New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-02-24
HELD Up By TIE SENATE
INDIAN SERVICE SAID TO BE SUFFERING
FROM PETTY POLITICS.
GEORGE BIRD GRINNEIL DENoUNcEs THE PRAc-
rIcE WHICH MAKES GOVERNMENT APPOINT
MENTs THE PERQUIsITEs OF UNITED

To the Editor OF l he lTlUuUe
Sir: Whatever may have been the mistakes or
shortcomings of the present Administration, there
is substantial agreement among persons Interested
In such matters that Indian affairs have never been
so wei conducted as during the last two or three
years The Secretary Of the Interior and his office
and the Indian Bureau and its office seem to have
made an honest effort toward better treatment OF
the Indians and buslnesslike conduct of
| Indian affairs.
The aim OF the present Indian administration
has been to get the best service possible out OF It's
| employees: and where individual in whatever
position has proved himself Interested and efficient
| in that position, effort has been made to con-
tlnue his services and to take advantage of the
| experience that he has accumulated in his past
| work Where practicable employees have been put
| under the civil service rules, and man who has
| shown himself good farmer has been advanced
| to be a clerk. a good clerk has been advanced to
| be an agent. In other words. the Old practice OF
| turning a out just as soon az he had learned
the business Of his position has been stopped, and
| the faithful and efficient employees OF the Indian
| Bureau like the employees of great corporation,
| have been promoted The result OF this has been
constant Improvement in the class OF employees ana
| a more efficient service
All this OF course while for the good Of the
country at large and especially for the good Of the
Indians has not been for the good OF the spousmen
or the place hunters. and the result OF the dis
satisfaction among the politicians has at last taken
to confirm many excellent appointments that have
| been made.
An ABUSE OF SENATORIAL COURTESY.
The politicians in the Senate take the ground that
the offices connection with the Indian agencies In
any State belong to the Senators from that State.
Positions under the Indian Bureau for agencies In
| Wyoming Nebraska, or one Of the Dakotas are re-
garded personal perquisites OF the Senators from
| the States in which the agency is situated. The
| THAR nstp
sttuents for the men who do their political work,
| who blow their political trumpets and beat their
political drums and run their political conventions
| A man may have made splendid record for him
self sub-agent at an agency In Nebraska. but II
| the Indian Bureau promotes him to be agent at
some place In Dakota, the Senate. out OF misnamed
| Senatorial courtesy for the Senator from Dakota.
J declines to confirm his appointment No way could
| be devised. perhaps. By which the real Improvement
| of the Indian service could be more discouraged
| than by this
The work Of carrying on an Indian agency is
| business and. like any other business It will be
most successfully conducted by one who Is fitted for
| the work by n special training. That a man who
has had such a training can attend to 1t more EN-
| clently than one who knows nothing OF II ana mas
| everything to learn would seem to be se.f-evident.
| A man whose business education has been that Of
| an architect would no, expect suddenly TO take
charge OF a bank and at once become II great hnaa-
c.er Moreover. the handling OF Indians requires
special experience for as IL now pretty wen under
stood Indians very different In their ways OF
thought and in their point Of view from CIVILIZED
| men Some time l. required for association with
and study Of Indians before their mental attitude IL
con,pr, handed and until one has reached an under
standing OF this attitude he mlsnnderstanis ana Is
! misunderstood: his labor Is in vain.
| II IT, therefore. highly desirable that men whose
! records show that they are interested In their
| work among Indians. and that this work has been
| efficient should be continued IN their places, and
| where the circumstances Justify II. advanced
! rather than tina; new men, OF whose experience ana
fitness nothing Is known should be appointed to the
| places II the first system should be honestly
carried on for Il few years the ranks OF the Indian
service would b. filled with selected lot OF public
| seryants chosen and promoted for their efficiency
and for other reason and the result or such a
| selection would speedily show Itself IN the rapH
progress OF our Indians toward civilization ana sell
support and In the reduction Of the amour, Of
| money which IS appropriated for their subsistence
| and education.
| PAYING POLITICAL. DEBTS
Yet the hardy patriots who represent rs in the
United States senate want their political work done.
| ard in some form or other this work must be paid
| for But these Senators would never think OF pay
| ing for II OF t..cir own pockets. They prefer
| the good old American method OF paying smah
| pcl,,ical workers by small Offices and 50 hire their
| hcuchuen 10 be paid for services to Thorn by Coy
Of the country are taxed. Thus work. which, to be
| dcne properly requires honest effort and an active
,rterest is turned over to men who want the posi-
lions not that they may do honest work In
them, but because In these positions they can get
greater salaries for less work than IN other ca.ings.
II IS with these offices Just as II has been with
others in this country for many years. and the old
story has been told Il thousand times; but IN the
Indian service the employment OF bad and incompe-
tent men does greater harm than In other branches
OF the public service the advancement Of the Ind
ians IL Indefinitely put Of they are still further in
jured by the added Encouragement which each year
OF retrogress.Jn or OF stationary condition brings.
| and the money appropriated for the purpose Of
starting them In the way OF earning their own lve.i-
hood Is wasted.
There are now before the Senate awaiting con-
nrmat,on several appointments OF Indian agents
| which arc being held up" the phrase s for no
| other reason as It IS believed. than that the diff
| ferent appointees do not come from the states in
! which the various agencies to which they have been
appointed are situated. The history and qualihca-
lions Of some OF the appointses are worth studying.
CASES IN POINT
| The first case Is that OF George H. Newman. OF
Favetteville Tenn. who recently appointed
agent at the Coville Agency. In Washington To
take the place OF Captain j. W. Budd. relieved. MI
Newman was appointed In March. 1894 specia' agent
| 10 remove the upper and middle uahus OIL 'ponn"e
| Indians TO the Occur Alene Reservation. III lddho
according TO an agreement cohc'uue" WIN '"e." ~
March 1857 and ratified By Congress In 1877 since
| that appolatment he has been engaged In his WORK
on the Spokane and Occur d Aene reservations ana
he finished his work OF special agent In August
1885 in a manner satisfactory TO the Indian once
AS shown by the last annual report In when the
| Commissioner says:
In my report of last year | referred to the work
| then An progress OF removing the upper ana middle
hands of Spokane Indians to the respective reserva-
lions TO which they were entitled TO go, under the
agreement concluded with them March ID. 1885, rati-
| ned by act OF July 49, 1892 (g7 Stats, lg) Tha!
work. has since been finished. and In a manner very
satisfactory to the ONCE. 1nere nave p"eh re-