22 



AGENCY SYSTEM 



[p.. A. E. 



new ba«s — that of trilial holdings, or, as 

 they came to be called, reservations, 

 which were grouped geographically into 

 superintendencies, each presided over))y 

 a V)onded .superintendent, who was di- 

 rectly responsible to the Commissioner 

 of Indian Affairs at Washington. The 

 reservations were in charge of bonded 

 agents, who reported to the district su- 

 perintendents. This plan continued in 

 force until about the middle of the 19th 

 century, when the office of superintend- 

 ent was abolished and agents became 

 (hrectly responsible to the Commissioner. 

 For more than 80 years the office of agent 

 had been almost exclusively filled by ci- 

 vilians. The i)ow"ers of the agents had ex- 

 panded until l)oth life and pr perty were 

 subject to their dictum. While many 

 men filled the difficult position with 

 honor and labored unselfishly for the 

 welfare of the Indians, others abused 

 their trust and brought discredit upon the 

 service. President Grant, in 1868-69, 

 sought to remedy this evil by the appoint- 

 ment of army officers as Indian agents, 

 but Congress, in 1870, prohibited "the 

 employment of army officers in any civil 

 capacity." The President then appealed 

 to the religious denominations to suggest 

 candidates for Indian agencies, and to 

 facilitate this arrangement the reserva- 

 tions were apportioned among the vari- 

 ous denominations. The plan led to the 

 amelioration of the service through the 

 concentration of the attention of religious 

 bodies upon particular tribes, thus awak- 

 ening an intelligent interest in their wel- 

 fare. About this time commissioners 

 were appointed to visit and report on the 

 various tribes, and in this Avay many 

 facts and conditions hitherto unknown 

 were brought to the knowledge of the 

 Government authorities and the public. 

 As a result new forces were evoked in 

 behalf of the natives. Industrial schools 

 were multi])lied both on and off the res- 

 ervations; Indians became agency em- 

 ployees; lands were allotted in severalty; 

 and through citizenship legal rights were 

 secured. These radical changes, brought 

 about within the two decades following 

 1873, led up to the act of Mar. 3, 1893, 

 which permits the abolishment of agen- 

 cies, where conditions are suitalile, giv- 

 ing to the bonded superintendent of the 

 reservation school the power to act as 

 agent in the transaction of business be- 

 tween the United States Government and 

 the tribe. 



Admmistratire department. — The adop- 

 tion of the Constitution in 1789 brought 

 about changes in the administration of 

 Indian affairs at Washington. On the 

 organization of the War Department the 

 management of the Indians passed from 

 a standing committee of Congress to the 



Secretary of War. By the act of Mar. 1, 

 1793, the President wa.« authorized to 

 appoint "temporary agents to reside 

 among the Indians." The act of Apr. 16, 

 1818, inaugurated the present policy: the 

 President nominates and the Senate ap- 

 proves the appointment of all Indian 

 agents. The office of Indian Commis- 

 sif)ner was created bv the act of Congress 

 of July 9, 1832, and by an act of June 30, 

 1834, the office of Indian Affairs was 

 created. (;)n the institution of the De- 

 partment of the Interior, in accordance 

 with the act of Mar. 3, 1849, the office 

 of Indian Affairs was transferred from the 

 War Department to the Interior Depart- 

 ment, where it still remains. 



Congress established the office of in- 

 spector by the act of Feb. 14, 1873. 

 There are 5 inspectors, nominated by the 

 President and confirmed by the Senate. 

 They hold their office for 4 years and 

 report directly to the Secretary of the 

 Interior. They are charged with the 

 duty of visiting and reporting on agen- 

 cies, and have power to suspend an agent 

 or employee and to enforce laws with the 

 aid of the Ignited States district attor- 

 ney. The salary is $2,ii00, with neces- 

 sary traveling expenses. In 1879 Con- 

 gress provided for special agents. These 

 are appointed by the Secretary of the 

 Interior. Their duties are similar to 

 those of the inspectors, but they may be 

 required to take charge of agencies, and 

 are bonded sufficiently for that purpose. 

 They report direct to the Commissioner 

 of Indian Affairs. The salary is .!;2,000. 

 Special agents are also detailed by the 

 Indian Bureau to investigate special mat- 

 ters or to tran.siact special business. Spe- 

 cial allotting agents, whose duties are to 

 allot, on specified reservations, the land 

 in severalty to the Indians, are appointed 

 by the President. The inspectors and 

 special agents are the intermediaries 

 between the Indian Bureau at Washing- 

 ton and its field organization. 



Field orgiinization. — The Indian agent 

 holds his office for 4 years or until his 

 successor is appointed and qualified. He 

 must give a bond with not fewer than two 

 sureties, and the several sums in which 

 the sui'eties justify must aggregate at least 

 double the penalty of the bond. If re- 

 (iuired,an agentshall perform the duties of 

 two agencies for one salary, and he shall 

 not depart from the limits of his agency 

 without permission (see U. S. Stat. L., 

 XXII, 87; XVIII, 147; iv, 736). Cessions 

 of lands by the tribes to the United States 

 were always made for a consideration, to 

 be paid to tfie Indians in money or mer- 

 chandise. Most of these payments ex- 

 tended over a series of years, and the dis- 

 bursing of them devolved on the agent. 

 He was also charged with the preservation 



