New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-01-12
CONTROL OF THE INDIANS
SHALL IT BE GIVEN TO TIE WAR DEPART
Mi.NT?

DIAN SERVICE AND THE INDINN'
NIL Held RESPONSIBLE FOR
THE MIsDEDDs or \ FEW.
TBr TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNEl
Washington. Jan. 1.-THE periodical agitation IN
favor of the transfer Of the Indian Bureau iV'h NV
Department of the Interior to the War Department -
again heard and felt IN Washington especially III "''
is STYLED the Army circle such agitation Is Away
and naturally more violent during Indian outbreak
than AZ any other Tine although it owes much OF us
FMS piratlon to the deeply rooted resentment All"
jealousy of the Army account Of the transfer VI
The control OF Indian affairs from the War Dcpai oic"
TO the Interior Department many years ago. -,
The advocates OF the restoration of controi " wv
military arm Of the Government are moved 10 q s''"'0
extent by Army traditions than many observers suPp0
ar imagine Az the same time they argue in behalf Oi INC
change that IL would prevent Indian wars ana san
da, i'm the public service. 10Th these arguments "o
appeal more strongly TO common Sen,c II IL 'ou'a "
shown that the former Army administration u "n'.
was free ( on scandals or that II was ul'n"'"' ~
Indian wars. As matter OF historical lact' uo e"
indian frontier. from the Seminole country !" TWIN"
20 the great Western rivcr, aud lakes was frequently
disturbed by Indian hostilties usually the result Vi
the encpachment of white settlers. but sometimes oi
co,o for which officers Of the War Department were
more O. les, directly responsible, during the e"c
period Of military control after the last war WIN "e
Britain; and than once in tOat perod was NV
good fame ~ the military branch OF the Government
furnished by bad conduct on the part OF some oi ts
officers and agents No intelligent will contend that
the power aid tho morals Of tue Army and t' agents ar
stronger or better now than they in the good old
day,7 To which reference has been made. There "c'c
good and valid reasons for the transfer OF Indian affairs
from the War Department in which the control Ilad -
long resided 10 the civil branch Of the Government
reason, which coSent now al tCey "erc WITH
the transfer made.
The Indian treaty system became firmly established
a, q Government policy during the period oil m0lirF
control. u was entered upon. II i true. when Inc
Indian tribes Of the south and what was then the
grsat but sparsey settled West were relatively
thousand times more powerful than th"y no" MT
when hostile foreign Influences dominated most ~
the tribe, from Ohio westward, when fohth' anu
Tccumseh oomcd like giants on the western horizon
and long before the battle Of Tppccanoc had been
fought. Nobody criticised the policy then, ana the
Interior u partmcnt ought not t. be held responsible
for rs existence now. Indeed the civil adminl'tFa-
ton deserves credit for change ~ policy IN l'1f'
which resulted in large number Of treaties ID WHICH,
for the frat time provisions, were incorporated Tor inc
all1ment If lands I'm -cveraltv and Tor inc employ
mcnt Of other and agencies designed to cVlN'
and Influence Indians engage in peaceful pursuits
II i, true that these provisions were greatly neg
l.ctd through "A series Of years, during iour
81 which the eHergc, Of the Nation were devoted
= IL, preservation. II is not more depI1raDie 'aV
some Indian agents sup" fint"ndcntS became dc-
morgllrl IN IN, period than that scores OF Ar"iy
quartrrmasyrs pnymastcrs commissioners and officers
~ .til higher rank we're accused and found guilty.
OF dishonesty and fraud. that some Army Officers IN
the first few yerr, after the wers detected IN
Violations, Of the trusts both military aud c' when
werc committed to them 1t may he remembered mat
when General Grant became President Of the tinted
states, IN 1-'j0 he determined t. piry the MhilnI>
trlton 81 Indian affair, To that end h" appointed a.
