Arizona silver belt., 1890-12-13
Voorhees, on the Indians.

The speech of Senator Voorhees, on the Indian question, like his speeches on other topics, is mainly Q matter of cheap rhetoric and transparent soph- istry. It may be true, as he says, that the rations of the Sioux are not up to their views of what should be provided for them; but there is nothing to justify the assertion that they are starving. They have not threatened to go to war because the fear of death for lack of food is staring them ill the face; they have not in any fornial way repre- sented that hunger is gnawing at their vitals in the cruel and infuriating man ner set forth by the Wabash orator. This talk of starvation Is an after thought. At the worst, there Is no more want, according to the best testi- mony, than that which prevails among the white settlers in the vicinity. Per haps Sitting Bull and his fellow-digni- taries do not have such meals as are furnished by frst-class hotels; and pos sibly the prevailing diet of the tribe is not equal to that of il prosperous com munity in New England. But there is good reason to believe that wholesome food is not seriously lacking, and that the danger of famine is too remote to deserve consideration, Not Q single death from starvation has been report ed. The only suffering of which We have any knowledge is that evolved by MT. Voorhees, from his fertile and fan. tastic imagination; and that is not sufii- cient to touch the chords of public sym patby.
 It is well, however, that this aspect of the case has been presented in the Senate, snee it may servo to direct popular attention to the enormous ex- penditures that have been made to sup pert the Indians ill idleness and to sup ply them with the means of earning their own subsistence, The aggregate outlay in this relation fai surpasses all the appropriations that hnye ever been made 10 keep the wolf from the doors of white citizens. We have given to the Indian race SlO00 for every individ- nal member thereof; and what have We to show for it? The Indians are prae- teany as hostile to civilization to-day as they were a hundred years ago We have spent q thousand millions of dol lars upon them, and tl.ey have not set progressed to the point of producing enongh to pay for the powder that they use in their hunting. Their lands are untitled, the implements sent to them are thrown sWay, and all suggestions ot honest labor are treated with dislain. How much longer are we obliged to go on providing food and clothing, shelter and protection, for such people2 When their sentimental friends raise the cry of starvation in their interest, il is proper to speak of wl,at has been done for them, and to demand that they be required to do something for themselves. There is no reason why taey should be hungry if they were only willing to work and to improve the chances of prosperity that are witbin thelr easy reach. They have been taught by our extrayagant and foolish charity to believe that the Gov ernment owes them 3 living as long as they shall exist, when, us matter of fact, there gre no such obligation. Their claims are no better than those of the white settlers whom they threat en with nassacre whenever their free rations do not exact suit them and it is time they were being dealt with accord ing to that theory. -Globe-Democrat.