The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-12-07
Secretary Schurz on the
Proposed Transfer.
METHODS OF INDIAN MANAGEMENT
Comparative Merits of Civil
and Military Control.
RECOMMENDATIONS MADE


The joint commission having under consideration
to the War Department met to-day and heard the
testimony of several Witnesses The first among
them Carl Schurz Secretary of the Interior who
when the object Of the committee explained to
him. asked to be allowed to present what no had to
say in some connection so as to give full expression
to his views. At the outse he thought it proper for
him, as the head of the department Of which the In
dian Bureau formed part to dscaim any desire to
keep the supervision of Indian affairs in his
hands, for the management Of Indian affairs was
very troublesome and thankless Office.
eff convinced" he continued, 'that the pro-
posed transfer would be for tho good of the Indians
for the interests Of the government would be the
first to advocate it. but at tho outset must de-
clare my firm conviction that the Indian affairs
should be controlled by civil administration that it
.is best for the Indians and the government wcll
that of all branches Of the public service. the mill
tary is the to which the control OF the Indians
should not co. The transfer Of the Indian Bureau
tine military authorities is based upon assumptions
which, in great part at least, not founded upon
facts, and this shall be able to show
METHODS OF INDIAN MANAGEMENT.
"But, first, permit me TO state that there are two
methods Of Indian management possible-either to
herd and corral the Indians under the walls guns
Of military force 30 to speak, to watch them
and prevent outbreaks to start them work upon
their lands. to educate them and to civlize them.
Now, in the nature Of things the first method
would be the only method adopted by the military
branch Of the government for the simple that
it is their business to keep the peace and prevent
troublesome tribes from getting into mischief The
second is that the policy which have followed
and carried out was at least partial success;
ali ink fho 1,y,ru av,d
enlightened ana in the interest of peace in the
long run. for long tho Indians remain roaming
tribes without any settled interests property we
may always look for complications. 1t is also the
most economical policy, for the sooner the Indians
civilized the they will be able to provide
for themselves think also that in the morals and
industrial habits Of civilized life the military branch
Of the government is not the best calculated to in
struct them. This question of transfer has been
discussed before and in report which has attained
is suggested the chief duties Of the Bureau, win be to
educate and instruct In the peaceful arts in other
words, to civilize tho Indians. The military OF
the government is not the most admirably adapted
to discharge duties Of this character. We salts
fed that not one army officer in thousand would
like to teach Indian ildren to read and write In
dian men to SOW and reap. These are 'emphsticaliy
civil and not military occupations.
REPORT DATED IN 1868.
This is found in report dated in 1868, which il
signed by lieutenant General Sherman. General
Augur, and others. Now, have read in the news
papers that General Marcy has stigmatixed this
port as mainly puerle and overdrawn II he thinks
he had better address such remarks to the general
Of the army; at the present time do think it
ovcrdrawn. There are in the army great many gen
tlcmcn who have good ideas about the Indan
vice. but 1t is thing to have ideas and another to
carry them out and think that the patient labor and
Of detail necessary to raise the Indian tribes
state Of civilization would not be found among the
officers OF the army"
General Scales-Did these same gentlemen short
time afterward make different report in favor of the
transfer in fact?
Secretary SchRrz-I do not know that they recon-
mend the transfer exactly; the second report
more for the organization Of different department
General Scales--I think you win find that they did
recommend the transfer in that report If you read
little further on?
opinions don't keep over Hight. At any rate. they
once thought the army department unsuitable for
this charge, and think they were eminently right
THE
The Secretary then referred to the statement of
General Sherman that there great deal of cir
cumlocut;on at present in calling upon the military
at the time of Indian outbreaks To go through the
whole routine laid down would probably take
time, but whenever prompt action necessary
few telegraphic dispatches and the whole thing
done in two hours. instead Of two months. The
quest for the transfer Of the Indian Bureau seemed
to be based particularly upon the assumption,
very industriously circulated that the Indian
civil service was responsible for all the wars.
1t said that tho Indian agent steals the
Indian supplies; that the Indians at last grew des
perato and there That not the fact at
all. There was scarcely single instance where il
the fact The real cause of almost all of our Ind
ian the breaking of treaties and the
croachmcnt upon the lands and right OF the Indian
by the white Then, ALSO IL must be considered
that the Indians themselves not angels and that
they had in some instances been guilty of outragcs
which had provoked the resentment Of the whites
HISTORY INDIAN WARS.
He then went on to quote an exhaustive history Of
Indian wars, showing how few arose from the NAL
occurred while the War Department bad previously
had charge of the Indian Bureau. Some of these
conflicts might have been brought on by the subor-
tiintics for advancement; but there was reason
why the Indian agent should want war. He would be
the first to lose his scalp, and therefore he would
take care to avoid any complications.
senator McCreery-Have any agents been scalped?
Secretary schurz replied in the negative. and re-
peated that Of the had broken ont In that
way.
THE QUESTION OF HONESTY.
II had been urged very strongly. and far as the
papers concerned with great deal Of effect that
the conduct of Indian affairs should he transferred TO
the War Department as the latter would prove very
far superior in point OF honesty. correctness
and economy. This also of those
fallscious assertions which seemed TO have
originated i'm the forgetfncss of the past
It. very ungrateful to make invdious comparisons
but he must say for the civil service that wherever
officcr found doing wrong he at once sum-
marily doat with. He had read in the papers q
statement by General Marcy that when in the War
Department the bureau was worked smoothly
enough; that there was no Encouragement. and in
fact suspicion OF any. II WAS in fact, he had
said angels had descended upon the earth doing
genJc 10 them tO
higher state of wen being. 10 easily proved that
this far from being the case. A report of a
committee Of she House OF Representatives. made in
1S42, when tho War Department had charge Of Indian
affairs. charged the clerks with objectionable ncgli-
gcnce that tho accounts showed an almost total
want IL method; that the accounts of expenditures
carelcssly kept "a to furnish scarcely any
traces Of expenditure Of very large For several
years the entries made slovenly that the very
clerks themselves could not explain them. There
not single entry referring To Indian land and all the
records left by the Indian officers of the wsr Depart
ment scraps of memoranda. pencil notes, &c.
SAMPLE OF MILITARY MANA GEMYNT
To bear out his statement with respect to NAL
fcasance, he quoted from the report of Lieutenant
General Hitchcock and instanccd the action Of the
department in reference to the removal Of the Chero
KEGS The contract was made at $40 per head and
1000 Cherukees were removed. But $4,000 I'm excess
OF the actual number charged and paid for max
lug the actual payment $204,21G % in excess, or
sos ~ per rdpita He also read report dated 1884,
which showed the cxorbitan prices which the Indians
for ynfiuls articles and conclnd TINT