Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-07-26
THE WAR ON MORGAN.
Fat Church School Contracts at the
Bottom of the Trouble.
UNCONVENTIONAL SCHOOLS TO GO.
Big Profits Made by the Catholic Indian
Bureau in Past Years.
M0RGANS PLAN WILL SAVE MILLIONS
rYnoM AsrAFF CORRESPONDENT

point Of the Church, it must be admitted
that as q question of policy he is pursuing
course that has been abandoned by his con-
ferees in this locality. The attacks on Nor
gan never had the sanction of Cardinal Glib
bons. They were begun without his
knowledge, and the damage had been done
before he had chance to take hand In 1t.
The whole row is the result Of bad temper
and bad judgment on the part of some OF
the local priests, and in saying this
I have before me the testimony to that eff
feet from others of the local clergy who ut
terly disagreed with their associates in the
Catholic Indian Bureau, which has had
charge of the Catholic Indian schools, and,
quite as important, of the contracts for fur
nishing the supplies.
The trouble began with a clerk In the
Indian Bureau. Soon after the advent of
Mr.. Morgan it was discovered that this
clerk, a Catholic, but nevertheless busy
body, was carrying news from the Bureau
to the Catholic Indian Bureau, derogatory
to the management of the former in its rela-
tion to the Catholic schools. In many cases
his statements were proved to be absolute
falsehoods Persistfng in this he was dis
missed, and as if to provoke the result that
came to pass, the Catholic Bureau employed
him and he proceeded to villify Mr.. Nor
gan and the whole management Of the
Indian Bureau.
Morgan Enters Protest.
Mr.. Morgan protested against this, and
the Catholic Bureau promised that the a OBJ
jectionable individual should be dismissed,
but he is retained to this day, and, though
modest enough now, has been one of the
most impudent persons who ever had the
run of the departments, going personally to
the Secretary and the Second Controller
of the Treasury and making the most pre-
posterous and impudent demands in the in
terests of the Catholics, and growing in
sulting If his demands were not complied
with Whether the Catholic Bureau had
knowledge of his conduct in this respect I
cannot say, but the fact remains that he is
still in the employ Of the Catholic Bureau
after much of his foolish and disastrous
work has come to the knowledge of that in
stitution.
Mr.. Morgan has been greatly misrepre-
sented in this affair. He is not at all af-
ficted with popophobia He is not an anti
he did not start out as soon as he was in
stalled in Office to abolish the Catholic
schools. He recognized the good accom-
plished by the schools of both the Catholic
and Protestant missions. He never has en-
couraged the dismissal of single teacher
on account Of his or her religion, and I can
not establish the fact that any teacher has
been dismissed for such reason.
Well, then, what is all the row about?
1t is just this:
How the Trouble Originated.
Mr.. Morgan discovered when he came
here that both Protestants and Catholics
had fat contracts with the Government for
the furnishing of supplies to these schools.
He believed that, as the Indians were the
wards of the Government, the Government
should see to and control their education.
He objected to a system that not only made
denominational education of the Indian
children, but which enabled the bureaus
having charge of the schools to make scores,
if not hundreds of thousands of dollars,
every year out of the contracts for sup
plies.
While secular branches were taught in
the schools, the main purpose of all of the
schools, Protestant and Catholic, was to i'm
press on the children that the only proper
and decent way to go to heaven was by way
of the denomination under whose charge
they were. They were even taught that the
Government that supported them was
wise their education.
Mr.. Morgan did not put his wits to work
to abolish the UNCONVENTIONAL schools, but
did begin to multiply the purely Govern
ment and secular schools rapidly. AS fast
as the Government schools afforded convent
ences for the Indian children contracts for
the religious schools of the same locality
were rejected. No embargo was put on re-
Egious teaching. The Commissioner merely
said that secular education was furnished by
the Government. If the churches desired to
teach their peculiar doctrines to the chill
dren, they must do it at their own expense,
and make no more fat profits out Of the Gov
ernment.
No Partially Was Shown.
No distinction is made as to denomina-
ton. Catholic and Protestant are treated
exactly alike. The Commissioner expects
within year or two to have the system Of
Government schools so general as to make
the support of the UNCONVENTIONAL schools
unnecessary on the part of the Government,
and certainly this is a consummation that
will be welcomed by all who believe in the
common school system of the States, and
that boys and girls should be permitted to
grow up with a secular education that will
enable them to reason out the religious
problem to their own satisfaction.
Mr. Morgan has already decided to ignore
the bureaus of the denominations that have
been making fat thing out of Government
contracts. He now deals directly with the
schools. This of itself will effect great
saving. It is now q matter of business to
make the contract and not of influence on
the one hand to get as much out of the
tracts have been made with the schools
since the first of July, but not single one
for the next fiscal year with the bureaus of
the churches; and this plan is said to be
much more satisfactory than the other.
Seventy Contracts in Force.
I have been able to trace about 70 con-
tracts with the church bureaus which are
still valid, but which will soon expire,
nearly all of them about the middle Of the
month of August. Upward of 80 of these
are with the Catholic Indian Bureau, and
the remainder are distributed among other
denominations. The Catholic schools are
the most profitable, as they have the most
numerous attendance. They average about
IS pupils to the school, and for each pupil
they are paid S27 30 per quarter. or $110
for the year, three months of which is spent
by the children at their homes, thus render
ing outlay for their maintenance unneces-
sary for that period From this sum the
children are clothed for the year and fed
and housed for nine months, and the teach
ers are also paid from it. But an Indian
child is maintained with little expense, and
the teachers give their services for almost
nothing in the interests of their respective
denominations.
: Thus great profit is made for the
churches interested Il is estimated that
the Catholic Indian Bureau made a clear
profit last year out of the schools of at least
S11h 0QA and II mod