The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-11-23
THE DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR AND THE
fA stt& SECRETARY


who have any adequate conception of the variety
and magnitude of business conducted in this great
department of the general government 1t is the
youngest but the most robust and active of the off
spring Of our federal institutions. Long placed
under the guardianship of the elder members Of the
family, its great interests even during its minority
rather claimed the and intellect of nation
than the fugitive assistance, protection, and guidance
OF overworked President and the over-taxed chiefs
Of the other departments.
The largest material interest-the richest and
most complicated trust in the whole world--we
mean, Of course, the management of the public
landsis embraced in the Office of the Interior. This
Estate, at the very lowest estimate, thou
sand five hundred millions of acres, without count
ing vast regions which are supposed to be naccess
ible, or worthless for other causes 1t has been al
most wholly can ed out Of Indian possessions which
have been, or must hereafter be, extinguished by
the diplomatic agents of the Interior Department
We shall not venture to state the extent of past
gotiations with the Tribes in the prosecution Of the
grand purpose of the government to become the
sole Proprietor of the Public Lands within
common jurisdiction, nor even record the number of
treaties concluded with the Tribes This refer
to the subject is enough i'll itself to show
that the Interior Office embraces the execution of
functions equal in magnitude and Importance to the
whole duties devolved upon many of the second
class governments of the world. 1t must be remem-
bered in this connexion that, under our system, as
construed by the Supreme Court of the United
States in the Georgia case, the Indian tribes
garded AZ independent nationalities, extending to
form and substance. thus requiring discretion in
the parties managing relations with them COM
ing little short Of that exacted of the Executive in
conducting our foreign affairs The machinery
quisite to fix the astronomical features of the In
terror describe its topography and geography to
survey the lands and dispose of them, to keep the
accounts thereof, execute titles, adjust claims, and
settle differences, demand amount of labor, ex-
perience, and executive qualifications which
hardly be estimated. We venture to say that of all
the duties deyoved upon the federal administration
the proper management of our land system is at
the most intricate, onerous, and difficult. 1t
embraces wider range, more various services,
more doubtful and important legal issues, than any
other in the government.
Intimately connected with this branch Of the pub
lie service is the Indian Office system conducted
upon the basis of the nationality of the Tribes and
complicated by countless treaties involving the pay
ment Of annuties and subsidies and an infinite vari
iey of agreements touching individual claims, reli-
gious bounties, mechanical assistance, missionary
service, and thousand other arrangements which
have no other purpose than to embarrass and har-
ass the federal administration. When it is remen-
bered that the policy of the government in reference
to the Tribes has been repeatedly modified or wholly
changed to meet the demands of population, and
that these notifications have entailed renewed en-
barrassments upon the department, of the diff
culties of this branch of the administration may be
seen and understood 1t only few years ago, for
instance that the Tribes were assigned a Permanent
Home west Of the Mississippi, and within regions
which by tho memorable law Of the white race are
now under the jurisdiction Of governments created by
Congress- These simple facts exhibit at the folly
Of recognising the Indians rghtfully possessing
any portion of the common territories of the Union
and the necessity of adopting line of policy
which shall bring them into complete subsection to
political system Their good demands, too, in
our judgment, that the principles which have con-
trocd our intercourse with them should be 80 modi-
fed as to confer upon them only those things which
experience has shown to be of real advantage
to thor people. They should be consulted only with
reference to their comfort, and not by arbitrary
rule the enforcement Of which gives the appearance
of fair dealing while it nficts upon the Tribes rrep
arabic injuries. They know nothing, for instance, of
the uses of money; and its possession has served
only to degrade and brualize them, to draw to them
the green flies of civilization to poison them by their
sting, it may well be questioned whether it is not
the duty of the government to modify, in this respect
our intercourse with them.
If we add to the heavy, responsible, and delicate
duties devoved upon the Department of the Interior
by our Great Land System, the Indian Office, the
Pension Office, and the Patent Office the supervision
Of the accounts of marshas, and the clerks Of the
federal courts, the management of mines, the peni
Tertiary the census, Public Buildings the construc
ton of roads and many other affairs of interest the
people Of the United States will have some idea of
the amount of labor thrown upon the chief Of that
department.
The Interior Office as is well known, is now con-
Quoted by Hon, Jacob Thompson; and those who are
at all conversant with its affairs will bear ready tes
timony to the industry, fidelity, and ability with
which it is administered by him. We would not be