The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1867-06-21

years ago.
When il was first proposed that thes,
| Indians should be located upon the Peco
river, ON this reservation, we had il
charge of Indian affairs In the Territor,
OF New Mexico very competent ant
reliable officer, and he made to the II
terror Department elaborate and com
| plete reports upon this whole subject, il
which he foretold exactly what ha.
taken place, pointed out all the conse
quences of the policy adopted, and en-
tered, rs it was his duty to do, n vigor
Gus protest against its adoption. These
documents were accessible to Congress
because they were filed in the public
department having charge ofour Indiar
affairs. His opinions and his advice
were disrcgarded; the views of the
military commander and of those who
thought with him prevailed; these In.
dians were removed to the Bosque Re
dondo reservation, and they have been
kept there from that time to this under
the policy which was adopted.
During the last year, assuming that
these Indians number six thousand, as
stated in the proposed amendment, the
Government of the United States has
paid for the support of each Indian, in
Guiding squaws and children, twenty
dollars month. That is the burden
which has been charged upon the Treas
ury, and which is now charged upon il
blythe existing system.
BY the way, desire to state that this
faithful and Intelligent officer who made c
these reports to us, who entered this
protest of which have spoken, was re-
moved from his Office in consequence OF
his objection to this scheme of military
management. He was, without notice,
turned out of office, and with his re-
ports before us we agreed to theappoint.
ment OF a successor who would con-
form to this new, expensive, and out
rageous scheme which was established.
My voice was against it at the time !;
but | was overruled. The Delegate
from the Territory went up in the or
binary way to the seat of political power
the executive department, and had this
stubborn and faithful officer turned out
of his place in order that the Treasury
might be plundered; and ii is shame
to the Senate and to Congress that, with
the Wholestruth before them, he was so
removed, and this abuse established in
the administration of the Government;
Now, sir, it is proposed that the ad-
ministration of this system of charity
for it is such-shall be taken out of the
hands OF the War Department, of the
military authorities, and confided to the
Interior Department, to the Bureau of
Indian Affairs; and we are told that by
this change our expense in supporting
the Indian children and Indian woman
and the ICdian men in the Territory of
New Mexico is to drop down from
twenty dollars per month to nine dol
lars and third. 1t is true that this
would be very considerable relief to
the Treasury hut upon an eXamina-
ton of the lacts it Will be seen, nothing
can be more certain than, that if you
continue these Indians where thy are
now located you must continue to feed
them and to support them; and the
simple question proposed to us by the
pending amendment is whether we
shall charge them upon the Treasury in
the future ut the rate of nine and one
third dollars per month, if indeed that
be found sufficient for the purpose. 1t
has heretofore required twenty dollars
per month, and possibly if we appropri-
ate the nine and one-third dollars per
month now, we shall be called upon for
the rest of the amount required in some
future deficiency bill. Here is drain
of 81 100000 per anum on the Treasury
at present for six thousand wretched
fugitive Indians /; and the utmost of
remedy that is proposed to us is that we
shall by the present appropriation re-
duce the amount to little less than one
half of what it is at present, with the
imminent peril impending over us that
in some future deficiency bill we shall
have to make further appropriation.
Now, sir, what is the character of the
country where these Indians are loca-
ted? 1t is notadapted to their habits,
ii is not adapted to their nature. 1t is
n country requiring great care in the
cultivation of the earth in order to pro-
duce supplies. isa place where irriga-
ton is necessary, where public works
are necessary, where industry is neces-
sary, in order that human beings shall
subsiSt at all. / confess that l am not
at all charmed with this idea of re-
ducing the amount which we are to
contribute in this way hereafter.
would like to cut up this policy entirely.
If nothing better can be done, let us go
back 10 the system proposed by our In
dian agent ut the time this removal of
the Indians took place. lie proposed
that they shoultlbe permitted foreman
in the section of country to which they
were accustomed, where they had the
means of support, and by Il moderate
contribution for military purposes and
the establishment of few posts, cost
ing but small sum Of money, protec-
tion would be afforded to thesettlements
ofthe whites from their depredatiOns.
That was the worst that could DO eX-
pected from adopting the system which
he proposed, a contribution, moderate
in amount, for the purpose of protect
ing, the border in the usual way.
lam willing to vote moderate sum
OF money for the purpose of sending
these Indians back and permitting
them to locate themselves where they
desire to be, and extending such protec-
tiOn to the border as is necessary. More
than this | am unwilling to give. But,
aS Il matter of course, when you With
draw the troops that now guard these
prisoners of war, rs they are amusingly
enough called, when you withdrawyour
military control from them they will
commence going back to their own
country. They are men of the mouQ
tains; they have been accustomed Il
mountain life; they have attachments
to their own section, and when, under
this appropriation, you withdraw mill
| tary control from them and turn then
over to the civil authorities, the resui
will be that many of them will flee from
this reservation and go back to tn,
country which they inhabited before.
will not vote one dollar of money t
continue this location of Indians upoi
| the PecOs river. If some proposition
comes up in some other form that viii
| look like reform | will vote for it; bu
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