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Show REPORT OF THE COMMISBIONEE OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. 143 I TRANSE?E&RIN(I THE INDIANS TO THE WAR DEPbRTdENT. In this connection attention is asked to the suggestion of General Niles made both in November and December, 1590, that "the Sioux agencies be turned over absolbtely to the military authorities." In my reports on that subject, dated November 25 and December 23, 1890,I stated that the President's commnnication of November 13,1890, clearly did not contemplate that the mi l i tar~sh ould have absolntegen-era1 control over said agencies, but on the contrary specifically direched that the agents should maintain their control and discipline. The office did not consider that the situation demanded the assumption of absolute general control of the Sioux tsgenciesby the military, and it was hoped that the issnance of an order to that effect would not be entertained, but that on the contrary the military authorities would confine them-selves strictly to the duty of suppressing any threatened outbreak, without interference with the duties of the respective civil agents or their management of agency affair& under directions of the Interior Department. Again, March 20,1891, General Miles made the following suggestion, that- The Indians et Pine Ridge and Rosebwd Agencies be turned over entirely to tbe con-trol of Me militwy authorities in order to put an end to the division of reaponeibil-itp now existing, in order that one department may be enabl*d ta restoreentire con-fidenoe and bring about a condition of permanent peace. The offioials &re in a oonditiou of nncertaiuty, and the Indiana are in doubt as to what their condition is and what to expect in thefuture. In its report of March 31 last the office referred to the fact that there was no law which would warrant carrying out the above plan, and stated its conviction that the exigencies at the two Indian agencles desig. nated did not require the exercise of any extvaordinary power on the part of theExecutive in order to transfer to the control of the military authorities any portion of the duties imposed by law upon the proper officers of the Department of the Interior. I see no reason to change the views expressed in my communioation of December 23,1890, and as they have the same bearing on the gen-eral qnestion which they then had on the specific question of turning over the Sioux agenoies to the military, I desire to repeat them here : In 1870 Congress authorized and the President appointed a joint com-mittee representing the Senate and House of Representatives '' to take into consideration the expediency of transferring the Indian Bureau to the War Department." The work of the committee, together with two reports, one for the other against the transfer, was reported to Congress and printed (Senate, Forty-fifth Congress, third session, Report No. 693). The fact that such transfer was not made is evidence of the in-su@ cieucy of thwreasonu urged thcrcfor, and of the forec of tltoac Dre-seuted iu behalf of tile continucd rivil ad~oinistrationo i 111diauA ffuird: The arguments against the transfer are stated with great clearness and |