Rensselaer Union, Volume 11, Number 13, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 December 1878 — Report of the Secretary of the Interior. [ARTICLE]

Report of the Secretary of the Interior.

The Secretary of the Interior, !n lit* annual report, refers to’hiu recommendation of IhSfycar in regard to the Indiana, and proceeds to say: " The consolidation of a uutnher of agencies has been undertaken with a view to a better location of the Indians, which will at the same time render more efficient the supervision and possibly reduce tlie expenses of the Government, and lessen the opportunities for framl aud peculation. As far as rite appropriations made by Congress would permit, agricultural implements aud domestic cattle have been fnrnlehed to the Indian tribes to's*u the Indians to work for their own support, and to ete courage industrious habile. An Indian police hits been organized at twenty-two agencies, anti from ail of them favorable report” a« to the working ul the new system have been received. '• Instructions have-been given to discriminate lit the distribution of supplies and annuities which are not actual necessaries against individual Indians who show no disposition to work, thus discouraging idleness. Permission to send out hunting parties has been given, for without hunting the Indians .would have been exposed to Want. ‘-• An allotment of laud among thelndlane on the, several reservations lias been ordered and is in progress. The facilities of education have been extended ns much as possible, and pruper directions have been given for the instruction of Indian children in practical pursuits. “The Indian Service has been reorganized in several of its branches. It was found necessary to remove a number of Agents oh account of in proper practices or lack of business efficiency, and great care has been taken in filling their places with new men. Where mistakes were found to have beeii made in the selections, they have been promptly rectified. ■■ Important changes have been made In tliecoutract system and in the methods of accountability. An active supervision lias been exercised by inspectors and special ugouts. The detection of fraud lias been followed by vigorous prosecution, aud ou the whole 1 feel enabled to say that the character of the service has been raised In point of integrity aud efficiency. •• f nni, however, far from pretending that the present condition olTndiuu affairs is what it oiiglitto be. The experience gained in the earnest effort to overcome difficulties und to correct abuses has enabled me to appreciate more clearly the task still to be accomplished. In my last annual report I stated frankly, and 1 have to repeat now, that In pursuing a policy ever so wise, and with a machinery ever so efficient, gradual improvement eau be effected only by patient, energetic and well-di-rected work in detail: "1. An entirely satisfactory stateoftUingscaii be brought about only under circumstances which sro uot and cannot be under the control of the Indian Service alone.' If the recurrence of trouble aud disturbance is to be avoided, llio appropriations made by Congress for the support of the Indians wlnntro not self-supporting mnsf be liberal enough to bo sufficient lor that purpose, and they must be made early enough in the year to render the purchase and delivery of new supplies possible before the old supplies arc exhausted. . The Indian service should have at its disposal a sufficient fund to ire used, with proper accountnbilitv. at discretion iu unforeseen emergencies. •■if. Citizens of the Western States, and Torritori s must be made to understand that if tlje Indians an to cease to be troublesome paupers and vagabonds, are to become orderly and scllbriff porting, they must have lands fit for agricnlutre -and pa Ulnej that on such landu liny must be |»er..lrtincd to reign and establish permanent homes, and that such a ’result cannot be obtained iftlto 1 wl -t, people Insist upon taking-front lluuji by fi.u cc oh t rickety ewj acre of ground that is good for any tit lug. . “The first two things ctn be accomplished by appropriate action on the part of Congress, The difficulties growing out of coutinually-repeatet en-croal-ltments by white people on the rights ot the Indians may be lessened by the concentration of the Indians ou a* entailer number Of reserve lions,., but they can be. entirely avoided evi*n then omJy by the molt energetic enforcement of the law on the part of the General and Imcal Governments. To . this end It seems desirable that Southwestern tribes, whose present reservation appears insecure, or otherwise nnsujtable for their Jiermauent settlement, should be'gradually removedfo the Indian Territorv. The Northwestern tribes will, in the course of I lmm have to be concentrated in a similar manner cm a fern reservations east of the RocVy Mountains and on the Pacific Slope. , “To keep the.lndians on their reservations and prevent disturbance and conflicts, the Commissioner of Indian Affaire recommends the orgaplza-

