The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-01-07
INDIAN BUREAU ADMINISTRATION.


be superseded by army officers. The sug
gestlon has been urged upon the interior
department, but Secretary NOBLE is said tt
De earnestly opposed to the plan, saying its
adoption would inevitably result in undo.
ing all, or nearly all, the good that has beer
done In recent years towards the maueria
advancement of the Indian tribes in the
northwest Or course the change will MOI
be made. The President and the secretary
Of the interior are both fanatic churchmen
and that fact is sufficient to make certain
the continuance of the present system
Nevertheless that system, however correct
1t may be in theory, is wrong in practice
always has been wrong and never will bt
right. 1t will never be productive of good
results; its results have always been I'M
satisfactory. 1t is difficult to understand
what Secretary NOBLE means when BIZ
speaks of the good that has been done in
recent years toward the material advance
ment Of the Indian tribes of the northwest
1t IS especially difficult to understand his
meaning at this particular time, with the
Indians engaged in bloody war with the
| government, war which seems as Zero
c1ous on the part of the redskins as any In
which they have been engaged
The truth is, the miserable system by
which civilians are placed in charge of the
agencies and appointments are made as re-
wards for partisan political labors, is re-
! sponslble for most of the evils which are
encountered IN the Indian administration.
1t is not claimed that army officers ara
more honorable, more honest, or have q
higher sense of justice than other men.
IL Is claimed, however, that with them the
temptation to do wrong, to steal, defraud
and cheat, and to do improperly that they
may profit by it, is not so strong as it is with
the Office holding civilian. 1t is rare
thing that an army officer is a defaulter
seldom does man who wears epaulett IS
ABUSE the confidence reposed in him regard
ing money matters There are reasons for
this, admitting that the officers are in
nerently no more honest than other men.
Their positions are for life; politics has
nothing to do with their tenure of office
they know that they will hold their places
during good behavior, aud that they cannot
be kicked out b. new administration ;
esty, breach of trust defalcatioa, or other
wrong doing will deprive them of their
commissions and send them adrlft in dis.
grace. There is every incentive for them
to be honest punishment and loss follow
| ing the opposite course
On the other hand our system. our meth
| DDS tend to make men dishonest. A man is
appointed to an Indian agency as re yard
for political effort or expenditure by him
self or friend. He may or may not pos
cess the qualifications necessary to a sue
cessful performance of the duties of the
office; that is a matter seldom taken in to
! account by the appointing power The
fellow thinks that at most he cannot hold
the place longer than four years, and he
fears that he will be fired with the next
change of administration. AS he is not an
agent for the benefit of his health, he pro
ceeds to make as much as possible out of
the office, 'heeling" himself before he can
be bounced. Until few years ago an
Indian agency was regarded as among the
very best positions in the gift of the Presi
dent; not that the salary was large, but
the opportunities for stealing were magnii-
cent Think of the millions which have
been stolen from the Indians by the scouu.
drelly agents Think of the MANY agents
who suddenly became rich! Think of the
many scouadrels in the Indian bureau
The practice of stealing was so generally
followed that the fact that a man was an
Indian agent caused men to look upon him
with suspicion.
We believe that fully three-fourths of
the Indian troubles and nearly all of the
discomfort among the aborigines can be
traced directly to the dishonesty and
scoupdrelism of the agents. 1t is pretty
generally understood that the pres
ent war was brought on largely
by the deprivation of the Indians of
the rations and supplies which government
paid for. The red men, whenever cues
toned on the subject, have complained that
they have received insufficient food and
clothing, and some of them have said that
1t was better to die fighting than from
starvation.
We believe that if the army were placed
in charge the Indian administration would he
honest, that the stealing would practically
cease, that the discomfort would come TO an
end and that the Indians would get what
belongs to them. We also believe that so
long as the bureau shall be controlled "a at
present and in the past, so long as poll
ticians shall fill the agencies, there will be
stealing on the part of government repre-.
sentatives, and deprivation, discomfort and
uneaslness on the part of the Indians.
we oeheve that the army will periodically
be called upon to perform acts OF cruelty
and oppression, as now, so long as incom
petent and dishonest men are appointed In
dian agents because they or their friends
dld work or spent money for the advance
ment OF the party in charge of the national
administration.
ONE WEEK from yeste rday the Kansas
legislature Will convene, and within a dav
or two thereafter we will know whether or
not the United States Senata ie - H. r.