Year: 1873

Ihe independent Press the source OF Cor


rect Information for thc People.


from the Rochester IN. W Express, March IL


The light OF the world, in secular sense, is the
press. There are slow minds which still cling to
the notion that "official" Information is correct
Information. Never was there greater mistake,
except in such cases where the official misstate-
mcnt can be easily detected and exposed. Con-
cernng our relations with the Indians we have,
from time immemorial, been indebted largely to
the officials or semi-otficials Of the government,
who, as agents, dealers, commissioners, &c, have
allowed just SO much Information to filter through
to the public as they deemed best for their inter-
ests. This Modoc difficulty Is Q case IN point.
Through the haze OF Ignorance concerning these
Indians whicn has hOated between them in their
distant stronghold and us, we have seen
them magnifed and distorted, band OF red
demons determined. before being finally extermi-
mated, on innicting all the outrages possible upon
the white race. After the fight of January II. in
which the white troops were defeated by these
Modocs the authorities deeDed it advisable to have
an interview with the Indians, and 'Peace Com
mlssioners" were appointed to visit Captain Jack
In his stronghold. With it's usual alertness. the
NEw YORK HERALD despatched special cOrrespOn.
dent to make an independent investigation, and
report through that paper the truth of the ModoC
situation as nearly as he could get at 1t. In the
HERALD of Friday, the 2sth, there is full page
port OF this correspondents adventures, with a
map OF the lava beds in which the Indians are in
trenched and the surrounding region.


The first fact that strikes us IS that Mr. Mea. ham,
the Peace Commissioner, seems to have prejudice
against newspaper reporters. He refused to allow
the HERALD man to accompany the agents party
which was about to visit Captain Jack, and it was
only by a ruse that the correspondent succeeded
U,I;a Lo;v
TO ncighborlng ranch, he came in with the party
he wished to accompany after it had left the camp
Of the Peace commissioners. Even then he was
not allowed to go on, but fortunately there was a
little snow on the ground and after starting back
he saw that by means OF the tracks in the snow he
could follow the party into the otherwise undis-
cOverablc hiding place of the Indians. When he
had once got among the Indians he was the most
popular man OF the party, and was admitted to all
the councils which were held.


The facts, as he sets them before the public in
his paper. differ nom the reports which have been
current, and, as we have shown above, his state
ment Is better entitled to credence than the report
OF the Peace Commission, If that body has really
endeavored to exclude members Of the press from
the interviews held with the Indians. .-+'rn


These savages, as we are won't to term them, ap-
pear to have some ground for complaint. 1t has
been the policy Of our government to recognize
their claim to some definite territory or location,
in view of their prior occupancy Of this country.
To be sure, our justice has been Of pretty scant
pattern, and Of a miserable quality at that, but we
have at least kept up q show Of doing something
for this unfortunate in the matter Of assigning
them reservations on which to drag out their
sad existence, as well as rations, blankets
arms and ammunition. Now, the simple CON-
plant Of Captain Jack on behalf of his people is
that his tribe moved three times In the Winter
season, was left without supply OF food, which
compelled his people to dig for roots on which to
subsist and had only half blanket to each war
rior; the squaws and children being left without
any. There have been appropriations enough
made to make every Indian rich; but it's good
ways to the Indian country, and the hands Of the
Indian agents are sticky so that we have become
accustomed to hear of starving and freezing as
we'll as Of fighting savages on the one hand, and
prosperous, plethoric Indian dealers on the other
We have favored vigorous policy in dealing with
such Indians as were determined to make trouble !;
but the evidence iii this Modoc difficulty seems to
show that this company are on the defensive, and
have been robbed and matreated.