New-York tribune., 1905-02-02
BARD'S CHARGE DENIED.
eT4TEnENT By CARDINAL
President Ne0er Directed GiUing of
Indian Funds to Catholic Schools.
rrHox THE TRIBUNE BuRrAu.I

washington, Feb. Statements made before
.ss meeting Of the Indian Affairs Committee of
=. senate complaining that the President had
s,-scted the transfer OF Indian funds TO the
c.,bolic Schools in exchange for the influence
= tte Church in the Presidential campaign. are
.,sgnantly denied by the Presidents friends
"a AZ the White House. as well as the state
-,sr+ made at the committee meeting that the
,,-ssident had entertained Archbishop Corri-
=, 81 dinner and had promised him ten chap
,,,,cies IN the army and navy.
"Tbe whole story is absurd" said an official
=, the White House to-day. 'The President
ever entertained Archbishop Corrigan at a
-,eal. and never promised him ten or any other
,u7,ber Of chaplaincies. do not believe that
,be President has ten appointments of this kind
:. his disposal IN both the army and navy put
.oeetber so the utter righteousness of the story
e shown on its face The President did not
s,rect that money belonging to the Indians be
y4vsn over 10 Catholic schools or any other in
srttutions Had senator Bard or any one else
,nterestec IN the matter made inquiries at the
White Hose TO ascertain the truth. he could
have learned very quickly that there was no
foundation for such story
CardiraI Gibbons to-day issued a statement
senyinr that DR.. Z. L Scharf had any connec-
ZION with the Catholic Church or any right to
,peak for Il He said:
T, view Of certain statements made by SEN
stor Bard before the Committee Indian Af-
fairs Of the Senate, I deem it proper to state
that the Catholic Church has no political agent
et Washington or anywhere else; that Professor
3 7. SCharf. who IS referred 10 in Senator
Rarss statement, is not agent Of the Cath
oYc Church or OF the Bureau OF Catholic Indian
Missions and has never been employed by the
c7hurch or by the Catholic Indian Bureau in
any way whatsoever
Further investigation reveals the fact that
m The request Of Indians the Secretary of the
Interior has paid tuition to ten denominational
schools for Indian children. such payment hav-
ing been made in accordance with treaty stipu-
lstlons. out Of the interest on trust funds held
so- the Indians by the government. Such pay
rnents have been made in accordance with an
oninion of the Attorney General, declaring that
the Indians under the provisions of the treaties,
we're entitled to designate the schools which
heir children should attend and to nave their
tuition paid from such funds. or the schools
10 which such funds have been palo, e1gLt arc
Catholic one is Lutheran, and one. the Hamp-
.0n Institute Of Virginia, is Presbyterian.
The Department Of the Interior is eieaIiy ,1e 20
tbese parments, especially as its action was
Authorized by the Attorney General me at
-entlon Of the Department was further called TO
the materially decreased cost to the 1nolans oI
EDUCATING their children at denominatlona4
schools as compared with the government IN.
sttutiOns. For instance, the average COST OF
3 wears tuition for one child at any one or -FOUR
government schools is S1S2 SO, while the cost at
denoulnatiOnal schools on the same reservations
averages S1OS a year. On the Usage HeserVa-
lion there are two Catholic schools at which the
cost Of tuition is S125 a year, while at the gov
ernueDt schools the cost is S203 year.
Members of the Indian Affairs Committee or the
Senate point TO the fact that these payments are
made from the interest on trust Iunos, over lne
srrer6itl1re of which the Indians have right
10 exercise supervision, and that no appropria-
tjon for any denominational school, except that
al Hampton. Is, or has for some years been
made by Congress