The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-05-14
Schools for Indian Youth.

A leading point Of dispute in this years
indian Appropriation bill has been the ques-
ton of furnishing Government support to
the contract religious schools. The Senate.
by declining to stop the existing system
instantly, as the House had proposed to do,
left the matter to be settled by con-
ference. 1t is true that only half the
amount Of the appropriation for 1896 is to
be given this year under the Senate's plan,
but the half loaf will be more welcome
than no bread.
That the contract system in religious
schools is doomed is plain, since even the
Senate has put upon record that it must
stop rs soon as the Indian children can be
educated otherwise, and the House may per-
haps he Modified by that declaration as we'll
as by the cutting down of the current years
provision for this purpose. In the bill as
originally presented to the House, the sum of
81, l35, 900 was appropriated for the support
of schools, with the provision that the con-
tracts for educating Indian pupils should
be renewed only with schools that now have
them, and to an extent not exceeding
so per cent. Of the sum devoted to such
schools for the fiscal year ending une 80,
1898. Last years act limited the sum to
80 per cent. of what had been provided for
the year to June 80, 1895, so that the pend
ing bill was to carry on a policy of re-
ducing the amount 20 per cent. each
year until the support should by grad
ual steps be wholly withdrawn. But
in the House, after n short debate, this
policy was abandoned, and by n vote of
90 against "a an amendment was adopted
requiring the Secretary d" to prevent the use
of any part OF said fund for education in sec
tartan schools" What the Senate has done,
therefore, is to restore the original House
committees provision, with n small de-
crease Of the amount therein appropriated
for contract schools. 1t also increases the
general amount devoted to education, so
that the Government may have more funds
for establishing schools of its own.
COMMISSIONS BROWNING recently stated
that the Government now has contracts
for 4,072 pupils; that for the fiscal year
1898 1t devoted SAGA, 800 to such schools,
and for the present year 1870, 100. while n
like rate of reduction would require about
S209, 900 for the next fiscal year. He
added that II the contract system were abol-
ished, and the Government should under
take to care for the 4 200 children now edu-
Gated in the religious schools, IL would have
to build and equip at least twenty new
boarding schools at a first cost OF 81 ,eOO,-
900, and that from two to three years
would be required to get them all "ready
for use and occupancy without injury to
the cause OF education"
II seems to us that this official statement
shows the Senate's action on the pending
measure to be the wiser. Both Houses
agree that the system OF Government
schools Is the true one. The only difference
of opinion is ms to whether the contract
system should, without warning, be sud
denly stopped short, or should be gradually
abolished within the next two or three
years, Should the Senate's present plan he
adopted, 90 per cent. would be allowed this
year, and perhaps e5 per cent. next winter,
with that as the end.
There are two considerations In this mat
ter. In the first place, the contract schools
have proved useful allies to the Government