Nowadays we undoubtedly ought to break up the great Indian reservations, disregard the tribal governments, allot the land in severally (with, however, only a limited power of alienation), and treat the Indians as we do other citizens, with certain exceptions, for their sakes as well as ours.

But this policy, which it would be wise to follow now, would have been wholly impracticable a century since.

Our central government was then too weak either effectively to control its own members or adequately to punish aggressions made upon them; and even if it had been strong, it would probably have proved impossible to keep entire order over such a vast, sparsely-peopled frontier, with such turbulent elements on both sides.

The Indians could not be treated as individuals at that time.

There was no possible alternative, therefore, to treating their tribes as nations, exactly as the French and English had done before us.