The Tomahawk. [volume] (White Earth, Becker County, Minn.) 1903-192?, 1921-03-17
KELLY ON, THE indian
BUREAU.

1GcpI C0CuVdUAFO -A' NY Wv AASA'J
was speaking on the Indian ap-
preparations the other day in the
House and here are some of the
things he said:
Mr.. KELLY of Pennsylvania.
Mr. Chairman, 1 move to strike
out the last word. I think that
probably members of the commit
tee may get an idea from the num-
Der of items stricken from this
bill that any bill of this kind
might be dyuamited in the same
way by points of order. However,
the Committee on Indian Affairs
has been working for some 10
months and has learned facts re-
garding the Bureau of Indian
Affairs that gives a very good
idea of how this bureau has grown
up. There is no agency of the
Government quite like the Bureau
of Indian Affairs. 1t is an empire
within an empire; it is a United
States within the United States. l
have had in my Office within the
last week 60 volumes of reports of
commissioners on Indian affairs,
and have noted that they contin-
ually recommended legislation and
never secured it, but at the same
time in every appropriation bill,
provision was made for new &C
tivities, entirely unauthorized.
They have built up great irriga-
ton service by yearly accretion of
funds. Our committee has re-
Gently brought in a bill to put
that division irto the Reclamation
Service. They have :. secured
$3.50 q year for al Indian
Health Service, largely duplicating
our general Public Health Service,
They built an entire new depart
n,ent in this fashion,, We have
brought in legislation transferring
that work to the United States
Public Health Service. Then
they have "a forestry division
which does exactly what the
Forestry Service of the Depart
ment Of Agriculture does, dupli.
eating the same kind of work. We
have just, covered that in q bill,
also, by transferring these activi-
ties to the Forestry Service.
From 1850 down to the present
time new activities have been en-
gagged ia by this bureau without
any shadow Of law through pro-
visions on appropriation bills. In
1850 we spent about 100000 for
dealing with all the Indians Of the
United States, and that continued
for some years. Often the com
missioners requested that half a
million dollars or more be trans
ferfed back to the General Treas
ury, because they could not use
the amounts appropriated. Then
began the policy OF extension.
Year after year, decade after de-
cade, new appropriations were
asked for until we have bill here
now in 1921 carrying $4,000, 900.
When the bureau was founded in
1882 the proponents of the meas
ure said that within Is years every
Indian would be out of the juris
,diction of the Indian Bureau and
that the bureau would be discon-
tinued. Witness the growth of
this bureau from year to year to
this date, almost 80 years later. l
think the gentleman from New
York (Mr. Snyder) has done a
service today in that he has shown
how a great department was built
up here without warrant of law.
always through appropriation
bills. When it comes to test we
have a $12, OO0,O 900 measure, the
greater part Of which was never
authorized by Congress and would
never have been authorized by
If specific authority bad been up
for decision. Therefore this bill
is on different basis from almost
any other appropriation bill that