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Show 12 REPORT OF THE COMb5ISSIONER OF INDIA75 AFFAIRS. I- -, their judgment a4 to the fitness of military men for the discharge of civil duties involved in Indian administration. I quote from the report the f~llowings ignificant paragraph (p. 4'7, paragraph 2): Thia hriugs us to consider the muah mooted queatian whether the bureau shonld belong to the oivil or militarg department of the Government. To determine thia properly we must know what is to be the further treatment of the Indiana. If we intend to have war with them the bureau should go to tbeSeoretary of War. If we intend ta h m pe ace, ih 8hmM ha in the civil department. 7 3 our judgment nch 1 war8 are wholly unneccessary, and hopingthat the Government and the country will 1 agree with us, we am not now advise the ehange. It is possible, however, that dde- . spite om efforta to maintain peace, war may be forced on us by some tribe or tribes of Indiane. In the event of soch occurrenceit may be well to provide, in therevision of the intercourse laws or. elsewhere, at what time the oivil juriediotion ahdl eease and rbemilit~ir~.jnriadictiboeng iu. It thought xduiesl,le, also, Congressmay author-ize rhe Pmaidtur to rum over to the militarg tho nr c l t~~ivroeu trol of such tribes a8 mav be continudlv hostile or nnmenaceable. Under the nlan which we have au-u - gestcd the chief d n t i e ~of the Lureso will be to educate and instruct in rha peaoeful artn-in other worda, to civilize rho Indians. The lnilitnry arm of tho Governateut is not the most admirably adapted to discharge duties of this charmeter. We have the highest possible appreciation of the afflcers of the Army, and fally reoogniae their proverbid integrity and honor; but we are eatisfied that not one in a thousand would like to teach Indian children to read a;nd write, or Indian men to sow and reap. These are emphatically civil and not military ocoup~tiona. I have carefully considered all the arguments advanced in faqor of the change, and have seen no reason to modify my opinion that the change is ill-advised; was not called for by the circnmstances of the case; that it will not bring about the advantages which some of its advocates hope for; and that it is liable, at least, to produce unhappy fruits. I sincerely hope that before the policy has become an estab-lished rule the law may be changed. THE EVOLUTION OF THE INDIAN AGENT. As throwing a side light upon this question of who should be em-ployed as Indian agents, as well as upon the general policy of the Gov-ernment in dealing with Indians, I ask your attention to a brief histori-cal survey of the evolution of the Indian agent during the past hundred years. In my last annual report, under the head of <(The Political Status of the Indians," I outlined the development, by legislation and treaty, of the present Indian policy of the Government. This resume notes the methods and agencies used by the Government to administer affairs growing out of our relations with Indian tribes. Prior to the adoption of the LIArticleosf Confederation and Perpetual Union," each colony or Rtate had independent. and separate control of all intercourse between white men and the members of the various In dian tribes- within their respective territorial limits. The steps taken by the several States to regulate such matters will not now be discussed. |