COMM ss.oncr ~ indian NGar> acc0mpl SIZED officer
who had been a member Of hi, personal staff during
tic war who was the tuar chief of the six Nations.
and A man In whom he rcpCsrd the most perfect con
hdcnce. At the same time he detailed for duty ms
Indian agents a number Of officers OF the Regular
Army II NAV be remembered also that after two years
trial the experiment abandoned President Grant.
app,cutly wa. not satisfied with the results Before
that time the Indian frontier had been virtually destroyed
and white settlers had poured into and over tle i'm
rnoi.c region of which during the entire period ~
War Department coutol oi Indian affairs the savage
tribes had been Ftt uumole,ted occupation. with the
exccutou Of "A few small and scattered trading posts
the difficulties Of India admini>t alon had increased
t.nfod and tho number Of Indians with whom III"
agent, of the Government had deal directly had
CRAFTY increased also
since 1871 there has been steady II not rapid
improvement ia the management Of Indian AFFAIRS. ana
the Indians thcm,elvt, have been responsive. IN
visible degree TO IN, efforts in behalf Of their cNilza
tom AccOriin. 10 the returns OF the X!tl CeiSn>.
mors than $1,000 Indians IN the United states TO-DAY
arc taxed cl'Ecn, counted in the general population.
THIS does not include nearly $4,000 members of the
i've civilized tribes in Indian Territory. NOR than
5000 Pueblo indians in New-NcNico, nearly 5000
Cherokccs in North Carolina and more tnan
1000 lroquoi, in the state Of New orh. In
addition TO these. there ari 1T least 5000
Indians on reservation, who obtain livelihood
by farming, hcrilus horses ard sheep raising. ana
other civilized pursuits. These hgur'S make an AZ
grcgatc Of lGI 900, which i, considerably larger than
the aggregate Indian population with which the War
Department had directly 10 deal 1t would be
helped into the pathway which leads 70 cNuzaUml
through the efforts Of that department. before II re
lngui,hed the control which IL md held for more than
In the hight Of the hrr--- above given, it will not
do to ~ay that the civil administration OF Indian
AFFAIR." has been failure nor WI IL no. ~ INC hshe
~ history. to assert that military control Is I" be
preferred to civl control That she Indian service J.
married by imPere'tThs. b9th III IT. pcrS'nmrI a."
administration a. well A. by errors Of policy for
which latter Congress Is III the main p|n>ip '
or other respect, by it, transfer to the War Depart
mcnt no intelligent, well informed and impartial
student or observer VIII admit. such transfer
would be a long step backward II people
sincere In their PROFESSIONS Of desire that M indian,
shall bc wcanrd fiOm Navag"Iy ana barblriSm ana
ultimately h"comc absorbed IN me civilized population
or the country. The assertion that they are Incapable
OF absorption and citizenship springs from ignorance
or prejudice or both and scarcely deserves denial.
and yet IL periodically repeated ny TIM advocates ~
military control many Of whom. even in Washington.
adhere the savage theory that IN" only good Indian
il a dead Indian" Every time there Is Indian
outbreak these gentry begin Ia galc the public with
tales Indian torturcs aud atrocities some II which
are AZ least a hundred years old. but which
vampcd ~ Ia geography and dates. and made - do
service the present octaSlOh In TINS way modes
Of torture which have not been practISed by Indian,
within the time or memory Of any man now living are
described a. the ordinary practices Of 10 day-bumng
at the stake torture with burning slIvcrS live Goals
aed all. II q" Army ohccrs,' VINO nave recently been
quoted authorities f3r some ~ The Mum.
rtarscn tale, lately published actually rclatei
them. they must have been deeply Impressed As well
victims Sow, the plain truth Is bad enough without
eXaygcraton: some Of the sioux have pcrpetiatcd
atrociti,s which horrible. and vet all Indians
are not rc,pons bicnOt even all the SionN. Accord
ing 10 most Trustworthy reports not more than
nth or one fourth OF that warlike people has taken
part In the present outbreak despite ghost dancing
The Messiah craze ana all the Influences which tho
medicine men. aided and encouraged by many Of the
chiefs could bring to bear upon them. and down T.
date II * safe 10 say that more Indian children than