The Portland daily press., 1898-10-18
INDIAN MANAGEMENT.
Reforms Demanded by the Lake Mohonk
Conference.

At the Lake Mohonk conference last
week the following platform was adopted:
Great progress has been made in deal
ing with the Indian acres in our country.
The nation no longer regards them as a
hostile people, nor even as foreign peo-
pie. The reforms inaugurated under
President Grant have been carried for
ward towards their logical results The
policy of disseminating the reservation
system has been accepted; in many Of the
reservations the land has been allotted
in severalty and the surplus land sold for
the benefit of the Indians; less money is
much more in schools which prepare tor
self support; the government has recog-
niZed the value Of the education of the
Indian women in their homes, In the do
mestic arts, and has increased the appro-
priations to carry on that work. The
anomalous partnership between the
National Government and the churches
has been discontinued and now only one
denomin ational body looks to the govern
ment for aid in support of its schools: the
schools of the other denominations are
supporte by themselves, and the govern
ment itself has assumed the responsi bllity
for organizing and carrying on the work
of the secular education OF all Indian
children of school age on the reservation.
Nevertheless the Indian problem is still
far from solution. A needlessly expensive
for the Indian. but in too large measure
to care for party and political favorites.
The schools, the clerks in the Bureau at
Washington and the Agency physicians
have been brought under the Civil Ser ice,
but with these exceptions, the Indian
Bureau remains a political machine sub
iect to change in all it's personnel after
every Presidential election.
BY both Democratic and Republican
administrations men have been put at the
head of the Indian Bureau, who are neith-
or familiar with Indian affairs nor ac-
quainted with methods of education. In
Clan agents and Indian inspectors have
been appointed without training or evil
dence of their fitness for the office. In
more than one instance drunken official
has been appointed on a reservation and
we'll authenticated complaints have failed
to secure his removal or have resulted only
in his transfer to another field with an
incre ased salary. In cases in which the
res rvatinn has been discontinued and has
been allotted in severalty, the machinery
Of the agency has been retained, though
no considerable service Is required, and
the retention is clearly against the spirit
of the law. These evils have shown them
selves alike when the appointments haye
been left with the Indian Commissioner;
when they have been reserved by the Sac
rotary of the Interior to himself; ami
when they have been practically left to
local politicians.
Some excellent officials have been ap-
pointed and some excellentsswork has bean
accomplished; but 1his is not because blu
in spite of the system. Two Illustration
of the evils of the system have been afford
cd during the past year. The first is Tia
removal of DIR. Hailmsn, notwithstand
ing his splendid record as Superintendent
of Indian Schools, attested by protest
against his removal from men of all par
ties and all otions who are familia
with his work, including many educa-
tional experts. Tho second is ths out
break of some of the Chippewa Indians
who Sc valuable pine timber the govern
ment by the agreement of 1889 coyenantet
to sell for their benefit and is still apprai :
ing and re.appraising as a preliminary
such sale-tWo successive appraisemen
extraya1antly conduci ed at the expense
of the Indians, having already been IS
aside as worthless, with third appraist
ment now in progress.
We have appealed to successive admin
trations to remedy these abuses and tn,
abuses still continue. We now appeal to
the people of the United Safes to demand
of their government that the Indian Bu
reau be taken out of politics, that the In
dian Commissioner be no longer treated as