Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1879-02-07
The Proposed Indian Transfer.

| - AAoAAAATOAOAS1 Oou' uG JUiut
congressional committee appointed to
consider the advisabillity Of transfer
ring the Indian bureau from the inte-
rior to the war department. this morn
ing voted on the subject with the fol.
lowing result: Against transfer, SEN
ators Saunders and Oglesby. and Repre-
sentatives Stewart aud Voorhees--4.
To favor, Senator McCrcary and Repre-
sentatives Scales, Hooker and Boone.
After the vote controversy arose as to
which of the two reports should be
given precedence in presentation to
Congress. Opponents of the transfer
claim that its advocates, failing to OBJ
tain majority, must consider their
minority report as an amendment.
offered to the existing law which fails
upon tie vote The matter remains
undecided.
The equal division Of the joint CON-
mittee on the Indian transfer question
makes it certain that no legislative pro-
vision for the proposed transfer has any
chance Of passage during the short
remainder Of the present session. The
fact that the old Democratic members
ot the joint committee favor the project
would seem to indicate. however. that it
is likely to be made party measure,
and 10 this event It's enactment bv the
next congress-. with both houses rnder
Democratic control, would be apparent,
ly assured.
| The make up Of this committee com.
prises three senators and Gva represent.
atives, from the states as follows: Saun.
ders of Nebraska, Oglesby of Illinois,
and McCreery Of Kentucky, senator's;
Stewart of Minnesota, Vorhes of Ohio
Hooker of Mississippi, Scales Of North
Carolina, and Boone of Kentucky. rep.
resentatives. Seven of the eight Of
this committee were from states where
no hostile Indians have made their ap
pearance for many years. and six of the
eight from states where the workings o.
the agency system among the Indians
, could not be personally known to the
, people nor to their representatives
The Pacific states. who have a NOR,
practical demonstration of the workings
Of this system than others, were no
= thonored with a membership in thi
committee. This committee in thei
, pretended Investigations made fyin,
. visit over the Union and Central Pa
! cific railroads to San Francisco, and,
Z is said, they heard the testimony Of
few persons of an e.r parte nature. Th
public were not generally advised @
their mission until after they had re
:, turned, and were never satisfied tha
this committee would receive evidenc
upon the question of the Indian trans
;. fer. It nowhere appears by the inves
|. Legations of this committee that it was
v at the time of its appointment, eve
y intended but as means of whitewash
ing the present agency and peace polio
y system; but the events of the tim
n elapsing since its appointment hav
,f brought to light many things whic
p. have rapidly changed the current {
i. public sentiment in relation to tt
v Indians and aroused the press of tn
,e Pacific coast and quite portion of tt
II eastern press to speak in tones of co
" demnation of the peace policy and Il
e present agency system; so that half
t. this committee, who evidently we're a
% pointed in the interest of the old sy
le TEN, have with equal apparency bet
ID forced to concode that the system is
II bad one and to report in favor of
o, change to the war department. Th