Morris tribune., 1916-07-28

pills. This request was refused on
the ground that the committee consid-
cred it necessary to first have an
official investigation to determine
what schools could be dispensed with ;
but the committee promised to Sc
cure such an investigation and in
serted in the Indian appropriation
bill, then in course of preparation,
the following direction:
The Commissioner of Indian Affairs
is hereby authorized, under the direc-
tion of the Secretary of the Interior,
to ascertain whether and upon what
terms it may be possible to dispose
of any of the nonreservation schools
which, in his judgment, are no longer
of value to the Indian Service and to
report the result of his investigation
to the next session of the Congress.
This occurred during the first ses-
sion of the Sixtieth Congress.
This direction became a law (35
Stats, 10Y, and at the opening of the
second session, on December a, 1908,
commissioner reported that seven schools
including that at Morris, were not
needed; he also reported that he had
consulted with the governors of the
States where the schools were located
and had suggested to them that if the
schools were to be maintained as edu-
cational institutions the foremost con-
! sideration for the tranfers would be
that Indian pupils be given "free tut
ton, paying uniform charges for
everything else, just as non-Indian
pupils would" Upon this report an
other application was made to the In
dian Committee of the House to have
the school turned over to the State.
This application was successful in Sc
curing the insertion in the Indian ap-
preparation bill III. R. 26916 of the
Sixtieth Congress) Of a provision d.
recting the Secretary of the Interior to
dispose of and convey the school on
conditions to be prescribed by him.
This language was broader and less
definite than desired, but when the
committee was asked to amend it l
was answered that the governor of the
State, Mr.. Johnson, had refused to
express an opinion on the question
whether the State would accept it or
not, and that as the State might not
accept it the authority should be
broad enough so the school might be
disposed of either to the State or per-
haps to the city or county where loca-
ted. The conditions upon which it
might be granted to the State were
not in dispute. When this item was
reached for passage in the House Hon.
James S. Sherman, then chairman of
the Indian Committee and afterwards
Vice President of the United States,
among other things said:
The thought in disposing of these
schools is to dispose of those remote
from the reservations, to dispose of
those which have not sufficient num-
Der of pupils to make it worth while
and expedient to maintain the schools
that is, that have not enough pupils
within the reasonable radius of the
school; at the same time to provide
in the disposal of them that there
shall be free tuition to the Indians at
that school and to dispose of them to
the State upon the proviso that they
shall maintain them as educational
institutions.
And he added that the department
was authorized to dispose of this
school on that condition.
Hen. JAMES R. MANN, the pre-
sent Republican leader in the House,
commenting on this statement, said:
There are large number of Indians
in Minnesota. Are we going to get
ourselves into the position in giving
away, the present school that in a year
or two we will be asked by the gentle
men who represent Minnesota to pro-
vide another school up there?
This provision authorizing the
school to be turned over to the State
passed in the House February 16,
1909. If it had been adopted in the
Senate in the same language that it
passed the House the school would have
been conveyed to the State; but, de-
string to have the lanp11aoe made more