Year: 1875

10 treated OF at length IN the annual report
mission appointed by the President under act or
Congress- ITO remove, Il possible, the causes OF war
secure practicable, frontier settlements
and the safe building OF railroads looking toward
the Pacific and TO suggest or naugurate some plan Tor
the civilization Of the Indans.o THIS commission,
composed or eight persons three OF whom civi


aAs OF large acquaintance with Indian matters and
five were military officers OF high rank and most am


liar with the subject OF which they treated after vis


ing the most warke and unmanageable OF all the tribes
and making treaties with them declared their opinion
on the subject as folows:-


This brings US TO consider the much mooted ques-
tion whether the Indian Bureau should belong 70 the
civil or military department Of the government 10 de
ternine this properly must hrst know what 10 70
be the future treatment Of the Indians. II we intend
20 have with them the bureau should TO the Sec
reary OF War II intend 10 have peace should DO
In the civil department. In our Judgment such wars
are wholly unnecessary, and hoping that the govern
ment and the country will nRree with us We cannot
now advise the change II possible that In despite
efforts 10 maintain peace, may be forced on us
by some tribe or tribes Of Indians. In the event OF
such il may be well to provide for the re-
vision OF the Intercourse laws or elsewhere at that
time, the civil jurisdiction shall cease and the mill
tary Jurisdiction begin II thought advisable Also Con-
gress may authorize the President 70 turn over 70 the
military the exclusive control Of such tribes may be
continually hostile or manageable Under the plans
which We have suggested the chief duties OF the bureau
VIII be 10 educate and Instruct in the peaceful arts In
other words, to civze the Indians The military arm
OF the government is not the most admirably adapted
10 discharge duties of this character. We have the
highest possible appreciation ofthe officers OF the army
and FULLY recognize their proverbia integrity and
honor, but satisfied that not In thousand
would like to teach Indian children read and write
1 Indian men to SOW and reap. These emphatcally
| civil and not military occupations


''But 1t is insisted that tho present Indian service
corrupt and this change should be made TO get rid OF
| the dishonest. That there are many bad men con-
nected with the service cannot be denied The records
are abundant 10 show that agents have pockeed the
funds appropriated by the government and driven the
indians 10 starvation IL cannot be doubted that Indian
wars have originated from this cause The Sioux


in Minnesota is supposed to have been produced in this
way For long time these officers have been selected
| from partisan ranks, not SO much on account OF
honesty qualification as for devotion 70 party inter
ests and their Willingness TO apply the money Of the In
dians promote the selfish schemes Of local politicians
! We do not doubt that some such may be in
the service of the bureau And this leads to
suggest That Congress pass an act fixing day mot later
than the LIST OF February, 1869 when the Offices OF
all superin endents agents and special agents shall be
vacated. Such persons as have proved themselves
1 competent and faithful may be reappoined Those
who have proved unfit will find themselves removed
without opportunity 10 divert attention rom their
own unworthness by professions OF party zeal


