New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-12-27
NFU UOpES FOR THE INDIANS.

General NOILdn Inc commissioner ~ '"''i'''
Affairs. submits for the last year by Tar the
mos, interesting and significant report that has
ever come from his office. lis interest Hes III
the FACT tina; il tells the people Just WHAT thoF
want tn know about the Indians, and liN >ig-
plicancc in the fact that j. inoontcNtably proves
the wisdom OF the Governments new imam
policy. This policy began 10 be put INTO opera
ton perhaps 4 dozen years ago. frcNId'ht
Grant gave il its first impulse and II was more
or less cordially supported during the succeed
ing Administrations Of Hayes and Arthur. Mr..
Cleveland believed in il and his Comm ,SioneIN
encouraged IT, but the graCelcS> character oi
the most of his agency appointments brought
about the failure of his Indian administration.
no feature of President HarriSons public SER
vice is 10 be more warmly praised than The con
duct of Indian affairs. For the inst time me
new policy has been fully adopted, and, better
still lived up to. This does not mean that no
mistakes have been made, but II does mean
that as fast a. they have been discovered they
have been corrected. and that from the PleNi-
dent down 10 the humblcSt agency cmploye a
genuine hearty and sustained effort has been
made to bring about the time when ~ General
Morgan happily cxplc,sc, If, the American In
dian> shall become Indian Americans.
Tho long and short Of this new policy Is the
admission Of the Indians into American citizen
ship and their absorption into the ordinary So
ccty Of the Republic. This means OF course
tho destruction of tribal relations the break
ing-up Of the reservation system with all H.
yiciou; accompaniment, the settlement Of oyer!
Indian family on lands of is own, and ia"
operation over them and upon them of th"
ordinary civil processes Of the state ard none
other # goc, without saying that before this
can be accomplished IN immense preparatory
work must bc done. the proportions OF which
to practical men has often seemed appalling.
II ha, been plain enough that IN no other way
could the Indians be rescued from gradual de-
>'ruction through war and disease or the Coy
| eminent saved the vast expense of their sup
/ port and the va,tcr expense Of shooting them
to death. The question has been. What can
! this new policy do? and this - The question
that Commissioner Morgan has wei nigh an
sWercd in his recent report.
He tells what it has done. and that i the
pledge Of the rest. The old system Is still in
general force, bur its incidental evils are dis
appearing, and it j. being administered by men
who understand that they are performing the
work of receivers and are making an end OF
bad Job Meanwhile the work Of education
gocS on. About ono-thrd Of the Indian chll-
drcn Of school age are now regular attendants
at day schools OF boarding schools. Great i'm
prOvcmcntS are being made in thc buildings
and appliances Of these schools. and in the elf
cheney Of those employed as teachers The
Indian prejudice against education j. being
cl, ,,-itf and g,.. faf
that encourage the hope Of is speedy dl,ap-
pcarancc. The fact that they must soon give
up paupcrSm j., being reIigou>ly dnncd into
the Indian mind and a, n finds "A Judgment
there, together with the reasons Of il. self re
>pcct, lis natural offspring, is growing up 10
take tie place Of that wrctchcd theory that the
Government owes the Indian a living. The
/ work OF allottng lands IN Scycraiy is proceed
Ing rapidly. and the number Of claimants and
Of lis advocates among the Indians themselves
increases daily. This last Of reform, is greatly
aided in is way into the Indian intellect by
the progress in agriculture Of those who made
haste 10 embrace il and 10 earn its rewards.
eif-@oveInment according TO enlightened ideas
through native courts and native officers.
whose brave, loyal and intelligent conduct is
among the most gratifying surprises of the
whole work of regeneration, meanwhile pro-
ceeds at every agency and affords Il valuable
object-lesSon 10 every tribe and promise to
the Government Of what persistency can do
even upon such prejudiced and unwilling sub
ectS.
These forward movements are recorded bv
Commissioner Morgan without any cN-
aggented notion of their significance.
lie fully realizes the size Of his
further task, and he merely shows in a com
prchcnSiyc way conditions which TIE TRIHrvE
has observed al a score OF different agencies
and which us correspondents have frequently
described. But. seen IN 4 mass, their value ap-
pears even greater than we hal hoped and i,
more than enough 10 warrant Congress in the
appropriation Of sufficient funds 10 sustain and
develop the reform at all points n must be
remembered that there is a vast difference Lo-
tween money spent in maintaining pauno,isr,
and ignorance and money spent in encouraging
Independence and IN spreading enlightenment.