The Irish standard., 1891-04-25
CATHOLIC INDIAN BUREAU.
The Institution That Does Much In
the Interest of Catholic
Indians.
HOW IT CAME INTO EXISTENCE.
How President Grant Openly aud Publicly
Disseminated AGAINST Catholic
Missionaries.

Missionaries.
The Indian Rights Association, whose
secretary. Mr.. Herbert Welsh, recentl,
spoke in Boston On the Indian question
on which topic also an article from bis
pen appears in one Of the leading Apr!
magazines, is not the only organization
that aims at protecting the rights of the
American red men. secretary Welsh
who probably voices the sentiments Gl
his association, attempts a defence OF
the present Indian management, and
holds that the spoils system has had
more to do with this complaints that
nave been made against that manage
ment Gilan sithsr The inefficiency or sec
tartan grejudices OF the Indian commits
sioner and his superintendent of
schools. On the other hand, the Cath0-
lie Indian bureau, the headquarters of
which association are located at the ma
Jion&I capital, maintains that the unfair
discrimination Of the Indian manage
ment against Catholic schools and
teachers has melted no little share Of
the troubles that have recently occurred
at the agencies. and it charges the In
dian commissioner and hissch0ol super
intandent with endeavoriug to drive
from the agencies ali Catholics who are
there employed, no matter In what
capacity.
Ii was during General Grants second
:erm that this Catholic Indian bureau
came into existence. III the message
which he sent to Congress in Decem
Ger, 1870, President Grant, referring to
the Indian question, Used the following
language: "Indian agencies being civil
offices, L determined to give all tie
agencies TO such religious denomina~
tions as had heretofore established mis-
sions among the Indians; and perhaps
to some other denominations who would
undertake the work on The same terms"
Under tba1 Offer the Catholics, who had
ALWAYS had missions at the majority OF
the Indian reservations since their es-
Establishment bY this government, and
whose missionaries were the first to
evaugaiiZe the American ab0rigines,
put III a claim for the appointment of
Catholic agents to the number Of thirty
eight, asserting that they were the first
to establish missions ut rkat many
agencies, aud that, consequently, inter
pretlng the Presidents words literally,
they were entitled to have that number
of agents Of their faith nominated. In"
stead OF securing the thirty eight ap-
pointment however, this Catholic rs
quest obtained the nomination Of out
seven. to wit, at the Talallp and Coiville
agenclas, Washington; Grande Ronde
and Uma5illa Oregon; Flathead, Mon
tapa; and Standing Rock and Devils
Lake, Dakota. The Catholic Indians
OF New Mexico. those of the Kansas.
Osage, Chippewa, Yakima and many
other tribes were thus handed over to
Protestant proseIYters; and although
tribe after tribe petleioned the govern
ment for the restoration of the black
gowns." no attention whatever was
paid to their requests.
This unfair division Of the agencies, |
by virtue of which the Catholics claimed
that 80, 600 OF their Indian converts had
been gwen over to Protestant control,
with Catholic priests practically for
bidden to hold any future intercourse
with them, naturally aroused the Catho-
lie hierarchy and priesthood to action
and when it was found that remon
strances against such glarlng injustice |
availed nothing, it was decided that
thereafter the Catholic Church should |
be represented at Washington by a |
civil agent, charged to look after the in-
terests OF the Catholic Indians. In |
pursuance of that plan, Archbishop
Bayley Of Baltimore, within whose |
jurisdiction the national capital Law, |
after listening to the recommendations
of such experienced Indian missionaries
as the lamented Father Brouillet, Van
Corp. S. j., and others. appointed Gen
t.Fg~- . + =
eTal Charles Ewing, now deceased, the |
first Catholic Indian agent, his appoint
ment dating January 2, 1874 General
Ewing at once assumed the response
bilitles of his position, but before many
months he became con yinced that, in
order to have the interests of the Catho.
lie Indians properly protected, the
presence at the capital of some priest
experiencedin Indian missionary work
was absolutely necessary. His repre-
sentations to that effect induced Arch
bishop BaYley to name Father Brouillet,
chen yicar-general Of the Nesqually
diocese, director and treasurer Of the
Gatholic Indian odioe, and shortly after