, 1879-01-09
TIE INDIAN QUESTION.


d. shcrljah's Iiaitt on the Indian lsureau.
81. F.nt Fshnsr<. frsst.
II was, perhaps, tncyEtable that tha cotitfo-
verss upon the Indian uucstton should draw
into an attitude OF mutual rerrinllnation the
two branches Vi the acrylre-the Indian Hureau
and the artny--whose relations necessarily bring
them into partial corporation conflict In the
practical administration Of Indian affairs. It
was nt any rate tncyltablu that their mutual
lca1ouslcs should be aggravated by the rcntliug
proposition 10 transfer the indian Burean to
the War Department. TIE clici active work Of
the army has been to prevent Ut suppress hos
tlisics which, It seems to he generally agreed,
havc hern largely provoked by the bad manage
rnGt,t nt thu 1nuians. The officers at military
posts III close proximity to The lntlau Agencies
are art to be sharp and siEilaht. II not always
impartial, obtcrrcrs Of the cn1tca Of the
threatened Of actual lnian troubles, wl1cl, call
ttcM from their comfortable barracks .nt' 1on9
nud hard rn,nnalQna III which SUCCESS 10 almost
h0peles% aud MlWnvs inaioriouk.
ten. Sheridan prn1Mecs abundant evidence 1t,
the st,a.'c Of rcsurts from military officers, md
expects tiiercfrnnl t!Iat hts STRUCTURES are, III
broal and genera! fcnxe, II not universally and
lttrrnfly, true: tlat civil ma!atH1ntstratiob hos
becn At the bottom Of nearly all tho Indian
diverted from tho Indlaile 1nr1e part Of tic
supplies appropriated for them. The report VI
Lieut.. Lee, who han charge Ut the Spotted Tail
Agcngy from March ., 1871. to june 10, ISIS,
rnycfs frnrful1y rotten state Of things at that
Agency. It was discovered, for example. that
thu Indian Agcnt, Howard, l,ad been Issuing
rattons nn.! other supplies on raocr for nearly
.lonb1e The humber ut Indians tie actually sup-
piled; TINT nno Mccain, who Ind number
uf transportat!on contracts. was sysscmat-
tcalfy engaged in dIyestlng tic supplies
nt corn, beans, slaar, ana other ar
sss a"pc 1S the R'a r. %i s o,c, ,sy
points, wlcEe he sold ttlcn and put the pro-
crells Il, tits own pocket; that tic Indians had
l,cen hntitunlly robbed by tho Agent. IN cullu.
sion with tho contractors, of their supplies Of
becf. aud the whole system Is 70 contrlvcd as to
niEorl abundant opportunities for tue practices
OF csery variety ot rascutisy by n few intelli-
gent k.iaycs In charge Of thousands Of ignorant
eayagcs. 90 whose simplicity they can readily
great number Of abstracts Of reports OH 11o In
HIS office from military ncfss relating to srnuds
observed by them, copies Of which were for
wurdel when received to the War Department,
and which Cen Sheridan assumcs wrrc trans
ferred to thu Indian bureau, and he takes 0cea-
slor to make a neal rclurt upon Secretary
6c!,urx that tc Gun there lind the Information he
seeks. II ts to be regretted that the contro-
vcEsy on the I'itlLan question las assumed q
phasa which almost forces Secretary Sciurz
iuto the false position OF defending tho
faults Of system which hu Inns been
earnestly eneaeed IN trslnE to .ef9rm. i9 No one @
hysfv:natIe frauds which hare been practlccd hy
Indian Aeynls anil contractors, NJ onc has
done 40 t,l,1cl, ns he to root out. punish, and
correct the.r atllses, lie ilas probably nn hnn.
est hut cyElentlY very Incompetent assistant
iu the present chief OF the Indian Bureau, who
labtua'ly prartees the very wurst faults OF the
system which he most loudly condemned before
he WAS put III charge Ut tfn Indian uItiee. Tie
system, waa too strong for him, mud 1t IL appar-
cntiy too sstong even for Secretary echurz, ut
least tn the extent that, being Obliged to trust
tho psnctfcat infringement Of Indian nfYntrs
chiefly to hia 's,ibordinattA and his corps oil
clerks, he 10 ant to be 10 largely Influenced by
their represent attona that tlip trut state Of nf
fairs rarcly reaches him cxccnt from, !ndcpendent
eources. It WIS not through! thu lldiau BUREAU
that t!,e information reached him which r.
suited In Ills scntltns out 1larlnlond II
inyrstfgu.a the aitaLra Of this Missouri
RyrF Acenc!csan and In tile startling developments
Of fraud md corruption which taI teen carried
ut. for yrars then, which weru lutasetf nj the
time bY thr jtonter- i'rtss. Mpst nf tho iufor.
utato,i, Il Is sale to say, whic, haa led to dis
c0vercs ct entrupt nltSManagetneHk at the
lniau Agencies l,aa come from military sources
nmi instead, therefore, ot ehurfBhlv rcset!tin4
Mr. Hrllurz should tIayr coFdntY wcicou,ed thu
assistance ot Gen. Sheridan AMI of hls militar,
sutortiInates in ferrctng out tile abuscs wALcl
II Is the r0tnf,On 'desirc Ut both to eradicate
fFom tho Indian scfy!cp,