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Show THE COMING OF THE WHITEMEN 111 During the following months, Lane and Sumner seemed slow to carry out their threats. Sumner pointed out how unfair it was to punish a whole nation for the actions of a few. The Navajos still showed strong desires for peace. Lane kept to his demands mostly because it helped his campaign for Congress. When he lost this race and left the territory, calm returned. David Meriwether took over as governor and superintendent, and Sumner was replaced. Meriwether believed that the Navajos should pay for any crimes they committed. But most problems, he felt, came from the bad influence that whites had on the Indians. If the Navajos gave up the lands closest to white settlements, there would be less contact. This peace policy could work only if the Navajos were well provided with food and clothing, called "rations." Red Shirt Tnis peace policy depended on the talents of the men who carried it out. The government chose an Indian agent to work with each tribe. These agents worked under a local superintendent like Meriwether. A very able agent was chosen for the Navajos. His name was Henry Linn Dodge, but the People called him Red Shirt. Dodge took over as Navajo agent in June 1853. Having been a soldier and trader on the Navajo frontier, he knew more about the tribe than any of the men who had been chosen as Navajo agents before. Still, he had a hard time setting Navajo borders. Each year, the wide-ranging New Mexican sheepherders pushed farther into Navajo country. The sheepherders depended on the army to protect them from the Navajos. Dodge went far into Navajo country to be among the people he served. He moved freely among the Navajos, earning their trust by not taking an army escort. He began with a tour of Navajo country from Canyon de Chelly to the San Juan River. Taking only thirty Navajos, he followed Chinle Wash to the San Juan. He descended the river until it entered a deep canyon, then worked his way back south. Along the way he saw fine Navajo farms. On September 1, 1853, he brought a group of one hundred Navajos to Santa Fe to meet Governor Meriwether. The Navajos and the new governor were impressed with each other. The governor noted the fine quality of the Navajos' clothing and blankets and their orderly and peaceful behavior. The People felt that the governor spoke honestly. They were pleased at |