Page:The Red Man and the White Man in North America.djvu/591

Rh What has become of the nine hundred millions? The civil disbursements for the Indians, in bounties, presents, pensions, rations, and trust funds, all told for a century, are estimated at one hundred and seventy-five million dollars. Of this sum, fifty millions were spent under the sixty years management by the War Department. Under the new management, for thirty years the outlay has been one hundred and twenty-five millions. The average expense which the Government incurred for the Indians in its first score of years was ninety-five thousand dollars; for each of the last score years the average has been four and a half millions. Four and one half millions is annually disbursed in stipulated pensions, and one and a half millions for running contracts not limited.

Estimating the war outlay on the Indians at five hundred millions, and the civil outlay at two hundred, we find that seven hundred million dollars is a moderate summing up of our charges in appropriating or conquering a portion only of the continent which his Holiness the Pope gave to his Catholic Majesty for — nothing.

But enough has been said as to the alternative in our policy of the extermination of the Indians. We are not to discuss it, nor to entertain the question. If our nation even only covertly and contingently had it in view, we should not dare in these days so much as to devise or conduct our measures with reference to its likelihood or its possibility. Humanity insists that the Indians have rights, and among them the right of life, with its succession and entail. The nation must face, it intends to face, it always has intended to face, this duty of humanity towards the Indians. It is to be a costly, a perplexing, often a most discouraging task. We may as well face that fact too. Before the nation has come to a settlement in behalf of its Indian wards, and has got release from its bonds as guardian, it will have settled all the old scores for the alleged stealing of the Indian's territory. The cost will be larger than would have been