Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1878-11-27
SEC. SCHURZ DEFENDS THE INDIAN
BUREAU.
A Sharp Answer to the Army Officers
by the Secretary of the Interior.

tGlograpn6Q from washington NO
vember Goth: The secretary of
war received and referred to General
Sherman q letter from the secretary of
the interior sharply replying to certain
statements by Gen. Sheridan in the lat
tiers annual report. Secretary SchurZ
says: These staten ents, as far as they
reflect upon the conduct of the Indian
service, are Of q sweeping and some
what vague nature but it must be as
sumed that General Sheridan would Tot
have made them and permitted them
to become public had he not in his pos
session specific information concerning
certain agencies and certain branches
of the Indian service to which these
statements may be individually ap-
piled. General Sheridan in his official
document gives it as his opinion
that with wise management the
amounts appropriated by congress
ought to be sufficient, if practically ap-
piled to the exact purposes specified,
but that the reports Of the department
commanders would indicate different
result except in the case Of the Red
Cloud and Spotted Tail bands of Sioux.
He would certainly not have expressed
such an opinion without being &C
ouainted III detail with the appropria-
tons made by congress and the specific
purposes for which they were intended
1t is also to be supposed that before
making the sweeping charge above
quoted, he was cognizant of specific
cases in which these appropriations
were not either applied at all or divert
ed from the purpose intended by con-
gress. You Will greatly oblige me by
requesting Gen. Sheridan to COM
municate such facts as may
be In his possession, giving nam es
of agents, dates and other circum-
stances which warrant the charge
which includes all the Indian agencies
in the military division Of Mo-, except
those of Red Cloud and Spotted Tail
agencies of Sioux. 1t has been my
constant and earnest endeavor since
entered upon my present duties, to
correct all abuses in the Indian service
that come to my knowledge, and Gen.
Sheridan by furnishing such specific
information would thereby render great
er service to this department as well as
to the Indians than by mere general
statements. AS he has put forth a sweep
ing charge the specifications may Justly
be called for. I make this request
with particular urgency in view
Of the fact that certain mill
tary officers seem of late to
have fallen in the habit of indulging
officially and probably in general re-
Elections on the Indian service, without
taking the trouble Of substantiatine
such statements in detail in manner
that would facilitate the discovery and
correction of the abuses. | do not
deprecate critscism at all; [ rather in
vite it, but when it is officially put forth
there IS, it seems to me, a certain fair
ness in producing proofs due from one
branch of the public service to another.
[ should, for instance, not deem any
officer Of this department justified in
blaming in general terms the army for
fits failure to intercept the runaway
Cheyennes on their march of several
hundred miles through Kansas and Ne
braska. and across the Union Pacific R'y.,
without beng able to point out certain
instances of Encouragement or neglect.
If such instances had come to the
knowledge this department which they
have not, [ should have considered It
due the army that thew be specifically
ascertained and stated before indulging
in a general arraignment. | think it is
not asking too much in the interest of
the public service that such a rule be
observed by offers of the army like
wise. General Sheridan's intimidation
that the Red Cloud and Spotted Tail
Sioux were allowed to select their
TO
working up Of a case by traders and
contractors. This is also made subject
of emphatic comment by Secre-
tary Schurz, and he states that
this policy was adopted by the
department on the earnest ad-
vice Of the distinguished Indian fighter
and manager, Gen. Crook, who, as "a
result Of his long experience with the
Sioux, opposed any policy that would
force the Sioux, against their unani-
nous and determined protest. to STAY
on the Missouri river, as seriously en-
dangering our peaceful relations with
those powerful tribes; and the secretary
adds that SO far, at least, their loyal
conduct seems to have justified the
course adopted. Secretary, Schurz
challenges Gen. Sheridan to produce
evidence in support Of his imputations,
and meanwhile remarks that it would
not have been asking too much of him
to inform himself a little better of the
circumstances before publishing his as
sertions in ar official document. The
secretary also makes the following
comment on the remark Of Gibbon,
that there is an entire absence Of re.
sponsibi]ity in the Indian service: If
Gen. Gibbon, when writing his report,
was cognizant of specific cases ofwrong-
doing, he would have obliged the de-
partment by reporting them, and if,
after such report, the charges thus
made had not been enquired into and
the guilty persons held to their proper
Sweeping statements
contained in his report would have
been adopted as justified. If he will
communicate such specific information
now, he will find there is no such lack
of responsibility as he alleges. Several
employees in the Indian service, who