This wise expedient recommended for rdding the SER
! vice of unworthy agents already in Office was not
adopted by Congress- but has been virtually put into
effect by the order OF the President requiring the nom
inaton OF all Indian agents to from The several
religious bodies OF the country. This opinion
respecting the transfer TO the War Department was
before any well defined plan for civilization
had been adopted and at time when the Indian
vice under civilian management was in Its most unsat
isactory condition, and when open hostites Of very
precarious condition of peace existed among than
half the Indians OF the country That the conclusions
thus reached BY military officers OF the rank and expe
rience of Generals Sherman Harney Terry and Augur
were safe and wise the experience OF the last
years has fully demonstrated and If the civil of the
| government was best adapted to the work required
then, II is difficult to how 1t be otherwise now,
| when, with the exception of portion Of the Sioux
Indians In Montana and Dakota and throe or four
/ thousand vagrant Utes and Apaches in New
Mexico the whole Indian population Is quiet
and except under the most blundering and grossly
just treatment will cause apprehensions Of
serious difficulty hereafter At vesixths of the Indian
agencies no soldier s ever seen or needed AT one half
OF the rehahaer soaers are ony required 70 ACT as
posse to assist the agent in making arrests OF turbulent
men, and even this posse could be much cheaply
and efficiently provided by dispensing with soldiers and
increasing the force OF United States marshas wherever
needed for the control and discipline of Indians. So
far then eleventh twelhs of the Indian agencies
concerned the question putting under the
pertnency than that OF putting the aims
house and city schools under the Metro
politan police. standing army and an ordinary
Indians agency have common end in view. On the
contrary, whenever 1t at all possible to control the
accomplished under policy OF civilization are always
materially hindered by the presence and example OF
soldiers The first lesson to be given the Indian IS
that OF selfsuppor by labor with his own hands; the
last lesson which man in uniform teaches. But
more, and above all the inevitable decentralization or
intemperance and ewdness which comes TO a reserva-
ton from camp of soldiers makes IL of The highest
consequence that the connection of the army with the
Indians be kept at the minimum consistent with their
necessary control and the safety of the frontier.


| DIFFICULTIES ENCOUNTERED


The difficulty which this bureau has experienced
IN
nection with the military service has arisen quite
largely from the unreadness of army officers furnish
aforce to act merely as posse TO civil agent and
the OF acquaintance the part othe agents with
the requirements OF military routine and regulations
This source OF friction, however among officials at the
front not serious and be largely overcome by the
cultivation OF spirit of orbearance and the common
purpose Of their superior officers, both military and
civil to bring the whole service Of the country TO its
highest condition.


There is however, a sphere OF service now under
taken by this bureau, which might to its great re-
/ hn No No. naVo
plies Of clothing and subsistence required TO be pur
chased for the Indian service, amounts to about
expenSed in purchasins for hs Sioux and severa
other tribes few articles in large amounts The In
dian Bureau has never had adequate appointment
for making such large purchases and for transporta
ton Of the articles to the distant parts OF the
try. The Quartermaster and Commissary depart
ments OF the agency have such appointments in
complete organization through which the War De-
partment would be able TO purchase inspect and
transport the goods ana supplies required to
subsst Indians and fulfil the treaty obligations with
much regularity and system than Is possible for
this bureau, as Al present organized. And while a
comparison Of purchases made by the army with those
made by the Indian Bureau Of the same article at the
place does not Indicate that the transfer wil
the whole lead to economy Of funds but rather other
WISE u will yet tend 10 alay suspicion, and viii fur
nish checks and tests for ready application whenever
charges OF fraud In the made either on
good grounds or for partisan selfish purposes by
persons Of repute and acting in good faith, who are
themselves victims Of such purposes the part Of
others II it shall be deemed advisable 10 transfer





rather than TO furnish the additional clerical ap-
pontments necessary for It's proper administra-
lion in the Indian Bureau would respectfully recon-
mend for the consideration Of the honorable Secretary
the procurement OF such legislation will allow tho
President In his discretion, TO direct that any portion
of this service Of buying and transporting Indian goods
and supplies be performed by the War Department.
But II the transfer suggested is made without lodging
this discretionary power in the President should be
limited in its operations TO the purchasing and forward
ing OF supplies OF which the value OF any class Of
article at any agency shall exceed tho Of
81 600 This limitation quite In order TO allow the
disbursement through the agents of such limited
amount OF funds as may be required in purchase OF
articles for immediate use, in cases where delay
would bo damaging 10 all interests concerned


COOPERATION WITH RELIGIOUS BODIES


II Is with great qualification that record the hearty
goodwill with which the several religious bodies OF the
country have in general aided the work OF civilization
during the year. and the close relations of confidence
and cooperation which have existed between them,
and tho agents nominated by them, and this office The
advantages derived rom the nomination Of agents by
religious bodies are manifest every hand II Sc
cures better class OF officers than could DO had by
political nominalon it brings TO the aid of the govern
thnr