The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-10-29
INDIAN AGENCIES.

WHATEVER President Grants shortcomings
in other respects may have been, he is at
least entitled to the credit of having made
sincere, earnest, and persistent effort to re-
form our Indian policy. In doing this he
has been obliged to contend against one of
the most powerful and corrupt ''rings' in
the country, and that he has not achieved
such an entire success as is to be desired is
the fault of Congress, and particularly of the
Senate, in which body the Indian ''ring"
appears to be all powerful. That the cor
rupt influences which have hitherto inter-
fered to vitiate all the beneficial measures
instituted in behalf of the Indians had
much to do with the removal of
Secretary Cox from the Interior Department
is almost certain, and the manner in which
the President has allowed himself to yield in
that matter to the wishes of men whom he
must know to be unworthy of confidence is
one of the least promising signs for the future
of the reforms that have been instituted in
the Indian Bureau. Thus far, however, any
bad management in that bureau during the
past year and half is to be attributed
to corruptions that existed before
the present administration came into power,
and to the refusal of Congress to give the
President proper support in his efforts to
ameliorate the condition of the savages. BY
the appointment of army officers as Indian
agents an assurance was given to the country
that the plunder of the savages would
be reduced to a minimum, even if it
did not cease altogether, while the
agents were more absolutely under the con-
troll of the Government than they would have
been if taken from civil life. Congress, how
ever, put a veto ON this arrangement by
forbidding the employment of army officers
in the capacity of Indian agents The Pre-
sident has now turned to the various reli-
gious denominations for aid, and has asked
them to designate proper persons to act as
Indian agents. The following is list of the
agencies rendered to the different religious
bodies, and the appointments that have been
made:-
The Methodists, seven In Washington, Montana
and Oregon; no appointment Yet. The Presoy-
teIlans, Elk IN Arizona, Utah. and New Mexico; four
Williamson, Orlando f. Piper and Isaac S. Warden.
The baptiss, five In Nevada, Idaho, and Indian
territory; no appointment as yet The Eplscopa-
llans, six in Dakota; five appointed, namely: Lee
Englebert, Henry f. Livingston, ]. Washburn, Henry
established win be Spotted Tails and Red Clouds
regions. American Board OF Missions, two in Indian
Territory, the appointments being Henry Brelner
and Theodore d. Grinith. Dutch Reformed, two, in
Arizona, no appointment Unitarian, two in Colo
RADIO, no appointment Amer can Missionary Asso-
ciaton, four, In Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michi-
gan three appointed, as follows: John p. Bardwell
Seldom N CLARK, and w. I: Richardson. Roman
Catholic, four, IN Dakota, New Mexico Moatana,
and Idaho; TWO appointed, William f. Cady and
Charles Jones'
An arrangement like this may work well
for time, but, as we pointed out some time
ago, it will be the easiest thing in the world,
after such system has got fairly established,
for men of the most corrupt character to
possess themselves of the agencies in the
gift of the religious sects, aud that the only
hope of a permanent reform is in radical
chsnges in the organization of thee Indian
Bureau such as only Congress can authorize.
In point of fact, however, whatever real
Ten efts have been conferred upon the Indians
law, been through the instrumentality of the
reig Gus societies, supported by private con-