The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1891-02-05
$50. the Poor Indian"

At this distance from the seat of war
We are acquainted with no Indians ex-
cept Hiawatha and Ramona, and the
Century of-dishonor view seems to pre-
vail. The further you get away from an
Indian the more noble he grows, and we
are told that being naturally truthful,
honest and brave, he has learned deceit,
dishonesty and treachery from whites.
We are lead to suppose that by fair
dealings the braves would sit in their
doorways "making arrow heads Of
chalcedony" except when it was abso-
1utely necessary to hunt the red deer OF
the forest or drive the ravins from
Mondamin, and that then the Romonas
and Minnohahas would take their places.
"Weaving mats of flags and rushes" or
training vines over their wigwams while
the smoke of the peace pipe would rise
like perpetual incense over picturesque
and prosperous villages.
Then there is the train. them-up.in.the-
way.they. .should-go view. That the
Indians should never have beep herded
off to themselves. That their Winches-
ter rifles should be gently but firmly
taken away from them and that they
should be distributed among the differ
ent States of the Union to grow up with
the country. That they should have
schools and workshops provided for
them, and gradually under the sweet
influence of the catechism, and the puri-
flying influence of the polls, be incorpo-
rated into citizenship, and that their
lands should support them in this transit
tion state.
Then there is the kindergarten view.
They are to be civilized by persuading
them they are on perpetual war path.
Their instincts for war are to be appeased
by forming them into companies under
an army officer, their taste for war paint
satisfied by gaudy accoutrements, and
such an unpleasant thing as work is
never to be mentioned in their presence.
They are to be dressed in U. S. uniform,
and any thing that resembles work to
be called military parade, and they,
their sisters, their cousins and their
Aunts to be clothed, housed and fed by
the Government.
Then we have the root, hog, or die
view, in which Mr.. Lo is treated as a
plain, unassuming American citizen, and
not az a nobleman to be kept by the
toll of the common herd. That he must
work if he would enjoy all the luxuries
of the season, that if he objects to the
inclemency of the weather he must
clothe himself or go in elegant simplicity.
And must work out his salvation by
doing something beside drawing rations.
These are the principal views as we
understand them-you pays your taxes
and takes your choice, but, however
noble he was when the Mayfower ar
rived, or however Sultured he may be-
come by the law of natural selection
and the survival of the fittest, all agree
that just now he needs wholesome re-
straint. We once knew travelled cul-
tured Hillsboro gentleman who was
either missionary or cowboy-we
forget vhich-among the Indians, and
he gave narrowing details. He knew
many braves, but the noblest of them
MI was a camp follower called George
Washington, who stole everything he
could lay his hands on and lunched,
lived and grew fat out of the slop-bucket.
Among the maidens there was one he
liked to remember as fairer, more grace
3ul and somewhat cleaner than the rest,
who wore discarded cavalry boots and
pants, q battered plug hat, an army
blanket stiff with dirt and ate grasshop-
Per soup. For all this we do not point
With pride to broken treaties and we
s.xecoil with horror" from the dishonesty
Of the Indian agents, but it has been
folly to treat with the Indians as If they
owned the earth. They never owned
any land in any legal sense. They
xoamed over it as did the panthers and
wolves for prey, and when it was needed
for homes and cultivation they should
either have cultivated it or been re-
Quested to move on. If in war, the
squaws arm themselves with scalping
knives to kill the wounded soldiers and
place their pappooses for the braves to
fire over, let them take the hazard of
battle and the whites omit flowers. We
would teach them to work, and then if
they think starvation the lesser evil we
would letthem choose the lesser evil.
We should like to see an honest In
dian policy tried. 1t may be, that
compiled with any intimation, Mr.. Lo
was to be made useful as well as orna-
mental there would be more ghost
dances than ever, but it would at least
be new.
The medical profession DISCUSSES from
a. n a e. n