New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-03-21
OR STATE CHURCHES AGAIN.

! General Sherman which we published last
week, was considered with some care by tine
| Joint Committee of Congress appointed In
| June 1873, to take testimony pertinent to
the transfer Of the Indian Bureau TO the War
Department. General Sherman, in his tcsti-
mOny. gave Enthusiastically brief and
striking description of what is known as the
"pca ,e" or Quaker" policy. General
Grant having assigned supemumerary officers
of the Army to the Indian agencies and super
intendencics, Congressman were dissatisfied at
losing so much patronage, and at the next ses
sion law was passed making the acceptance
of such an appointment by an Army officer
| equivalent to a resignation. " The cOnse-
"quencc was that all these officers had to be
| replaced by civilians when General Grant
" concluded that lie would not confer this
patronage on the parties who had accom-
"pliShed this legislation, but would 'distrib-
| :" ute II among the churches whose ministers
" could defend their privilege from the pulpit.
"This was known as tho Quaker policy be-
"cauSo some five or more of the agencies
CHAT of Fort Sill among the numbeD fell to
"the share of the Quakers. The remaining
"agencies were divided up among the Meth
"olists, Episcopalians, Catholics, etc, and so
remain to this day. Upon what principle
the distribution was made is not clear. Prob
! ably there was an attempt to give each de-
nomination a number of agencies proper
! tIOnate to its membership in the States.
/ Certainly 10 regard seems TO have been
! paid to the missions already existing among
| the Indians, nor were the wishes of the Indians
| themselves the convictions Of those who
were already Christians, consulted in the
! slightest degree. Thus 1t happened that the
| most ludicrous mistakes were made in the
| mixing up of churches-some denominations
| being placed in charge OF savages among
whom they had never had station, and have
| not station even yet and some turned out of
missions which they had conducted for two
| hundred years.
| The process by which the United States
! Government constituted itself the judge of the
! kind of religion best adapted to particular
| tribes of Indians is so well described In the
| testimony ELECTED by the Committee, that We
! shall copy a few extracts Mr.. Alfred l..
Riggs, missionary under the American
Board, at the Santee Agency, Nebraska, testi-
fed that the Hicksite Friends had charge
of that Agency, and that none but Quaker
missionaries were now allowed to settle
|
"tions1 are established, they are allowed to
"remain, but they are not allowed to open
"new missions except where they have the
nominations of agents. Indian Commits
soner BarstOw testified as follows:
| Q-Is auy other denomination than the appoint
ing the agent allowed to preach at the Agency A.
| There has been some little trouble at White Earth
Agency between the Catholics and the Presbyteriaps.
O-Is that the policy OF the Department to allow none
other preach Is not that exclusive privlegcl
Alt has been the rule lately account OF the trouble
| al " hte Earth
Q-That is the rule nowi A.-rhat is the rule now,
| think.
| Q-What is the policy OF the Department IN
| regard TO the exclusion OF all the denominations
except the that appoints the agents Is that
the poIcyi All 1 understand the policy of the
Commissioner, it is 20 the best services, and
thattwo, three. or four denominations pushing into
an Agency tend obstruct. / think he wants TO pre-
| vent that
| Ole thinks. as understand from your remarks
that the best results be obtained by giving 1t ex
clusive,y to denomination, to have no dis
putes1 Ayes, sir.
There was little disagreement among the
witnesses, it will be seen, on the important
| question whether church had by law or
regulation an absolute monopoly of mission
work ut the agencies assigned to it, Mr. Kings
| ley, IOTHlcIlJ u representative Oh JLe JreSDy-
tcrians on the Board Of Indian Commissioners.
| thought that Government recognition was very
| important to the missionaries Of his denom-
| nation he did not know that they had much
connection with the Interior Department. by
! law, but there was much by agreement and
understanding" The Rev. James ii. Wilbur,
! a Methodist missionary in Washington Terri
| tory, was not clear about the right Of
monopoly, but lie thought cit would not
be good policy to have two heads il
"would work division with the H.
dams, so THAI they would be following
"this man and another man, and it
"wOuld tend to divide them" White peo-
! pie are at liberty, we believe, IN this country.
| to follow this preacher and another preacher;
but freedom of worship, according to Com
missioner Hayt, is not good for Indians The
Rev. Mr.. Strictly, of New DIRK, declared that
the agents had no control over the religious
! instruction III their districts. Mr. II. II. Gregg.
a settler at the Quapaw Agency, testified, on
| the contrary, that the Quakcrs were in full
| control there and although he supposed any
| Christian might come in and talk TO the In
dams, "the schools were preserved excu-
"svely to the Quakers.r The schools, OF
course, are the most effective OF the mission
airy enterprises.
These discrepancies in the testimony make