The San Francisco call., 1905-02-03
SAYS The LAW
IS NOT UPHELD
Missionary Bishop Claims
Indian Funds Are Being
Wrongfully Distributed
WRITES LONG PROTEST
Episcopal Prelate Declares
That Catholic Schools Re-
ceive More Than Fair Share

NEW YORK, Feb. 2.-The Evening
Post to-day prints statement from
the Right Rev. William H. Hare, Prot
estant Episcopal missionary Bishop of
South Dakota, in which he charges that
the law prohibiting Government aid to
sectarian Indian schools has been evad-
ed, and that money has been paid out
to the Catholic mission schools. Bishop
Hare saws:
1t was urged that when rations and an
nuities had reached the Indian country and
parent who had a child in mission boarding
school consented that that ehild's fair share
of the rations for his family should be turned
over to the said mission school, compliance
with his wish could not fairly be held to be
an appropriation TO sectarian school,. l
ventured to present this view Of the case to
the Commissioner of Indian Affairs He re-
jected it. then carried the case to the
Secretary of the Interior. He upheld the de-
cision of the commissioner. then took the
matter up to the President who referred the
matter to Attorney General Knox.
The statement then quotes Attorney
General Knox's reply, upholding the
position of the Indian Commissioner,
and declaring that official has no au
thority to grant Bishop Hare's appli-
cation. Continuing the Bishop says:
This opinion was sent me by the President
his answer to my appeal. This. OF course,
firally settled the case. What its effect on
the school work of other missionary societies
1 only imagine. In regard to my
own boarding school work it made it neces-
sary to give up entirely two of the mission
boarding schools namely. ST Paurs. 4ank- ,r
Reserve. 1 ultimately driven to sell st.
PauPs School for about half its value and
Imagine my surprise therefore. on discov-
ering last September, that the same executive
officers who had declared this to be the policy
of the Government and had administered the
policy with inexorable suddenness and severity,
had been making large contracts for the con-
duct OF mission boarding schools
On the spur of the moment it seemed to
me that / might my pecuniary burdens
by securing such contract for my mission
boarding schools and l wrote TO W. A Jones,
Commissioner of Indian Affairs, asking for
information. He replied:
These contracts entered into pursuant
TO a petition filed IN the House by the Indians
of the severals reservations the expense to be
paid out Of trust M funds IeS nov to .he'r
In answer to a second letter he wrote me:
IT do not think It is necessary for you TO
secure the consent or even to have request
made for the tribe for the purpose OF enter
ing into a contract for your boarding school
Ny eyes began TO be opened; then l began
to stare. / recalled the whole history Of the
action of the Government in regard to the
interdenominational schools as rehearsed
missionary societies and learned that their
amazement equal to my own. / next
discovered that these contracts numbered In
all nine and that eight had been made with
amount of the contracts. viz. $1o2. $50. all but
$500 was for the benefit of one denomination
Bishop Hare then appends list of
contracts made by the United States
Indian Office with various sectarian or
ganizations for the education of Indian
children for the fiscal year ending June
80 next The list follows:
St Joseph's School, Roman Catholic, total
for year SIS, $50: st. Louis School, Roman
Catholic, S9315; st. Johns School, Roman
Catholic SS125; Immaculate Conception School,
Roman Catholic, S7020: Holy Rosary School,
Roman Catholic, S21, 600; St. Francis School.
Roman Catholic, S27. 600; st. Labres School.
Roman Catholic, s64s0: st. Mary's School.
Roman Catholic $500; Foss Boarding School,