Pioche daily record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1872-1876, 1875-09-02
THE NATIONS WARDS.

A Washington special 10 this morn
ing's telegraphic report, says that it is
understood from high authority that the
management of the Indian Bureau is to
be transferred from the supervision of
the Secretary OF the Interior to the juris.
diction of the War Department. This
will entail an entire change in the treat
ment of the Indian, and will put him
under disciplinary and rigid supervision.
From the foundation of the Republic to
the present hour, the American Aborig-
inal has been great aud unsolved prob
lem for the Government to act upon.
The Indian race is dwindling one. As
Sprague eloquently remarks: Slowly
and sadly they climb the distant noun
tains and read their doom in tho setting
sun. They will soon hear the roar Of
the last wave ms it settles over them for.
ever" The Government: has occupied
false position toward the Indian all
along in not having uniform policy.
have been adopted, and after utter fail
ure were discarded and another one
taken up. The Commissioner OF the
Indian Bureau is but sub, without q
particle of influence. and his superior
oficer-the Secretary Of the Interior
having o most voluminous amount of
work on his hands. can not give the
requisite attention that the importance
OF the case demands. We have started
out with the Indians in curious sort OF
manner, making concessions and poll
cies and treaties and holding pow-wows,
oil of which will be made short work of
by the War Department, much to the
dissatisfaction of the Indian. This
question is not war measure,
it is matter wherein states
manship is requisite; and the
proposed transfer is unjust, unsatisf ,cto-
~ and entirely useless. For seventy.
five years this Government has beer
making the aboriginal the bulldog, pull
devil style of being he is. and now turns
him over to the War Department. This
for the injustice. The transfer will en-
tail trouble, general uprooting of oil
forms heretofore adopted, will not get
into order for months, and thus be unsatis.
factory. Finally the War Department
will be as unable to cope with the ques.
ton as the Interior Department has been,
thus making the transfer useless. The
only good effect likely to result from the
change is tho military supervision Of In,
dian posts and agencies, and the par.
tial stoppage OF fraud and villainy
What is really required is this, sepa-
rate department. The magnitude OF the
case warrants it, and if there was dis.
tinct form OF Executive Government or
ganizsd the present extravagant chaos
would be soon resolved into economy
and order. This question of our relation
toward the Indian is of too overshadow
ing and costly nature to be treated as
an isolated part Of an integral duty. ant
made subsidiary matter to subjects o
lesser Importance. On this matter tn
Government has been changing aud vac
cillating continually. Some years ag
the charge of that bureau was put int
the hands of slothful. ease-loving, ignor
ant Broad-brims, very good people, well
meaning and all that, but as Ill to tax
hold of public matters as so many bin,
monkeys. Now the Indian is to be trans
ferred from the man Of peace to the maj
OF war - Belknap. Such tinkering i
costly work; the Indian Bureau to-day
under the present organization, cost
four times more than it should or woul,
under distinct and Independent depart
ment. The Indian Ring has long he'll,
its place as one of the easiest and mos
prolific plans of swindling the Govern
ment-and the people-and, as it is pos
sible the projected change may promot,
economy, We cannot regard it altogethe
unfayorably if such desirable change i
brought about.