The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-01-13
INDIAN WARS AND FIGHTERS.


statement Of the work of the Indian
war veterans commission for the State
Of Utah. 1t appears that that commits
sion has registered the names Of 1853
men. who arc cIassed rs Indian war
veterans, and as having taken part IN
Indian wars in this State The mum.
ber is surprisingly large, but We do not
in the least challenge it. assuming that
The commission had sufficient proof in
every case whore the name of vet
eran was entered Still, 1868 seems to
be a good many fighters. II would
form good. strong brigade in an army
and would be a force TO be rcckoned
with.
And yet. there is sort of incop
sistcncy about all this: because we have
been told time ont of mind by the Nor
luon writer's and speakers that the
saints pevcl had any trouble with the
Indians in this region: that the Nor
mon leaders ;lways treated ihc Indians
kindly; tllat their policy was far bet.
ter than the Government policy of hunt
ing the Indians out and killing them for
their dcpredations. The Mormons, We
arc told. found il cheaper and easier
to feed the Indians than Ga fight them,
and that thus policy worked advan-
| Itageously all around. The result was,
as a recent Mormon writer says, "The
indians frequently visited the homes
aud villages of the early settlers, and
Brigham Young was wont to entertain
them in a friendly manner And fur
ther. that Brigham Young appointed
teachers 10 go among them and estab
Iish schools and gain by his practical
charity their respect and admiration. +"
And vet. we are told that there were
indian fighters in the early DAYS here
10 the number of 2563l According TO
the peace theory, what was it that these
fighters found to fight7 Surely not
the Indians. when il ''was cheaper and
Them
Another phase of this matter was
rather burning question in Grand
Army circles here few months ago.
1t was complained here that certain
Indian war veterans in Utah were de
MED their rights on the pension roll
of the United States. In that connoc-
tion a number Of wars with Indians
were cited and pensions were asked for
those who took part in such wars.
We note, also, the reunions of Indian
war veterans every once in a while, and
camp fires and entertainments in con
ncction with those reunions. Such oc-
casions are usually well attended, and
there does not seem to be any reason
to doubt the fact that those who claim
10 have fought the Indians are really
Indian war veterans; that they fought
in the war in which they claim 10 have
fought, and that hundreds Of the early
settlers in Utah were obliged to fight
the Indians year after year. number
of efforts TO get the names of these In
dian war veterans on the pension roll
have, rs we understand. succeeded on
proof of the service and Of the wars.
We have not word TO say against
this, where the veteran applying for
pension comes under the Law, and is
recognized as deserving of being pen.
stoned. The authorities in control of
the pension payrolls undoubtedly scan
these claims as they do others; and
those who are put on the pension roll
on account of Indian wars in Utah
doubtless legally belong there, and
there is no reason to object to their pen
sioning.
But what we wish TO contrast is the
two different views Of early times in
Utah: one view is rosy. peaceful, opti-
mistic,. charitable. and educational;
there were no fights with the Indians;
the Indians were fed, because it ''was
cheaper to feed them than to fight
them Another view is that there
were numerous Indian wars in Utah:
that men numbering more than a good,
strong brigade In the army were called
out TO fight in these wars, and that
they are deserving Of being pensioncd
for their services as Indian war vcter-
ans. We believe the latter view to be
correct; We believe there were such
wars. we DtIeNe lDdl IHc indian vet
Grams who meet from time 10 time in
their camp fires and reunions did act
u2lly fight the Indians, and that the
Indian wars in Utah were not materially
different from other Indian wars that
occurred in other parts of the country.
save only that the Indians here were
not as strenuous and vicious fighters as
some Of the other Indian tribes: as for
instance. the Indians of the Ohio valley,
of the upper Mississippi, and some of
the Indians in the region that is now
the States of Oregon and Washington.
The Indians Of Utah. Nevada. and
California seem TO have been of a less
vigorous race and of inferior fighting
qualities as compared with the Indians
of the more northern regions of the
D. al.