Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-08-26
To EDUCATE THE INDIANS.
The Assistance Given by the Government t.
the Various Religious Denominations.

The Assistance Given by the Government to
the Various Religious Denominations.
A statement has been prepared in the Indian
Office showing the distribution Of public money
Appropriated for education Of the Indians
among the different religious denominations
carving on that work. Ii is stated that there
has been a steady. rapid. astonishing growth in
public opinion during the last three years re-
garding the entire matter of appropriation Of
public moneys for sectarian Uses. The three
great denominations Methodists. Baptists
and Presbyterians have publicly condemned it
and there has been change Of sentiment in the
same direction among the Congregationalistsa and
the Episcopalians. The Baptists have never
drawn any of this money and the Methodists
have now entirely abandoned IL. and while the
Catholics receive for the current year over
s369 900 the Presbyterians get less than $50. 600
and the COngregationalistsa little more than
eos, 900 Out Of the total set apart for all con-
tract schools S525. ISL. the Catholics are to re-
ceive the current wear sass, 535 During the
eight wears out of a total of So IGI. 9'l awarded
20 contract schools ~. 500. 416 Was given to the
Catholics The amount awarded to the Cath
olic Church the last wear Of the last administra-
ZION s347. SIP. while the amount given to
them during each of the four years Of Com
missioner Norgsn's term of Office has been con-
siderably larger. Owing to the failure of Con-
gress 10 appropriate the amount of money
asked for BY the commissioner for Indian edu-
cation IL has been found necessary to abriGge
school work and to cut down the amount al
lowed the government schools and the contract
schools for the year ending June 80. 1898
These reductions for the contract schools have
been made with impartia!ity."
II il further stated that 1.-The United States
government carries on the work of educating
the Indians primarily and chiefly through pub
IL. n 81
Indian Office on a strictly non-partisan ard non
ssctarian basis. All the superintendents. teach
ers, mAtrons and physicians for these schools
IN the classified service and are appointed on
the certifcation Of the civil service commission.
H 10 impossible TO apply to them any partisan
or sectarian test, they being appointed solely
upon the merits Of their examination.
For some years the government has also ap-
propriated from the public treasury money 10
various contract schools.
"Gen- T. j. Morgan, commissioner OF Indian
affairs. entered upon his duties July 1. 1892.
and awarded the contracts for the four succeed
ing years. The commissioner was opposed on
principle TO the policy Of sppropristing mOnev
from the public treasury for sectarian uses and
gave public notice at the beginning Of his ad-
ministration that he would not make contracts
with any new schools. He has steadily adhered
to this policy. although numerous applications
have been made by various religious bodies for
the authorization of new schools
AT the same time he announced that al
though he was opposed to the policy in ques-
ticn, yet 10 was not his purpose TO interfere
with existing schools or to in any manner i'm
pair vested rights or TO discriminate against
any denomination.
During the three years several contract
schools have been voluntarily surrendered one
BY the Catholics at Denver. one by the Presby-
terians at Albuquerque. one by the Friends in
North Carolina. one BY the Methodists on the
Usage reservation and two by the Episcopalians
in Minnesota.
"The school at Devils Lake formerly carried
on . contract school by the Catholics, was in
building belonging to the government. and
when the training school was established by the
Indian Office at the abandoned military post Of
Fort TotIen the Sisters school was made a part
Of the government school, but the Sisters
were retained as teachers under government
pay.
Zone small Catholic day school in New Mex
leo. which was practically a failure, has been
discontinued BY the Indian Office. No other
changes whatever have been made in the Cath
olic schools"