iton of a mounted body ol infllan auxiliaries, to be drawn from voting men of Ibe varlou* tribes, aud to be Under the command or the military author!tfea. I heartily concur in this recointuendatlou. It is a matter of general experteuce that the Indians ao employed can be depended upon as to loyal •delUjr to the antb-s assigned them. But the prill cl pal rnd ofonr Indian policy Canuot be promoted by police measure* alone. That end cooslsls In gradually Introducing among Ihe Indiaii* the nab ll* and occupations of civilized life by inducing them to wort for their own support, lry encouraging pride of Individual ownership oT property, aud hv educating the young generation, and no etTorls should be spared to bring lo tear upon lliein the proper moral Influence In that direction. Bueb effort* should not hr sneered at as mere sentimental fancies, for. ahotild they be discouraged by the a* aerllon that success la lm|>o*slble. th.- advance made by aonte Indian Irlbi-s Is sufficient proof that a similar advance may be made by others. Whatever miy be icfoinpllohivl by the emuiovnifiit of force. It Is certain that only as Ihe Indians pro gross In the way or civilization they Will cease to Rea troublesome and disturbing element. Tee flloux, ao far, have given evidence of a loyal spirit, and rumor* current of a dl»|»o*lllon on their part to become* hostile proved unfounded.*' He also say* 'that great difficulty was encountered In sending supplies from the Mlssonrl River to the new agencies. In consoqnence or a combination or transportation contractors to force the Government to pay exorbitant prices, their bids were rejected ami the organization of wagontrain*, lo be manned by Indians with their ponies, proceeded with. The task was a difficult one, owing to tho character of the country ami tho clroiimatance that the grass has been burned off the plains between the Mlssonrl River and the new agencies, as rumor has It, by evil-disposed person* to bring about the fttllure of thla experiment, but It has ao far been successful. ... In regard to the outbreak of the Bannocks lasi spring, Sec'y Schttrzsaya: ••It must be admitted that they were Insufficiently supplied with food, which, however, was owing to the appropriation of money by Congress being utterly Inadequate to their wants. The money available for feeding them amounted only to less than four and one-half cent* a head per d»y. Thla created dlacontent among them. When the murder of a whit* man was committed by au Indian, the Indian was arrested, tried and hung. The discontent grew Into excitement. A military detachment tried to disarm them, bnt only with partial; success, and Anally Ihe outbreak took •place. 1 ’ 1 As regard* the outbreak of 800 Korthcru Cheyennes, the Secretary corroborates the statement* heretofore made by the Commissioner of Indian Affairs In a special report npon this subject, showing that It waa notcauscd by hunger, nor by any neglect on the part of the Government officials to furnish them supplies according to the treaty; but that, on the contrary, they received ample supplies, and more than they were entitled to. Sec y Bohurz adds; “ While in many other instances Indian outbreaks are traceable to the treatment they receive at the hands of the whites, it appears from information quoted that in this case the outbreak was owing to the mischievous spirit of bad men among the Indiana themselves, and their determination to return northward to their old hunting grounds. *• Nearly all these runaway Cheyennes have been captured or have surrendered, and are now held as prisoners bv the militaryauthorities in the interest of general discipline, aiid in order to show tho Indians that nothing can he gained by such disorderly conduct. It is thought best to return them to their reservation In the Indian Territory, after having given the eivil authorities of the Htate of Kansas an opportunity to Identify those who committed the murders aud other crimes while passing through that State, so that they may be dealt with according to law.” Sec'y Seburz strongly defends the action of tho Department and Special Agents of tile Department regarding timber depredations, and says: '• We cannot close our eyes to the fact that anything like complete success In suppressing the milavvlul praefiees is impossible, unless the efforts made by this Department, for the protection of public property meet with a hearty co-operation on the part of the Legislative branch of the Government. Aetna! experience enables me to say that want of such co-operation has been, and will always be, an encouragement to depredators to persist in their law less Operations, and to defy the authorities." The Secretary recommends such legislation ns will preserve and enlarge the lands of ihe country.