Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-03-09
CURAOSITIES OF GRANTS IN
DIAN POLICY.

In his last annual message the Presi-
dent announced his intention to give the
Indian agencies to such religious demon
nations Gas had heretofore established
missions, and perhaps to some other de-
nominations as would undertake the
work." and that they care expected to
CbriStidnize and civiize the Indians"
etc. Only three days after this message
the Executive appointed, as Superintend-
ent of Indian Affairs for Arizona, DR.. n.
Bendel, of Albany, N Y. A semi-offi-
cial OUtgiving from the White House ex-
plained that CDR. Bendell is an ISroelite,
and his appointment is in accordance
with the policy Of giving the management
of Indian affairs to the various denOmin-
atoms. We must wait for Gen. Badcsu
to explain what Grants conception of
''ChristianiziDg" may be. Doubtless he
was merely seeking TO atone for his 6ru-
tuD1 ftIln1en against the Jews as a class,
during his Tennessee campaign. Df.
Bendell will probably make q very excel
lent Irdian Agent, but how he can be ex-
pected to "Christisnize" Indians is one
of the curiosities of the Grant policy.
Col. Samuel Ross, of the regular army,
recently Superintendent for Washington
Territory, gives IN his report for 1870, an
incident so strange as to seem almost in
credible in free America. Referring to
the Yakima reservation, he says:
''The late agent, J. II. Wilbur, (whO
has been re appointed and is the present
agent, not only forbade Catholic priests
to come upon the reservation, threatening
them with arrest and confinement, but
adopted stringent measures to prevent the
indians from attending worship at the
mission chapel of that sect Just beyond
its boundaries. This restraint
of their religious liberty was always the
occasion of great discomfort among the
Indians, and a direct violation Of one of
the most cherished ideas of the American
people"
This prepares US for an additional item
about this mission furnished by the army
officer who held the agency before VIII
bur's re-appointment. Speaking of sup
plying the Indians with farming utensils,
this officer remarks:
Gas a general rule Ihave observed that
those pertaining to the Methodist Church
are well supplied with such material,
while those adheriDg to the Catholic faith
have little or nothing. They
(the Indians) plainly affirm that the Meth
odists could get all they ask for, while to
the Catholics almost every thing is de-
MED"
OF course this agent Wilbur does not
belong to the Methodist Church, South.
Can we hope, for the sake of religion,
that Grants particular friend Bishop
Simpson, Of the Church North, had moth
ing to do with his appointment
We have twenty other instances before
US as we write, of religious meddling
with Indians already "Christianized" and,
in the language of the army reports,
Gin an advanced state of civilization
''well-disposed toward the whites"
Showing nature more subdued than
the surrounding tribes" etc. We fear
that such are the main disturbing causes
that have set Arizona afame and rem
dered it almost uninhabitable, while New
Mexico threatens to follow suit and in
tensify the horrors Of the Texan border.
This Government missionary work is at
best very delicate business. With the
march of consolidation, it might be made
the entering wedge of State religion.
The principle that excludes a hOmeo-
pathic physician from the rational ser
vice, for the sake of uniformity, might
lead to the exclusion of all denominations,
save one, from the Indian agencies. Bet
ter leave the missionary work to volun-
tary efforts, as was always the case until
the Radicals came into power with their
e'm lral ideas"