Year: 1860

In the United States Senate, on the Goth,
pending the consideration of resolution in
reference to Indian treaties, the following
discussion took place:


Mr.. Sebastian (dem.) of Ark, introduced
resolution authorizing treaty to be made
with the Indians owning land in and about
Pixies Peak, and providing for extinguish-
ing their title to the land.


A.. A.. Mason, (dem.) of Val am op-
posed to extinguishing the Indian title any
where. Let the settlers work out their own
salvation.


Mr. Douglas-The Senator is opposed to
extinguishing the Indian title anywhere
He says, let these people work out their own
salvation How by trespassing on Indi
an lands, by getting up an Indian war, and
running up debt of five or six millions of
dollars, as was done in Washington Terrific
ry, and then coming to Congress to get us
to foot the bill. That is the way they will
work out their own salvation. If you don't
protect them against the Indians they will
protect themselves. If you don't give them
laws for the prevention of crime, they will
make their own laws If you don't estab-
lish a government for them, they will estab.
lish their own government If you don't
extinguish the Indian title, they will take
possession as they have done, the IQ|ians
will resist, bloodshed will follow, and al. / In
dian war will rage up and down the whole
length of the border, not only on this side of
the Mountains, but on the other. And the
Senator's policy is for us to fold our arms
and let them work out their own salvation.
1 am opposed to letting them work out their
own salvation in that way. Let us prescribe
by law what territory is open to settlement
and what is not. That which is closed, let
us keep closed. Let the laws against intru-
sion be firmly and vigorously enforced. Let
the trespassers be kept off the Indian lands
and reservations, and if the Territory is
open to settlement, give the settlers gov
ernment aud laws, and not leave them to
work out their own salvation in violation of
law. | repeat, therefore, that we must do
one OF two things in reference to Pixies
Peak, and the country surroundings. We
must either extinguish the Indian title
or we must enforce the Indian inter-
course laws by driving off the settlers
and Furnishing them for having evaded
them. The same remarks are true with re-
ference to the Territory Of Nevada. The
Pacific coast is now in blaze of excite
ment about the grand discovery of silver on
the east side Of the Rocky Mountains, in
Carson's Valley and the Territory of Utah.
So far as | know treaty has not been en-
tered into for the eXtinguishment of the In
dian title, and there will be one hundred
thousand people in the Territory within the
next six months. Are you going to let
them work out their own salvation? They
have commenced organizing government
in Carson's Valley, which they call the gov
ernment of the Territory of Nevada, two
thirds of which are within the organized
Territory OF Utah, and one third within the
State OF California. A government thus
carved out of Territory of the United
States and one of the States of the United
States had been organized by Legislature
of their own election, and Governor of
their own appointment, and sent two dele
gates to Congress to represent the Territory
of Nevada, a Territory not marked out in
your maps and not known to your statute
books, and filed with trespassers upon In
dian and public lands. Still you won't
legalize their act, won't enforce the laws
against them, won't compel them to submit
to the Territorial government established,
won't give them government, but let them
work out their own salvation through blood,
revolution and violence. That seems to be the
policy of the Senator from Virginia. Sir,
this let alone policy won't do in this age.
You will have more Indian wars than you
contract for unless you do make Indian
treaties, unless you keep your treaties, unless
you enforce your intercourse laws, and say
to the settler, such Territory is open to
settlement and such is not, and unless you
organize Territories for the people instead of
leaving them to protect themselves with the
rife and the bowie knife.


X But, Mr.. President, all have
to say, is that the Indians are fading away
before the advance of civilization like the
snow in spring time before the approach of
q summer sun. We know they are disap.
pearing and must disappear, and the white
man take their place and it is idle for us
to take the ground that we will not extin-
guish any more Indian titles. We must do
it. My object was to protest against the
continuation of this barbarism and savage
ferocity in the path of our progress towards
the Pacific. The time has arrived for us to
act with reference to that territory, and
with reference to the Territory of Nevada.
We cannot leave them without government,
without law, subject to penalties not en-
forced, and with no other means of pro-
lection than the weapons they carry about
their persons. We must regulate that Ter
ritory, mark out the limits in which the In
dian shall be kept and those in which the
white man shall be kept M