The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1894-07-14
TWENTIETH YEAR
The Catholic Indian Bureau, and
It's Recent Reorganization
Considered.
AN AFFAIR OF IMPORTANCE.
A Passage in One of Gen. Grants
Messages, Relative Thereto,
Recalled.

Messages, Relative Thereto,
Recalled.
4 --
An event OF Catholic interest, which
would seem to merit more than the brief
notice accorded it by the press dispatch
es, is the recent reorganization OF the
Cosholic Indian Bureau, which, by the
way, completes this year the twentieth
one of it's existence, 1T having been first
established by Archbishop Bayley Of
Baltimore, on the recommendation of
those prelates who have, Indian missions
within their dioceses, for the purpose of
representing to the government the needs
and designs of such prelstes regarding
the education of the Indian children
committed to their care, as we'll al the
spiritual supervision of their elders. The
thing that did most, perhaps, to induce
these preIates to prefer such request
to Archbishop Bayley was passage that
occurred in the message which General
Grant, then the occupant of the White
House, embodied in message which he
had sent to Congress, and in which, re-
terring to Indian Affairs, he said:
Indian agencies being civil Offices, I
determined to give all agencies to such
religious denominations as had hereto
tore established missions among the In
dians, and, perhaps, to some other de-
nominations who would undertake to
work on the same terms"
The Catholic prelates having Indian
missions within their jurisdiction natur-s
ally interpreted these words OF President
Grant as meaning that all denominations
would be treated fairly in the appoint
meat Of Indian agents, and by their
counsel, applications. we're forwarded ia
Washington by reputable Catholic citi-
zens, asking for the agencies, tothe num-
ber of 80, at which the Catholic Church
had for years maintained missions. In
stead of being in any way exorbitant,
this demand was in reality very modest
one on the part of the Catholic Church,
which, as every body acquainted with it's
work among the Indians knows, has,
from very early period, had missions at
the overwhelming majority Of the reser,
vations. Great was the surprise, not to
say indignation, of the Catholic appli-
cants for agencies, consequently, when.
the appointments being announced, it
was found that only eight positions had
been awarded to them, and all the other
agencies, then sixty. four in number, had
been placed in the charge of non Catho-
lies. What made the unfa1rness Of such
distribution of the appointments the
more glsring was the fact that, in very
many instances, the agencies awarded to
nom Catholic applicants were ones at
which no other Church than the Catho-
lie one had ever attempted any mission
ary or educational work; and the result
of the appointments was, go the prelatea
having Indian missions in their dioceees
claimed, that fully $4,000 Catholic Indi-
ans were turned over to Protestant infiu-
encee, with Catholic priests practically
forbidden to hold any future services at
the reservations on which these Indians
resided.
Naturally this monstrous injustice
moved the Catholic bishops to action in
behalf Of the Catholic Indians, and they
decided that the best way Of preventing
any repetition of it was to have civil
agent at Washington who, when the next
appointment of agents took place, should
look after the interests of the Church
and represent to the Indian Department
the claims which entitled Catholic appl.
cants to much larger proportion OF the
nominations than had first been awarded
to them. In pursuance Of this plan they
enlisted the sympathies Of Archbishop
Bayley, who issued call for meeting
of persons interested in the matter, and
these individuals, after listening to the
representations of such priests as Faith
ers Broillet, Van Corp, 8. j., Deshon, e.
s. r, all OF whom had had experience
with the Indians, together with several
others, came to the conclusion that the tn
appointment Of q Catholic Indian agent
who should reside at Washington was
the best remedy for the occasion, g and 9
named for that position, January 1874
the still 1amented General Charles Ew,
inaa.
II This first Catholic Indian agant; tax.
ing up his residence 1t the national capi'
tai, at once entered on the disc ch1arRes q q q
his duties, but before many months lIl1u Ihe
became convinced Ftths 81 order q have q
4 tho riiehts offa the Cstholic ndial,ls propE
erly il me- !
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