Year: 1867

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agent ia a mere axpensc. Wherever they are
civilized enough 10 manage their own affairs
they can do it infiniteiy better than any agent
can. These people are, TO a large extent. Of
mixed bloods. This element OF our national
population is gradually prep. .aring for the iney-
liable absorption. We have but one duty 10
them; deal justly by them IN our agree
ments and let them alone. rhe partly
civilized ought 10 be mixed with them, SO
that they can lift them up to their stand
ard. The price of their lands should be IN
vested, so as to enable them to maintain their
public institutions, and schools, and asylums for
the really helpless, the orphans, and aged. 1t
should not be given to support the masses. Make
them support themselves, and place them
where and so that they can. Those who have
not been taught TO work could be taught in
the beginning to be shepherds and stock k-raisers.
A great portion of the center of the continent
will and must be pasturage. The cattle, horses,
and sheep we need as well as grain. These
people can be easily taught to produce them.
But root out all the subordinate machinery
and all the business part Of the Indian BuresI.
Tear it all up by the roots. The system as it
stands will corrupt any set of men you turn into


it. We protest against such prostitution of
honor and integrity The Government has
no business so to tempt its servants. The
great source OF mischief is the mode Of fur
nshing Indian goods Do without them
that is the remedy. The amount Of good
they do the Indians viii never cOunterbalancs
the evil. Make them self sustaining; which
you cannot do by giving them sustenance with.
81 ~ - sESsSi' ~ -
And what broad swindle arc ?uv treaties
with them We give them q few perishing
blankets for the acres Of patrimony we take
from them forever Are such bargains hOnestf
Do they reflect credit on a great Christian
nationq If we are the intelligent, Christian
6arty, must we not prove it by giving the full
value of what we take, and giving it SO that
it will be as permanent value as what we
take from themf Are our Indian treaties hocaS-
pocas tricks for obtaining land on false pre-
tensesf Not long ago, tribe of Indians in
Canada proposed to come over to the States.
Their lands had been reduced by continued
encroachments until they had about twenty
acres each. On this they have town, and
one-half of it is cultivated in good farms
Their White neighbors propose to force
treaty, by which they will give up the ealti-
rated part and take the wild. That Is pre-
cisey what we have continually done with
those of them we have invited to civilization.


How often must you transplant tree to
make it thriyef How often turn out men who
have made homes, to be homeless wanderers,
ere they can leam the lesson that industry can
only prosper where its rewards are enjoyed in
securityf How can we ask men to go to work,
and in toll make homes and farms to-day, IL
they know we will steal them from them to-mOr
row. We want system for Our Indian policy.
We have never had one. Do we groan because
the agents we have employed to swindle them.
swindle us9 Why vince at itF 1t all tissue.
of rascality, conceived in sin, and brought
% forth in iniquity." The christian gloss we
give it is the most arrant hypocrisy. Do we
expect our missionaries to convert them into
such Christians as they find usa


We are glad Congress has gone TO work as
it, It is no small task. 1t is task needed hot
/ the times. What DO our expensive Indian
wars meaa' ygst IldiaQ abuse. Our lgdias.9oA
system increases. OF course it does. We are
taking the lands and means of support Of whole
communities. Why should there not be distar-
bance9 We allow our agents to cheat them can
we reproach them for swindling uss We talk
/ of the amount we have given the Indians. We
have wrcsted from them continent. Let rs
see that our titles are not stained by injustice
and our civilization cursed by the shedding OF
innocent blood