Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1878-12-07
THE INDIAN MIDDLE.
SECRETARY SEIZURE BEFORE
THE JOINT CON MISSION.
TO Argus I'm Favor OF thc Indinns
Continuing Under the CivIi lie.
partmenS.

US btaAH "
He disclaims any personal desire to re.
tain control Of tho Indian service under
the Interior Department. No branch OF
the Department business is so trouble
some aud thankless. He thought the
Indians were entitled to human treat.
ment. and that could only be rendered
through the processes Of civilization,
education and kind treatment. This
the military were not fitted to promote.
The Secretary quoted from the report Of
the Sioux Commission. signed by Gen.
erals Sherman. Terry. Augur, and 9th.
ers. setting forth in effect that II peace
with the Indians was required, the man.
agement Of their affairs should be placed
under the Civil Department Of the Gov
eminent. Now. / agree with these gen.
tlsmen ON this point. There are n great
many officers Of the army who have ex.
cellent ideas about Indian affairs, but II
Is another thing to bring their ideas into
practical effect. The military arm OF
the Government he did not consider
gifted with the patient labor required
10 place q hoe in the Indians
hand and teach him how to use it. lie
denied very emphaiically the red.tape
system OF reporting Indian outbreaks
which had been asserted was required
under the present administration Of In.
dian affairs. Whenever u case arises
where prompt action Is necessary he In
person communicates with the Secretary
Of War or the General Of the army,
thereby causing but a very few hours
delay in perfccting the necessary ar.
rangements to meet emergencies rather
than months, as intimated by General
Sherman. He claimed that the demand
for the transfer OF the Bureau from the
Civil to the Military Department was
based upon assumptions rather than
upon facts. History will prove that the
Indian Bureau is credited with Indian
wars which In reality occurred previous
to its organization. under the civil a
agement. The cause Of the majority Of
the wars in his opinion is the breaking
OF treaties. together with the sncroach.
msnts OF greedy whites by settlements
ON reservations allotted to peaceful ln-
dams. He did not believe such military
officers a. Generals Sherman. Sheridan
and others desired war, but subordinai -
who had a reputation to make were not
too keen for peace, especially with the
Indian race. "Army officers" the
Secretary said. In reply to n question by
General Hooker, "who have been In
charge OF Indian agencies have been
very faithful and efficient. Their duties
were, however, in connection with M
unsettled state Of affairs, and not with u
view to civilizing the Indian" The
Secretary advised placing troublesome
Indians on reservations under martial
law, and of increasing the number OF
the Indian police force from 400 to
1000 or 1900. This force was very
reliable, aud had rendered good service.
He (Schurz) had read In the papers u
statement by General Marcy that when
In the War Department the Bureau was
worked smoothly enough; that there was
no Encouragement. and In fact no sus.
picion Of II. II was In fact, M he had
said, an u an angel had descended upon
earth, doing gentle illustrations among
the sayages TO lead them to a high state
OF well being. II was easy proved this
was far from being the case. A report
Of a committee to the House Of Repre-
sentatives made in 1912. when the War
Department had chargeof Indian affairs,
charged the clerks with objectionable
negligence; that their accounts showed
an almost total want Of method. aud that
the accounts Of expenditures were 80
carelessly kept as to furnish scarcely
any traces OF expenditures Of very large
sums. For several years entries were
made in NO slovenly n manner that the
very clerks themselves could not explain
them. There was not n single entry re-
ferring to Indian lands, and all tho re.
cords left by Indian officers in the War
Department were scraps OF memoranda,
pencil notes, etc. To bear out his state
ment with respect TO malfeasancc he
quoted from the report OF Lieutenant
General Hickman(O aud instanced the
sction OF the Department in reference
to the removal Of the Cherokees. The
contract was made at $40 per head aud
2O,OOO Chsrokees were removed, but
10000 in excess OF tho actual number
were charged and paid for, making the
actual payment S2Oi,37G in excess, Or
slO3 per capita. lie also read a report,
dated 1884, which showed the exorbitant
prices which Indians were charged for
various articles, and concluded that
from all this II would be seen that the
record Of the War Departments manage
ment Of Indian affairs was by no means
as clean as General Marcy tried to make
out. He wa not going to pretend that
tho civil administration was pure. No
such thing; but he would say they had
no scandal quite 30 bad as the Cherokee
affair. He alluded to the difficulties OF
supervision OF the different agencies,
but said many abuses that had formerly
existed were being swept away. With
the exception Of the Treasury Depart.
ment's prosecution Of the whisky ring
he did not think that any department
had been more active In the prosecution
of its contractors when they were once
detected. They had perhaps some NJ.
teen or twenty under prosecution nov.
and only q few weeks ago u OF these
contractors was convicted, Now lie
should DO very slow to assert that army
officers, us such, had dishonest t%enilen.
cies. He thought the army deserved ~
Q whole its reputation for honcsiy-that
Ia TO say, for It's honest intentions. Vel
Il would be absurd to say such n class Of
men were inaccessible TO the b~adimpulses
OF human nature. General Marcy had
stated that while the administration Of
the War Department cost Sl.SO0.00 the
Indian Department cost $1,000, OO0-a
difference OF -. 200. 900. Such u com.
parison was very absurd. The Indian
business In 1919 was nothing TO what
1t had now become He read q state.
ment Of the amount paid per 100 pounds
for beef by the two departments, the
Indian bureau and military. which
showed a saving OF SGi4.09O in favor Of
the former. General Miles had stated
that the transportation Of the army cost
81, 0O0. 900, while the transportation Of
food, clothing. etc., for the Indians, cost
S225, 900. A glance wonld show that
Al. na0svtmant af tha Iutar,nr moi a..