The New York herald., 1878-11-23
THE INDIAN QUESTION.

STRONG EXPRESSIONS ON THE SUBJECT PROM
GENERAL GIBBoN-cRITIcIsMs on THE INDIAN
DEPARTMENT AND EScoMIUMs on THE ARMY
METHODS or DOING BUSINESS.
W,sHINGroS. Nov. %. 1873.
In his report to the War Department. General Glib
bon, commanding the Department of Dakota, after
describing the unprovokcd murder of Edward Frazier
by the Indians near Fort Berthold tenders his con-
tribution to the literature Of the Indian Department
question, holding that any attempt to place the
troll of Indian affairs under departments radi
caly opposed in principle the Military and Indian
departments has resulted in a clashina of authority
and state of affairs which is working the detri-
ment OF the Indian.
LOOKING SOULS
The average Indian agent intent upon the spiritual
welfare OF the red desirous of clcvatng his soul
and achieving what has never vet been reached in
single Notwithstanding civilized man of him
but too frequently neglects his bodily wants. and
while the agent is preparing him for heaven, no
thinks. is actually making hell for him upon earth
by leaving him unclothed and unfed. while but too
frequently the price of his clothing and food is put
into the agents pocket.
INTEREST BODY.
The army officer the other hand. compelled by
educated to strictly for every cents worth of
property he receives from the government. and
~
him peaceful and thus avoid wars III which he. and
not the soul-sayng Indian agent.~ takes part, and
out glory. attends first to the Indians bodily wants
and hence gains credit in the minds of great many
well meaning people of being not only utterly regard
less of his spiritual needs but entirely opposed to
any steps being taken toward advancing him in the
scale of civilization
LACK or SYSTEM
If the system Of responsibility which prevails in
the army existed in tho Indian Department much of
the well-founded charge of looseness and fraud
Lt,,v x.,xnl .f.
in that department the responsibility is so loose and
fraud easy that the wonder is. not that peculaion
should sometimes occur, but that it does not happen
in all cases.
Nor does the attempt to intermingle the two sys-
TENS by requiring army officers to inspect Indian
supplies and witness the issuing Of annutics, work
favoraby, for the that while the country at
large il led TO believe there he frauds,
that officers OF army are performing this ins
ton duty but few OF the fact that from the
defective system Of responsibility in the Indian De-
partmcnt, these inspections form no check whatever
upon the operations of the Indian agents. whose
counts to pass scrutiny at Washington just
well without these inspections with them In sew
eral instances this department officers of the army
have at the request of the Interior Department been
assigned to duty in charge Of Indian agencies to put
stop to frauds apparently inseparable from the sys
tenn which has prevailed for many years.
REspoNsIBILIrY.
In other instances sort OF divided responsibility
is exercised by tho military and the civil agents of
the Interior Department, which has resulted in inev
table clashing between the two. In it
openly charged by the agent that prominent and
distinguished OHcer OF tne IN command near
the agency, had instigated assault upon HIM by
the Indians, when in fact the officer had personally
rescued the agent from violence at the hands OF the
censed Indians of his agency In consequences of
this state OF affairs the question to how best to pro-
vide for the red man, now surely and rapidly being
pressed of this continent by advancing civilization
still remains unsolved.
THE RESERVATION SYSTEM
The reservation system heretofore followed does
not work toward the protection of the Indian for the
sason that the moment the white the land
assigned to the Indian he goes and takes It, and the
laws Of the country and the force ut his disposal
entirely Inadequate to protect the Indians against
croachment and imposition. More especially is this
the whenever gold is discovered, whether in pay
ing quantities not to exist the reservation.
recent and prominent example Of this is the of
the Black Hills, and influences at work which,
later. will force every peaceful tribe in the
Western country into hostile attitude toward the
whites.