“The condition of the Indian is unlike that of any other people in the world at present. He is not only banished from the best contact with civilization, but he is hated, hunted, envied, and yearly the boundaries of his place of exile are growing smaller; his rights are conferred by a superior power, and are so limited that his gun is his only defence, for the awful judgment of the nation is always against him.” “It should not be asked, how can we avoid war, but how can we introduce the arts of peace and throw the Indians on their own resources? Every man should be made to supply his own wants. The Indian question can only be solved by meeting and conquering its difficulties.” “We want to make savages Christians in a day, and after a short trial we see that it cannot be done. Christianizing is not the work of a day or a year, or a spasmodic effort in any direction; it is a continued and constant effort.” “The Indians should be allowed to assimilate with, and become a part of, our nation’s life. Are there always to be national prison pens for them; or will they some day enjoy those ‘certain inalienable rights’? It is wonderful how slow the Anglo-American has been to perceive that this Declaration refers to no particular race or color, but speaks of ‘all men.’” “It takes a higher degree of civilization than all Anglo-Saxons possess, to give up an opinion to which one stands committed, even when he knows it is false. But it is grand to think that neither fears nor prejudice can be a final obstacle to the work. The greatest revolutions in popular opinion which the world has ever known have been the outgrowth of a few strong hearts that have believed in, and have achieved, success.” “We can afford to wait; the American public cannot be educated in a day any more than the Indian. The people will be ready by and by to lay aside legends two hundred years old, and accept facts as they are. The ideal Indian is dead; the true Indian is living and progressing. It is time to concede that he is a man. Take from him what you will in the scale of civilization, but do not subtract his manhood; it is his by Divine right.” “The answer to the Indian question must be broader than his reservation and broader than his territory; it must be as broad and as long as these United States; with all their rights and privileges.” * * * * * EADLE KEAHTAH TOH.