Our Indian Affairs [pp. 5-22]

OUR INDIAN AFFAIRS.
book, and it makes one regret that the services of its author
could not have been retained by the Government. As will be
seen further on, neither the country nor the Indians are well
served in a method of official administration which places duties
of the highest moment in the hands of a mere bureau officer,
and then gives him the salary of a clerk.
This report gives a general idea of the Indian Policy, so
called, of the Government, showing its two-fold application to
the peaceful or friendly tribes, and to those which are savage
or hostile; with remarks on the use of the military, the temporizing treatment often called for, and other topics; followed
by a general statement of the present situation and condition of
the Indians, in the different States and Territories. It is of
course impossible to give here any satisfactory account of this
information, our limits being quite inadequate; but we may
note, in passing, the Commissioner's estimate of the Indian
population. Not counting the 80,000 natives of Alaska, 300,000
will include all that are left of the once numerous Aborigines of
this country-living east of the Mississippi, about 32,500; in Nebraska, Kansas and the Indian Territory, 70,650; in Dakota,
Montana, Wyoming and Idaho Territories, 65,000; in Nevada
and the Territories of Colorado, New M3exico, Arizona, and
Utah, 84,000; in California, Oregon and Washington, 48,000.
About one half of the Indians are settled on reserved lands, and
are uDder the control of their Agents; 95,000 mluake occasional
visits to their Agencies, but are mostly engaged in hunting or
fishing; and 55,000 never visit an agency, are little under the
control of the Government, but are mostly peaceful. "As to
civilization,... as follows: civilized 97,000; semi-civilized,
125,000; wholly barbarous, 78,000."
The report next gives a tabular view of the organization of
the Ilndian service, showing that 878 persons are employed in the
different Agencies, as clerks, physicians, teachers, farmers,
blacksmiths, &c., whose compensation amounts yearly to $564,360. If the salaries of the S3uperintendents and Agents, not
here reported, were included, over $100,000 more shouldcl be
added, and $59,080 for the Indian Bureau in Washington, making upwards of $700,000 for salaries in the Indian service. To
this must be added some millions for the purchase of supplies
under the treaties with the Indians, and tens of mil.Iions for
6
[January,