New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-05-28
THE INDIAN POLICY.
SECRETARY TELLER's VIEWS.

1rroM THE REGULAR CONFECTIONERY or THE TRIBUNE
y WASHINGTON, May 25.-The fact that Secretary
Teller instead of coming into ONCE as the average
Secretary of the Interior does without any praclca
knowledge of the Indian, has had frontier expert
cnce beginning twenty years back, makes II oil pc
culiar interest TO know what his views of the true
Indian policy are Some of these have been already
nrinted in THE TRIBUNE, but recent conversation
with the Secretary elected from him number
of opinions which will be new to the public
and which indicate an interesting line OF policy NO
one can fail IN talking with Mr.. Teller to be STRUCK
with the fact that his disposition toward the lnolah
is kindly and humane. He has seen somethingof tho
dark side of the indian character, but he has none
of the bitterness toward the red men which is sup
nosed and often. no doubt enormously. to be char
acteristic of the frontier He has gone through the
ordinary experiences Of citizens the border when
a voung man. He knew what it was TO ride for days
and nights through the Indian country, gun III
hand. and on the watch day and night with a sick
wife and the first baby by his slde-falllng SICK
himself when place of safety had beenreached,
ont with sheer anxiety. lie has known time and
again what it is to be summoned to the help
of a neighboring town by the cry The Indians arc
cOlnin-w and once. in 1864, he was cut of, like all
tho rest OF the whites in Colorado, from all COM
municatlon with the East for period of SIX weeks
During these twenty years he has made 1t a habit
to observe the Indians, and to talk with them
whenever opportunity offered, and so has acquired
a thorough knowledge of the character of the race
With il all he has kindly feeling toward them, and
no one could speak more Indignantly than he does of
the wrongs to which they have been many times
subjected.
When asked regarding the system OF appointing
agents upon the recommendation OF church organ
izationS Mr. Teller said: " | think 1t has been a
signal failure The repeated changes III the agents
indicate this The official life of an agent has not
exceeded, on the average, eighteen months. for
number of years. An agent would not fairly get
ACQUAINTED with his Indians before he would
be found to be incompetent, and be turned out
This system involves also a divided responsibility
between the Department and the churches. think
tho Department should he held accountable for the
character Of all its employees, and it can certainly
select lust as good men as the churches can
Their, il another objection. When agents are Sc
lected III his way, they feel that they are not en-
tirely responsible to the Department. If there is
they have their church organization
to fall back upon. Recently had every reason 70
think that certain agent ought to be removed
had in fact. determined to remove him. As mat
ter OF courtesy TO the church organization, they
were asked to suggest name for his SUCCESSOR
They entirely ignored this request and replied only
that they would investigate tho charges-which the
Department had already done. The public business
cannot be carried on in that way. see no reason
why Indian agents cannot be selected i'll the same
way A. other Government employees"
"What was the exact degree OF control exercised
bv the churches over these appointmentsW
q" The agencies were apportioned among the
churches. and it was the practice for number OF
year. 10 accept the agents named for the various
places by the churches The result has been that
many good men were appointed who were totally
lacking in business capacity, and in some cases the
aDpcnfees were morally unfit, the churches having
been imposed upon.'
"Would any legislation be necessary to bring
about a change y
NO there is no law It is simply practice-one
which has fallen into some disuse the past year
or two. but never formally abrogated. l
think it best to be entirely frank
about it. The Secretary is at liberty TO
ignore the practice. if he sees IT.
think tha at places at which the churches main
tain mission schools they should be consulted about
the agent. There they have direct interest in him.
At a great many agencies however. they have no
knowledge Of the Indians. and no special interest
in them. In those cases, see no reason why they
should have anything to say with regard To the
appointment"
Then that policy. SO far as you are concerned, is
at M end y
yes. 90 not intend in the selection OF agents to
submit the question to the churches. | shall
always be ready to receive suggestions or objec-
lions. as they would be received from any well-in-
formed. well-mcaning. intelligent person, but moth
inc brvoaI that Where their sug reStions are good
shall BE- glad 10 adopt them, and they Will always
b.. received with tn greatest respect"
" Does politics enter into the appointment OF
agents|
81 think there has been very little political in
tIuence m the selection of Indian agents for num-
brrof wears IL is rather rare for politicians TO ask
for such an appointment"
"What class of men would you prefer agentsF'
"utcllig.nt farmers, if they eau be had. Men
with a practical knowledge Of agriculture, 18th
some education, of course, though it need not be
of the highest Such men can teach the Indians
farming, stock-ralSng, etc"
"What is vour view of Indian education, and of
the Hampton anI Carlisle schools in particular "
Il reco-nizc the usefulness OF those schools but
insist that they are entirely Inadequate, as any
number Of them would be, to accomplish what Is
dee red The Hampton and Carlisle schools no
more meet the exigency than Yale and Harvard
supply education to the youth Of the whole United
STATES. There are 10000 Indian children. We
must furnish means for their education. Hampton
and Carlisle will do for the training of teachers
But We must get the school, which are 10 educate
tine masses of Indian children out nearer to the
tribes"
Are the tribal schools efficient :"
"As rule, no. At some of the agencies there are
dav schools. and there are some Neutrality-suspicious..
The appropriations have not been generous and
the teachers have not always been skilfu, and the
Indians have taken very little interest in them.
Very few tribes will derive any benefit from day
school The children Of the wilder tribes only
be held by boardng-school, where they get
their clothes and living. There are n number of
boarding schools but they have not been sufficiently
They have not tle DrOper Inn dinps