OCR Text |
Show 20 REPORT OF THE A conviction of the necessity that exists, and a deep sense of duty, I re-commend that the subject be brought to the attention of Congress. I refer you to the correspondence with the Menomonees and Potto-watomies, which will be found among the documents herewith, as in-dicating the boldness of parties engaged in these disreputable attempts to obtain the funds of the Indians, and some of whose proceedings have been heretofore alluded to and resisted by this office. Such cor-respondence is, in my judgment, in direct violation of the "Inter-course act." The appetite of the Indian for the use of ardent spirits seems to be entirely uncontrolable, and at all periods of our intercourse with him the evil effects and injurious consequences arising from the indulgence of the habit are unmistakably seen. It has been the greatest barrier to his improvement in the past, and will continue to be in the future, if some means cannot be adopted to inhibit its use. Humanity de-mands, and our obligations to this unfortunate race requires, that every legal provision be adopted by the national, State, and territo-rial legislatures to protect the red man from this consuming fire. T- h-i s is necessar"v :, i t is the foundation of all oermanent and substan- A tial improvement. All the means and efforts heretofore adopted to ameliorate the con-dition of the red man have not, it must be admitted, produced results commensurate with the labor and money expended and the sacrifices that have been made. We cannot recall what has been done, and it would be as idle as useless to discuss the past. We have to deal with the present and provide for the future. And me will have only dis-charged a simple but imperative duty when we shall have settled the Indian on a permanent home and guaranteed to him its peaceable possession and undisturbed enjoyment; adopted the most vigorous and efficient means to guard and protect his annuities, and made them available for his moral and physical development, and brought into requisition all legal and other appropriate means to exclude from him the curse and scourge of his raceardent spirits. He will then be placed in a position where the efforts of the government and the be-nevolent, unembarrassed by opposing forces and influences, would be left to adopt and prosecute the means most efficient for the elevation of his intellectual and physical powers, the culture of the better feel-ings and sympathies of his nature, and the development of his capa-city to improve in the arts and sciences. He has noble impulses, and possesses in a high degree the finer feelings and affections, and there is no lack of evidence that he can be elevated and highly civilized. Erroneous opinions and prejudices in relation to the disposition, cha-racteristics, capacity, and intellectual powers of the race, have almost excluded the Indian from the public sympathy. Statesmen and phi-lanthropists hut slightly regard him. The public enactments but \feebly protect him, and in the discussions which abound in the politi- ! cal and religious world in relation to the condition of races within our confederation, but few regard it as among their duties to make any .effort designed for the benefit of the red race. Such cold indifference can only exist because error and prejudice have beclouded the minds of men to such a degree as to cause them to overlook the obligations |