The class of men sent among them as
agents go there for no good purpose. They take positions for the sole
purpose of making money out of the Indians by swindling them, and so
long as they can do this they shield them in their crimes.

Colonel Leavenworth, who stands up so boldly for the southern Indians,
was dismissed from the United States service. He "blows hot and cold"
with singular grace. To my officers he talks war to the knife; to
Senator Doolittle and others he talks peace. Indeed, he is all things
to all men. When officers of the army deal with these Indians, if they
mistreat them, we have a certain remedy for their cases. They can be
dismissed and disgraced, while Indian agents can only be displaced by
others perhaps no better. Now I am confident we can settle these
Indian difficulties in the manner I have indicated. The Indians say to
me that they will treat with an officer of the army (a brave), in all
of whom they seem to have confidence, while they despise and suspect
civilian agents and citizens, by whom they say they have been deceived
and swindled so much that they put no trust in their words. I have
given orders to the commanders of each of my columns that when they
have met and whipped these Indians, or even before, if they have an
opportunity, to arrange, if possible, an informal treaty with them for
a cessation of hostilities, and whatever they agree to do, to live to
strictly, allowing no one, either citizen or soldier, to break it. I
shall myself go out on the plains in a few weeks and try to get an
interview with the chiefs and if possible effect an amicable
settlement of affairs; but I am utterly opposed to making any treaty
that pays them for the outrages they have committed, or that hires
them to keep the peace. Such treaties last just as long as they think
them for their benefit, and no longer. As soon as the sugar, coffee,
powder, lead, etc., that we give them, is gone, they make war to get
us to give them more. We must first punish them until we make them
fear us and respect our power, and then we must ourselves live
strictly up to the treaties made. No one desires more than I do to
effect a permanent peace with these Indians, and such is the desire of
every officer under me, all of whom agree in the method suggested for
bringing it about.

Very many o