National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1872-12-05
REPORT or THE SECRETARY OF TIE
INTERIOR


REPORT or THE SECRETARY OF TIE
INTERIOR.
SIRs ] have the honor to submit the follow
Ing report of the operations uf this Depart
ment during the year. II has been made as
concise Us possible, to present an Intelligent
review Of the work OF the year, and contains,
also, such suggestions and Recommendations
as, In my Judgment will ConduCc to the more
successful administration Of the bureaus Of
the Department.
Il Is source Of satisfaction to be able to
report substantial reforms and real progress
In each and all the bureaus during the year,
and they are now, without exception, In eN-
Cellent condition. Tho Indian Office Is work
Ing In the most satisfactory manner; the Pat
ent Office reports important improvements In
the details Of management; the Land Office
has brought mp the large arrears Of work
which had embarrassed Its operations for
years; the Pension Office has materially re-
duced the number Of claims on file at the be-
ginning Of the year. fer the FIRST time since
the close of the war; the ninth census Is com
pletcd la u shorter time and In a more salts
factory manner than ever before; and the
Bureau Of Education Ia rapidly increasing It's
field Of usefulness
INDIAN AFFAIRS.
Attention Is invited TO the able and interest
ing report Of the Commissioner Of Indian AZ
fairs, which IL more than usually full Of in
formation relative to the present numbers,
location, and condition of all the tribes under
the administrative control on the Indian
Office.
Measured by any true standard, the present
Indian policy Of the Government hus proved
a success, masmuch rs for three years II has
secured the largest aud freest extension and
development OF our railways and frontier set
Elements which was possible under the cir
cumstances, with far less loss Of life and
property than would have been suffered under
any other plan Of dealing with the hostile aud
rowing tribes beyond the Missouri river. In
our intercourse with the Indians Il must al
ways be borne In mind that we are the more
powerful party, and have uniformly regarded
the Indians as the wards Of the nation. We
are assuming, and ! think with prOpTiety
that our civilization ought In take the place
Of their barbarous habits. We therefore
claim the right to control the soil they occupy,
and we assume that 1t is our duty to coerce
them, II necessary, into the adoption aud
practice Of our habits and customs. In doing
this Il seems to me that humanity and justice,
as well as honor and dignity demand that our
conduct should be characterized, 40 far as
practicable, by fOrbe lranCe and uniform
kindness Of treatment.
II may be true, as the Commissioner re-
marks, that the only object at which practi-
cal craftsmanship will aim Is to reduce the
evil to a minimum In degree; to CirCumsCrlbe
the field OF its operations ~ closely as pos
sible, and to forward the operation Of those
causes and give scope to those forces which
will most speedily pun an end to It's duration.
This much the Indian policy Is etfeCting. The
feeding system adopted with the dangerous
and hostile tribes has reduced the loss Of life
and property to degree which must be
termed inCOnsiderable when the extent of
territory and the exposure Of our settlements
are fairly taken into account. The reserya-
tiOn system withdraws the great body Of the
Indians from the direct path Of our industrial
progress, and allows the work of settlement
and extension Of our railways to go forward
up to the full limit Of the capacities Of CAPT
tai and immigration, with absolutely no check
or diminutiOn on account Of Indian hostility,
actual or apprehCnded. There Il not mile
of railway which has authority of law for liz
construction, and for which the capital stands
ready, which is unbuilt to-day by reason OF
danger from Indian attack. There Is not q
family ut the East, or newly arrived from Eu.
rope, which il DESTROYS Of western settle.
ment hut can locate itself In safety on pub,
lie lands ut any point from Omaha to SacTa.
mentn. II follows, from these two PROPOSE
tons that the peaceful progress Of settlement
and industrial enterprise Is only limited by
the resources Of the country and the CNpan'
siFenoss of our population. The work Of cir
cumscribing and combining the evil, Of which
complaint Is made, Il, therefore, being car
ried forward as rapidly and effectively as IL
the nature Of the case Is possible; and the
three conditions of a successful treatment al
the Indian difficulty are shown to he realized
In the present policy Of the Government to
ward the hostile and scmi-hOstile tribes.
While the accomplishment of the object.
already referred TO may embrace all that
practical craftsmanship demands there Is still
another view Of the Indian question to which
the Commissioner does not advert in his re-
port hut which enters largely into the new
policy, and which has unquestiOnably com
monded 1t to large class of people who art
seldom attracted to the discussion Of pOlitiCa
questions, or TO the active participation IL
governmental details. | refer to the scheme q
civilizng and Outstanding the Indians.
To what extent the success Of the conditions
above alluded to Is due to the workings Of the
last named, have no means OF determining
and II Is n question which each man WI
doubtless settle In his own way, from his owl
standpoint. have no doubt, however, bu
/ that the civlliZing portion Of the policy hal
eXertcd q most wholesome influence upon TIN
entire question, inasmuCh a. II has brUugh
into the Indian service an entirely new ele
ment, the direct effect Of which has been thu
/ great Improvement In the personnel Of thu
/ service and, consequently, In the entire treat
mcnt Of the whole Indian population
Industrial progress and settlement. hav,
been mimpodGd, probably as much on ac
| count of the more humane treatment Of tin
| Indians, as because Of their confinement to
smaller area upon restricted resery atiOns; anC
they lave also submitted more quietly TO con
hnemcnt upon smaller reservations, for tn
same reason. Many, If not majority, of tn
causes which, In years past, excited lndill
hOstilities, have ceased 10 exist. The Indian
are becoming convinced Of the entire gOOi
faith of the Government In It's peaceful over
lures, and they manifest disposition to re
spond In similar spirit Of peace Und goo
will.
That ascmi-hoslile condition It'll exists il
some remote localities, Us In Arizona anl
some portions Of Texas for example, Is m
doubt as property attributable TO the nOn-cx
tension Of the policy In Its entirety over thOs
sections a. To its lneiliCienCy or failure. Tina
Ii works uniformly well where Ii has had
thorough trial even among tribes before re
garded as almost incOrrigibe, Ia very goo
evidence that It will work equally well else
where, under similar circumstances.
In Arizona, the special commissioner sen
out by the Department has reported improI
er or inefficient agents on duty, and aske
their removal, which is being done as rapid
as suitable persons can be found to replac
them. 1t Is but reasonable, therefore, to RI
quest the Withholding of unfriendy criticism
relative TO the efficiency NJ the policy unit
the Department Is prepared To announce tina
1t II thoroughly iuauguratcd in all Its part
over all the tribes under the control oil III
Indian Ofllce.
The military occupancy Of posts hdjaceI
to the Indian county has not been with
drawn and should not be so long as there
the slightest danger Of Indian incursiOu
upon the settlements, or attempts to preveI
the extension Of new settlements In all legit
mate directions. A show Of strength will /
needed for some time TO enforce the ne
policy.
The policy Of combining the wild tribes
smaller reservations II regarded rs Of the u
most Importance; and carried forward To 1
full extent, will result In restricting them
an area of sufficient extent 10 furnish thel
farms for cultivation, and no more. n
rapid disappearance Of game from the f0mI
hunting grounds must operate largely In Fl
vOr NJ our efforts to COnnnr the Indiana
smaller areas, and compel them 10 RbandO
their nOmadic customs and establish then
selves In permanent homes. 80 long as Il
game existed In abundance there was lit
disposition manifested to abandon the Chas
even though Government bounty was di
pcused In great abundance, aiiOrdng the
1 ample means Of support When the gan
1 shall have disappeared, We shall I've well 10
u ward in tho work In hand.
! In the country now occupied by the maiO
y ity Of the tribes Of the DuCOtah nation, hO
- H.