The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-02-03
MUCH FEELING
IS STIRRED UP
More About the Diversion of Indian
Trust Funds.
BISHOP HARE'S STATEMENT
DIRECT CHARGE OF EVASION OF
THE LAW.

NEW YORK. Feb. 1.-THE Evening
Nv Post today prints a statement
from the Right Rev William II.
Hare. Protestant Episcopal mission
airy bishop Of South Dakota, i'm which
he charges that the law prohibiting
government aid to secJarian aid TO
government Indian schools has been
eVaded and that money has been paid
out TO the Catholic mission schools.
Bishop Harc's statement is dated
Sioux Falls, :. D.. Jan. 5. He describes
the pecuniary embarrassment and
anxiety on the part of the schools fol-
lowing the adjustment of the contract
system Of government aid and recites
his efforts to secure some measure Of
relief from its rigid application.
Carried the Case Up.
1t was urged" says Bishop Hare,
that when TatiOns and annuities had
reached the Indian country and a par
ent who had child in a mission board
ing school consented that that childs
falr 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 a sectariaH school
l ventured to present this view of the
case to the commissioner of Indian af-
fairs He rejected ii. 1 then carried
the case to the secretary of the in
terror. He upheld the decision of the
commissioner then took the matter
up to the president. who referred the
Knox"
The statement then quotes Attorney
General KnOXS reply, UNFOLDING the
position of the Indian commissioner,
and declaring that official has no
authority to grant Bishop Hare's ap-
plication.
This opinion" continues the state
ment, was sent me by the president
as his answer 10 my appeal. This, of
course, finally settled the case. What
its effect upon the school work of
other missionary societies was 1 can
only imagine. In regard to my own
boarding school work, it made il neces-
sary to give up entirely two OF the
mission boarding schools, namely, St.
Paufs, YanktOn agency. and St
johns. Cheyenne River reserve, and
aggregate upon the two remaining
boarding schools all the boarding school
funds which / could command. / was
ultimately driven to sell St. PauIs
school for about half its value. and St.
Johns school for about one-tenth of
It's value. The only comfort lay in the
fact that the highest executive Of
ficers of the government seemed to
have been driven to a seemingly pitt
less act by a high and Imperative
sense OF duty, that public duty being
not TO use funds in the hands OF the
government for UNCONVENTIONAL schools.
Statement Very Exact.
Il have gone into some detail in
making this statement in order that
the fact may definitely appear that
the government officials, Hon. w. ~
Jones, commissioner. the Hon. +. A
Hitchcock, secretary of the interior:
the Hon. Theodore Roosevelt. president
of the United .5tates. under advice of
the attorney general. tins Hon. r. g.
Knox, reached and avOWed the opinion
after much discussion brought upon
missionary cffOrt-that il was the set
tied policy of the government not to
use the money entrusted To il i'm aid
Of any denominational schoOl-not a
fraction of the rations in the charge
OF an Indian agent could, at the re-
quest Of the head of a family be set
2 part for the use of that child il that
child was in UNCONVENTIONAL school
Imagine my surprise, therefore on
discovering. last September, that the
same executive officers who had de-
clared this To be the policy of the gov
eminent, and had administered the pol
icy with ineNOTable sUddennesS and Sc
verify. had been making large contracts
for the conduct OF mission boarding
schools
"On the spur of the moment. II
seemed TO me that / might ease my
pecuniary burdens by securing such a
contract for my mission boarding
~
Jones, commissioner of Indian affairs
asking for information. He replied:
These contracts were entered into
pursuant to petition filed in the house
by the Indians of the several reserva-
tons, the expense to be paid out Of
trust funds now TO their credit in the
treasury of the United States
In answer to a second letter he
wrote me:
4 do not think it is necessary for
you 10 secure the consent or even to
have a request made for the tribe. for
5he purpose of entering into contract
for your boarding school,
His Eyes Were Opened.
My eyes began to be opened. not to
say 10 stare. l recalled the whole his
tory Of the action of the government
in regard TO the INSTRUMENTATION
schools as rehearsed above. 1 wrote to
three or four Protestant missionary So
cieties and learned that their amaze
1uent was equal TO mine I next dis
covered that these contracts numbered
IN all nine, and that eight had been
made with one denomination, and that
Of the total amount of the contracts.
viz. $102. $50. all but S4.320 was for the
benefit OF one denomination.
Il happen to have missionaries in the
Indian country who have been familiar
" moving about among the people
there for from fifteen to thirty years,
and who are thoroughly familiar with
the Indian language. ] addressed in
quiries to these and others, and learned
that the petitions for these contracts
were gotten up quietly, that they were
unheard of by them and a
large number of Indians for months
afterward. and that many OF the In
dams who signed them did not know
what the petition meant.
Il received copies of the petition sent
In from different tribes. / found the
petitions to be all in practically the |
same language and language which the
natives would not have used. They
were signed by women as we'll as men. |
About twO-thirds of the signers merely |
attached their mark. The whole num- |
Der of signers is a very small fraction |
Of the tribes concerned; in one case $50 |
signers in a tribe OF 5000 Sioux
List of the Contracts.
Bishop Hare then appends a list Of /
contracts made by the United States /
Indian Office with various sectarian or |
for the education OF Indian /
children for the fiscal year ending June |
30 next. These are as follows:
st. Joseph's school, Roman Catholic. |
Total for year, SIS $50; St. Louis school |
Roman Catholic, $9.375; St. Johns /
school. Roman Catholic $S,125: I'm /
maculate Conception school, Roman /
Catholic, 5000; Holy Rosary school, |
Roman Catholic. 81 500; st. Francis |
IDOL Do, fsafbnIFr. Ng- OOO.