New-York tribune., 1881-03-26
THE INTERIOR DEPARTMENT.
SECRETARY KIRKwooD HARD AT WORK.

TAsKS--DlFFICULTIEs SURROUNDING SETTLE
MEKT OF THE INDIAN oUEsTIoN-THE GnEAT
RANGE OF DUTIES COMPRISED IN TIE wo2K OF
THR INTERIOR DEPARTAiENT-How THE sECRE-
~ TARY REGARDS THE SITUATION.
fFRoMA STAFF CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUNRl
WASHINGTON, March 22.-Few members of new
Cabinet have ever taken hold of their duties as
| promptly and intelligently as Secretary Kirkwood
Is DONG His long experience in public life had
given him pretty thorough knowledge of large
| share of the work Of the Interior Department,
especially of that relating to the Indians and the
Public Lands His subordinates say that when he
sat down at his desk the first day he came into the
Department its chief he lighted his cigar placed
his old-fashioned spectacles his nose, and pro-
ceeded to dispatch business quietly, methodicaily
and ndusriously as if he had been there for years.
The Interior is congeries of bureaus having
wholly diverse functions and touching each other in
their work at no single point. One is the Public
Lands, another Patents, third Indian Affairs,
q fourth Pensions, q fifth Education, and
sixth the Census. They are bound together
quite artifcialy by being thrown together ~ De-
partment and given a common head. They could
not be fitted into any other Department, and they
needed supervision, so Congress bundled them TO-
cether about fifty years ago and provided Cabinet
Minister to manage them all. The Interiors; hard
Department to run. The Secretary must carry III
his head the business of all these diverse oihces
each having it's own separate neof work. and must
be responsible to the country for their efficiency
| Then it is Department which touches
the people directly. and consequently has
to take o great deal of criticism, ad-
vice and blame. Every pensloner keeps his eye
| on it; eyery man who has invented machine OF
expects to fancies he could improve the Patent
Office; every Western settler thinks the land Hys-
tenn is defective; and every man who reads the
newspapers knows that he could settle the lndlan
problem in day and half if he had chance and
wonders why the Department potters over 1t year
| after year.
Fortunately for imself, and fortunately for the
| interests of the Government, Secretary kukwood
| came into the Department with much practical
knowledge of it's most difficult branches of business
qained by his experience Senate committees aud
his long, active life as OF affairs in the west
| The Indian problem, which is the rock ahead OF
every new Secretary he has studied as member OF
Senate special committee not alone from the one
| sized point of view of Capitol committeeroom,
but from the agencies and reservations, several oil
which he visited lately last summer. He has
we-settled convictions and clear line of policy
and has abundant strength of character to follow
cut wise course of action consistently. am glad
to find that he has exaggerated notions oil what
il is possible TO do with the savages and haf-say-
ages in a single year or during single Adminisra-
tiop He thinks his predecessor left the Indian Ser
vice in better condition than he found 1t, and
hopes to be able TO make further improvements IN II
during his own term of Office This is all he says OF
the future. The difficulties that are inseparable
from the contact of civilization with barbarsm III
the Far West be fully appreciates
and he takes hold of the Indian
question with an understanding OF its gravity ana
dissemination to treat it with frmness. fairness
% tUhN ~ fhO fFu
solution of the questionable gradual elevation of
the wild wards of tie Nation to the position of self
sustaining citizens.
DIFFICULTIES SURROUNDING THE INDIAN.
Talking over the matter late yesterday afternoon
after the throng of ofice-seekers had been cis-
missed and there only Senator and Con- |
gressman or two TO dispose OF, the Secretary tod
me that it was not II all surprising that 80 many
misunderstanding occurred about the meaning OF |
Indian treaties When practised law" he said. |
IL fouud thatA largo proportion OF nv business |
grew ont of different ways Of understanding con- |
tracts made by intelligent white men. written in
language both parties understood. and drawn up |
with the assistance of experienced counsel. Now.
il such contracts occasion disputes why should we
wonder at the troubles that arise about odr treaties
with the Indians which are written In language
they do not understand and explained to them by |
An Interpreter who is often an ignorant man with
undertakes to speakf The Indian languages |
are of very restricted capacity for conveying def
mite meanings and it no doubt sometimes happens
that the chiefs signing treaty have incorrect,
or at least imperfect, knowledge of its significance
II would not answer however. 10 release thsn from
its obligations their statement that they did not
know what they were signing. The Indian IS about
"a shrewd as q white man where his interests are
affected. IL lie could escape performing his share Of
u N1z l0 ynTIIV ne ha
slow to take advantage of us. We must assume
that he knows what he is doing when ho makes
contract. or we should have end Of trouble At
the same time we must consider his Ignorance, and
always show patience and kindness and readiness
to do more than we are bound to do where we can
forward his real interests and help him along in the
path of civilization"
was amused by the Secretarg's description OF the
trOabes young Indian must undergo who wants
70 work for bis living and tries to be farmer The
Government provides white man to teach him the
Iudmente OF The trade. The Indians ponies arc
with infinite difficulty persuaded to wear harness
and pull plough The cOrnfield is marked out and
the Young fellow is instructed how TO hold and
drive When he is able to make few furr0ws un-
assisted the white farmer goes off to teach some
other agricultural asprant Then the sisters,
cousins and aunts of the industrious bravo come
from the village TO taunt him for making squaw
of bimself by doing squaws work, and TO offer him
some of their garments IA his proper apparel. The
chances are that he forgts his team to make angry
reorts to their sarcastic remarks. the ponies rus
away. the plough is broken, and be abandons the
6eld 70 lead bis old life gorging himself with Gov
eminent beef as long his weekly rations last and
going hungry tho rest OF the time
EXPENSES OF TIRE AGENCIES.
While We were talking about The removal OF tho
Utes in Colorado and their absurd claim to keep the
valley lands on their old reservation. on the pre-
tence that they supposed when they signed the