. Stop eNasperating
the red man. and there will be no moro
arrows shot out from the reservation.
A general of the United States Army, in
high repute throughout this land, and
who, perhaps, has been in more Indian
wars than any other officer, and who has
been wounded again and again in behalf
of our government in battle against the
Indians, told me that all the wars that
| had ever occurred between Indians and
white men had been provoked by white
men, and that there was no exception
to the rule. While we are arbitrating
i with Christian nations, let us toward
| barbarians carry ourselves in Il manner
| unprovocative or contest.
inherit large estate, and the
waters are rich with fish, and the woods
are songful with birds, and my corn
fields are silken and golden. Here is
my sisters grave. Out yonder, under
that large tree, my father died. An in
vadcr comes, and proposes to drive me
OFT and take possession Of my property.
lie crowds me back, he crowds me on.
and crowds me into a closer corner, and
still closer corner, until after while
say: Stand back, don't crowd me any
more. or I'll strike. What right have
you to come here and drive me off of my
premises? | got this farm from my
father, and he got it from his father.
What right have you to come here and
modest me?' You blandly say: "Oh,
know more than you do. belong to a
/ higher civilization. / cut my hair
shorter than you do. I could put this
ground to q great deal better use than
you do" And you keep crowding me
back and crowdlng me on into a closer
corner and closer corner, until one day
L look around upon my suffering family.
and fired by their hardships I hew YOU
III twain. Forthwith all the world comes
to your funeral to pronounce eulogium,
comes to my execution to anathematize
me. You are tha hero. I am the culprit
Behold the United States Government
and the North American Indian. The
red man has stood more wrongs than ]
would, or you. We would have struck
sooner, deeper. That which is right in
defense Of Il Brooklyn home or New
York home is right in defense of "a home
on top of the Rocky Mountains. Before
this dwindling red race dies completely
out, wish that this generation might by
common justice atone for the inhuman-
lty of its predecessors. In the day of
Gods judgment. would rather there be
blood smeared Modoc than swim ding
United States officer on an Indian reser-
Walton! One man was a barbarian and a
savage. and never pretended to be any,
thing but barbarian and q savage. The
other man pretended to be a representa-
tive of a Christian nation. Notwith-
standing all this, the general disgust
with war and the substitution of
diplomatic skill for the glitterine edge
or Keen steel is a sign unmstakable
that the day is at hand"
find another ray Of the dawn in the
compression of the worlds distances.
What slow, snail like, almost impos-
slble thing would have been the world S
rectitication with fourteen hundred mill
lions of population and no facile means
OF commune .tion; but now, through
teleesraphy for the eye and telephone
intimacy for the ear, and through
steamboating and railroading, the
twenty-five thousand miles ofthe world
circumference are shriveling up into in
significant brevity. Hong Kong is nearer
to New York than few years ago New
Haven was; Bombay, Moscow, Madras.
Melbourne within speaking distance.
Purchase telegraphic chart, and by
the blue lines see the teIegraphs of the
land, and by the red lines the cables
under the ocean. You see what oppor-
tunity this is going to give for the final
movements of Christianity. A fortress
may be months or years in building, but
after it is constructed it may do all it's
work in twenty minutes. Christianity
has been planting its batteries for nine
teen centuries. and may go on in the
| work thron frh ofhor oopfurioc. Int 49,,