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Show REPORT OF TOE BOARD OF INDIAN COMMISSIONERS. 173 the State of Kansas, \ vlio will, undoubtedly, render valuable service in our work. Tin's subject lias created the liveliest interest among onr people throughout the land, suid quite ; i number of our young men are coming forward and offering their servie. es. Our cburcb has not been very active heretofore in this line, but always more or less so. " Within the last fe\ v years, as I have, said, there has been an evident increase of interest, and we believe it has proved to be a blessing to our churoh ill its general religious welfare, Mr. JAXXKY. We find that this Indian work in our religious body has had a very good effect upon the society itself. Indian aid societies have been formed and in vaiious ways we can see the beneficial result of the efforts iu this direction upon the vitalitv of the body. Mr. BKUXOT. Dr. D\ er, I believe, is not here this morning. Thn Episcopal society has two missionary organizations; one, I understand, that has charge of this particu-lar work. Will Mr. Welsh favor us with a statement in regard to it ? Mr. WKLSII. The work, in connection with the Government, was commenced last October a year We hail the same horror of church and state that Dr. Lowrie has spoken of, but when the President of the United States, through the Secretary of the Interior, pressed upon the body the nomination of agents, and informed us that the politicians had nominated men of very objectionable character and would undertake to get them through, the church was dragged into it. The work was first in charge of the Two organizations to which the chairman has referred. They were composed of churchmen and laymen. There was not at first much interest manifested in this work of Indian missions, but the more they became engaged in it the more they reali/ ed the importance, of it. They had representatives in Washington a great part of the time, procuring legislation, who found great readiness on the part of Congress to listen to them, and to take into consideration their suggestions. In one instance one of the committees of Congress allowed the representative of the Episcopal Church to take part in the discussion, thereby showing the interest felt by the members in the matter. A commission was organized, under the authority of the church, to watch over the interests of the Indians here in Washington. Colonel E. C. Kemble is giving his whole time to it, visiting the Indian reservations during the summer and returning to Wash-ington in the winter. That commission also appointed a committee from among its own members, with Senator Stevenson as chairman, to watch the legislation, and it is hoped that the other societies will organize in the same manner, that there may be a general co- operation in this matter. In view of the already extensive railroad inter-ests in the West, it is impossible to make any headway unless the interests of the Indians are carefully guarded. An Indian peace association has been foimed in Phila-delphia, that furnish clothing, books, &, e. They also induce ladies to JL- O among the Indians. These ladies first receive a course of training in connection with a school for missionary women, and then go out and unite their effort-; with those of the agents in the work. There is no difficulty now in getting the very best men to act as agents. Mr. BRUNOT. I hope we will hear from gentlemen on " this subject their views with-out sp-' cial invitation. Mr. HARRIS. ' I have taken a great interest in this matter, and also in the plans of tin; different denominations to carry on their work by special organization. It would " be very difficult for our church to create a separate board for this purpose, and we think it would be unnecessary. The supervision of this work is in the hands of the board having charge of domestic missions. Soon after the assignment of agencies to us we were a.- ked to nominate several agents within the State of California. These agencies were not first formally placed under our charge, nor in fact that of any other denomination that I know- of, but our annual conference in California when they met appointed a, committee of their own body to take charge, so far as it could, of the interests of the Indians in that State, and they agreed upon a list of agents for certain agencies in that conference, and agreed also to ask the President to appoint the persons recommended by them. Their report rind recommendations were approved by the annr. al conference, but our board declined to indorse this action on the ground that the agencies had not been assigned to us. Mr. Sargent, who was a Representative in Con-gress, took that list and went to Commissioner Parker, and he, through the Secretary of the Interior, sent it to us, with the request that if we approved it to say so; and if not, to nominate; such persons as we, saw proper. That is the way the California agencies came, under our control. We can go no further than we have gone, except that I intend to get definite information in relation to the Indian schools, & c. We have not yet established schools at our own expense, nor have we built churches. Remarks were made by Commissioner Brunot, Dr. Lowrie, Dr. Harris, Mr. Powell, and Mr. Welsh. At noon the meeting adjourned, to give the use of the hall to the invited guests pres-ent to continue the conference, the board to meet again at the call ot the chairman. VINCENT COLYKK, Secretary. |