Mr. CONNESS. I am sorry to differ on any subject connected with Indian affairs with the honorable chairman of the ComIndAffrs, but I take very nearly the same view of this subject that the honorable Senfrom Kansas does. I have taken some interest, let me say, in the administration of Indian affairs in California for some time past. I will speak of that State because I know most about it, and it will illustrate perhaps the operations of this bill as well as its necessity. The reservation system has been ine oration in that State for a great many years. rge appropriations have annually been made for the so port of the Indians. The general system carries out in that State has been to have either one or 2 superintendents. For many years, the State was divided into 2 superintendencics; one was denominated the northern and the other the southern superintendency. Then at each reservation there were what were denominated Indian agents. In addition to that, there was a corps of special agents. The law never des ignated how many employees there should be or how many officials there should be. It was left a great deal to the discretion of the superintendents in the State and the local In ian agents. They would employ special agents to travel into different counties under the pretense of collecting the Indians together, resulting invariably in large charges against the Treasury, to come in afterward as extras and he paid by the Government. I wish to say here now, that the whole reservation system up to the present period of time, dating a yearbook, in California, has been a complete and perfect failure, consuming 100s upon 100s of 1,000s of the public money, far from preserving peace between the Indians and the whites, and far from feeding and satisfying the hanger of the Indians or covering their naked ness. At the present time, the State of California is one superintendency, under a law of congress passed 2 years since. In my opinion, the superintendent of that State is as onest a man as ever existed, and the result of his integrity is bein felt immediately in the administration of a airs. The local Indian agents reside upon the reservations. I can only speak for 3 of them because, although there are I think 4 reservations, one has no permanent agent yet appointed. But the agents for the other reservations have been selected with reference to their capacity to superintend a farm on a large scale, and to produce the largest product from that farm, to take care of the Indians, and appl the labor of the Indians, and their superintenence and attention with the greatest possible benefit. The superintendent is required to visit those reservations at least once a year. He does so and now, as the honorable Senfrom Kansas says, you are going to organize a board to embrace the State of California, the State of N Nevada, and the Territory of Arizona, of 3 inspectors, 2 of whom shall receive $4,000 a year $8,000 to watch the superintendents and the agents. The 3rd member of the board is to be an Army officer, and of course he is to have his transportation or mileage; but if you suppose there will not be incidental expenses, I think you are mistaken. I know and concede thatthe honorable chair man of this committee ives his whole mind and heart to this business of Indian afihirs and does his best. I am entirely satisfied upon that proposition; but I wish to say to him and to the senate, what they must appreciate at once, that the character of the administration of Indian af fairs depends upon the individual, moral, and intellectual character of the superintendents appointed. If you select those superintendents from poor, wasted creatures who merely want an office, you may send 100 boards to watch them, and the superintendents or agents will watch the boards and cheat the Government. I might call attention to several cases thathawecomewithin my experience, but where the cases have passed, I forego that, not wishing to draw a picture disagreeable or disgrace ful to the servrcc. I find, by multiplying, that. we are to appropriate under this bill 340.000 in salaries for 5 boards of commissioners. That is simply the groundwork. There is to be a large addition to that. Before a system of this kind is added to the present system, and you pile one upon another, which ives you no guarantee, in my opinion, of pure administration, I think it is a retty serious question as to whether the whoih Indian Dept should not be handed over to the War Dept of the Government, and thus the immense expenditure that is now made in payment of civilians saved to the Government and all the expenditures for Indian affairs reduced and retrenched. I do not know of any branch of public affairs that requires more attention than this does. I need not say here that I have great conff dence in the integrity of the present head of the Interior Dept no Senator has more; and in the present ComrIndnAffr no person has more; but it be comes a serious question, whether the whole subject of Indian affairs should not be turned over to the War Dept. We appointed a congressional committee last year to go out and examine into the various branches of Indian service. I do not know what they did. I know what some of them did. I do not know what they did in my State. I do not think they changed the condition of affairs there at all. In that State, they are going on very well now, and you might as well take $8, 900 and drop it into the sea as to give that sum to a board to watch Mr. Maltby, the present superintendent. It would be simply a cruel insult to him, for he is exercising, not only the manly qualities he possesses, but the fatherly care of a kind hearted man over his charge, and care in the selection of these agents. That is the only way to improve the Indian service under the present system; but it is a serious question, I think, whether you should not, in lieu of this bill, make a complete turn over of the service, under properregulations, to the War Dept of the Government.