The Irish standard., 1915-02-20


lie schools and with all the mission
schools not less than $4,000 Indian
children are even at this time with
out school facilities.
| Probably because of the drastic ma
ture of the legislation which left the
! mission schools without funds, Com
missioner of Indian Affairs Browning
offered to purchase all the mission
school plants, incorporate the teach
ers into the civil service and allow
them to remain until they should be
automatically replaced by others
through the operation of the civil
service regulations.
While the church bent her energies
to provide support for her schools
from the voluntary offerings of her
people, the burden was too great and
the schools too numerous for her to
maintain them all. In response to
the commissioners invitation she
turned over number of schools to
the government, and in only three of
these schools which are still in opera
ton has she any representation today.
Later Commissioner of Indian AT
fairs Jones made the same offer, to-
wit, to purchase the schools and retain
the teachers. The offer was declined
in the main, but since that time sew
eral Catholic mission schools have
| become government schools. Both of.
fers were no doubt made in good faith,
but what the result would have been
had the church coded all her schools
to the government under the terms Of
| fered is patent from the "anti-garb"
order of Commissioner of Indian At
fairs Valentine in 1912. 1t would seem
that the process of eliminating the
sisters through the operation of the
civil service rules was too slow to
meet the wishes of certain persons. 1t
would be interesting to know just
what forces were brought into play
and what methods were employed to
bring about the PRONUNCIATION of the
anti-garb order, which, however,
eventually was SO modified that the
civil service status of the sisters al.
ready in the service was not impaired.
! notice from the hearings that schools
of this character have been discussed
| In, ,fc
not one, not even the representatives
of the Indian office, appears to have
given an adequate explanation of the
subject.
| call attention to the fact that in
building schools to be sustained by
government subsidies and in transfer
ring schools to the government the
Catholic church was not the prime
mover. In both instances it was the
government who announced the plan
/ and made the invitation. The church
could not but presume she was doing
what was right and legitimate i'm &C
ceding to the governments invitation
1t has been made to appear that the
church has sought these conditions
and intrigued to secure them. The
fact is quite the contrary. She has
acted with sincerity and relied on the
good faith of the government; she
has, however, endeayored to protect
her Indian schools and secure that
fairness of treatment which she had
right to expect.
These remarks will apply with only
slight alteration to another class of
schools-the tribal contract schools.
AS FOR these schools, the initiative
came not from the church, but from
the Indians themselves, the Osages
being the first to insist that tile gov.
eminent use their furds for the sup.
port of their mission schools. The
church upheld and advocated this pol
icy, which was accepted by the Indian
office and, later, when it was ques.
toned, was sanctioned by the courts,
the supreme court having rendered it's
decision May IS, 1903.
During some years the cry has been
heard from all sides, Teach the In
dian to become self-sustaiming; to
manage his own affairs; to earn his
bread: to support his institutions"
1t Is in harmony with this contention
that Indian tribal moneys were al
lowed for the support and education
of Indian children in mission schools
in instances where the Indians shar-
ing in such funds desired it.
The Catholic church at this time
supports outright, without assistance
from any quarter whatsoever, 38
boarding and several day schools, rep.
resenting an annual outlay of not less
than 100000. In addition to these
80 schools she conducts il boarding
schools which are supported entirely
by the Indians out of their tribal
funds. We contend this is in accord
with the present generally approved
policy of teaching the Indians to sup
port themselves and their institutions.
No one objects to the policy of the
government, which, without consulting
the Indians. uses their tribal funds for