Show CROWDING THE INDIANS It Is very likely that we shall have another Indian difficulty next summer or some time within a year with the Navajos The other day the dispatches brought the news that Acting Secretary CHAXDLCR of the interior department on the 12th inst sent to the House of Representative a letter let-ter from the commissioner of Indian sffairs recommending that an item be inserted in the Indian appropriation bill to enable the secretary of the interior to negotiate with the Kavajo Indians of New Mexico and Arizona for such changes in the reservation reserva-tion boundaries as may be deemed desirable de-sirable The commissioner calls attention to the fact that for more than two years rumors have been rife of the existence of rich gold and silver deposits in the Carizo mountains within the Navajo reservation and the Indians have been watching with keen apprehension the visits made by the whites to the place for tho purpose of prospecting Local newspapers make the statement that a determined purpose exists ex-ists to gain possession of the mines whether tho Indian title is extinguished or I not f I notThis I This is a good illustration of how our Indian In-dian difficulties originate Treaties are I made with the Indians the boundaries of their possessions are fixed which the white man gradually approaches Then with sly ensnaring art duplicity which would put to shame tho savage he professes friendship for the red man gets permission to step over the boundary line of reservation to herd his stock or make a ranch or even to farm a tract of land The number of these Insinuating intruders increasing tile Indians In-dians begin to be alarmed for the safety of their possessions but find it difficult to get rid of their friends who begin to claim as a right that which they held merely on I sufferance Then are spread abroad rumors that the reservation is rich In aericultural lands and should be opened to settlement government is too slow in its movements of negotiating purchases the restless wandering wan-dering element our country seeking for that ignis fatuus a new El Dorado is attracted at-tracted by the rumors of tile rich lands of such and such an Indian reservation re-servation and the v reported prospect of its soon being thrown open to settlement Down they flock upon the borders of the Indian possessions Impatient Im-patient of delay they enter the coveted lands If the Indians undertake to drive them out their action creates a casiig belli in the estimation of the whites an Indian battle ensues with the usual results the Indians are overpowered and are either removed from their reservations or their possessions are cut down to satisfy the I clamor of the horde greedy for their lands If this plan of robbery is not adopted then as in the case at present with the Navajo reservation it is suddenly discovered that the reservation is rich in gold and silver deposits Prospectors enter the country and Congress is asked to purchase the reservation res-ervation and frequently as in the present case the robbers serve notice on Congress that whether they make new treaty stipulations stipu-lations with the reds or not a strong determination deter-mination exists to gain possession of the mines whether the Indian title is extinguished extin-guished or not As in the case when Indian In-dian reservations are coveted lor settlement settle-ment any attempt to espel the invaders 5n the part of the Indians is followed by war with the old result And so the wretched story goes on from generation to generation until one blushes for the perfidy per-fidy of his government In marked contrast to our Indian policy how conspicuous in honor does that of England stand out 1 With all our flippant talk about this effete monarchy she sets us a worthy example in our relations with the aborigines of the land What is that policy Learn the spirit of it from the remarks re-marks made by Earl DUFFEUIX a few years ago on the occasion of his interview with the Metlah Khatlau Indians of British Columbia The children of the Indian village I vil-lage entertained the party withsongs and a young native lady read an address to the governorgeneral to which tho noble earl replied In a speech from which the following follow-ing is taken I hope you will understand that sour white mother and tho government in Canada are fully prepared to protect you in the exercise of your religion and to extend to you the benefit of those laws which know no difference of race or or color but under which justice is impartially administered between the humblest and the greatest of the land The government of Canada is proud to think that there are upwards up-wards of sixty thousand Indians in the territory of British Columbia alone She recognizes them as the ancient inhabitants of the country Thesvhite men have not come amongyou as conquerors but as friends Wo regard you as fellowsubjects and as equal to us in the eje of the law as you aro in the eye of GOD and rqually entitled with the rest of the community lo tho benefits of good government and the opportunity of earning an honest livelihood If our government is not prepared to adopt this policy of absorption which has worked so veil in Canada but on tho contrary con-trary insist on treating the ancient inhabitants inhab-itants of the soil as they would foreign states or peoples then both justice and national na-tional pride demand that treaty stipulations be honestly adhered to and though mount tins of gold ana valleys of silver should be reported to exist in the country set apart for the Indians not a white man should be jdlowed to set his foot over the boundary Dn that account National honor our rep titation among the nations of the earth for honor and ovenhanded justice are worth more than all the gold of Ophir or the riches of the east Let the government tell he impudent adventurers who say that a determined purpose exists to gain posses lion of the mines whether the Indian title Is extinguished or not that the honor of he nation is involved in keeping sacred the treaty made with the Navajos and that ihat honor will be preserved oven if eyery I I greedy adventurer has to be hung in order to do it I |