Mr. TRUMBULL. He may remain there just as long as the SecyWar may remain in his position. I am not speaking with reference to his permanent continuance there; it was in another view, as the Senfrom Maine, if he had waited a moment, would have seen, that I s oke in reference to him. This gsntlemau is familiar with our Indian matters. lion:1member of this body, for some 8 or "3" Years he was an active member of the ComIndAffrs. He has paid very great attention to this particular branch of the public service, and, in my judgment, is now placing the conduct of our Indian affairs in a better condition than it has ever been placed in before. He is looking more closely to this branch of the public service. I think he understands it far better than any other head of a Dept in the Government. If the expenses are new large, if the treaties recently negotiated are numerous, it arises out of the fact of the disturbed condition of the country, of the war which has disturbed our Indian relations. Now, sir, at a time like this, when we have our Indian affairs under the control of a person in whom we have the greatest confidence, when numerous treaties have recently been negotiated, without any recommendation from the dept, hastily upon an appropriation bill, at the suggestion of a committee not charged by the Senate with looking particularly into Indian affairs, are we prepared to make this radical change and to take these uncultivated Indians, whom the religious community and the enlightened people of the U.S. have been struggling to Christianize, to educate, and to elevate for years, out from all these influences and simply control them by military power, place them under the bayonet? Why, sir, the rent expenses of this Government connected with the administration of Indian affairs have grown out of the wars with the Indians. I Will not say that these wars were inaugurated because the military had control of Indian affairs in times of eace. Perhaps they were a necessity that con(1 not have been avoided; but we do know that some of the most exensive Indian wars, which have cost many millions to the Government, have been recklessly, and many of us think need and inconsi erate action ofsubordinate military i“fiicers. The tendency for the last few years, Mr. President, has been to a concentration of power in the hands of the military. They have controlled of necessity a large portion of the country for the last 5 years, in civil matters as well as military matters. Half the territorial extent of the Uniop already has been under the complete control of the military, and the tendency is to concentrate power in the hands of the military. Now, sir, when we have peace, when our Indian affairs are being mana ed, as I have said before, by a person in wtiiom we have the utmost confidence, I think it is the wrong time inconsiderately to make such a change as this. I think it will shock the enlightened intelligence of this nation to say to them that all these Indian tribes, in which our religious denominations in different parts of the country have taken an interest, in which liberal minded men have taken an interest, are to be taken out from under the control of the civil authorities and placed entirely under the control of the military. What are the reasons that are given for it? It is said that it will be less expensive to man age them by the military, and my friendfrom Ohio brings in here and reads to the Senate, as a reason for making this change, an abuse in the purchase of some flour at "ort Gibson, if it be an abuse, and says that a large price was paid for that flour. If the Senfrom Ohio will look at the purchases made by Army officers, he can find many abuses. He can find where they bought rocks for hay, where they paid for 100s and 1000s of cords of wood that were never delivered, where grain and forage paid for as in good condition were utterly worthless, where garments purchased for your soldiers were of rotten cloth and good for nothing. But, sir, that would afford but little reason for changing the whole organization and control of the Army; and the Sena for from Ohio will permit me to say that this evidence that he has got in reference to the urcliase at Fort Gibson, I presume, comes from one of the parties who are having a controversy in the Cherokee country. There were lessly, broughtupon the country by the hasty before the ComIndAffrs the representatives of what is known as the Ross party and the representatives of the other party, 'ormerly known as the Ridge party, and they disagreed totally in their statements. These different parties have employed attorneys, and I am told that these attorneys receive very large fees for appearing before committees of Congress and endeavoring to advance the views of the particular tribe which emplo s them. I do not speak of this to the discre it of or as any reflection on the attorneys. It is their business to appear as counsel for clients who cm loy them; but they represent the case of their clients in the best view they can consist ently with the facts; and I have no doubt that much of this infermation which has affected the mind of the Senfrom Ohio has come through paid attorneys, paid 1000s of dollars to accomplish a particular object. There are 2 parties of the Cherokees, unfriendly and hostile to each other, unwilling to unite together to make a treaty, one party setting up that they cannot live with the other, and that they must have a separate treaty; the other party insisting that there must be a treaty for the whole nation, and they being in a majority, as the minority say, will control the mine irty unjust] and encroach upon their rights. I will not undertake to decide who is right or who is wrong at this time. I s cak of it merely to place before the Senate the fact that the statements of interested parties are to be taken with many grains of allowance. We all know, sir, that under the management of the military Dept of this government business is not carried on in the most economical way. Suppose the Senfrom Ohio were to institute an investigation to know what this Capitol has cost and how the work upon it has been done under the military Dept of the Government, or were to look into the expense of constructing the Washington a ue uct, I wonder if he would not be able to ad that much more money had been expended than was really necessary to accomplish the work which has been done. Why sir, it is notorious that a public work erect e by the Government through the military Dept costs an extravagant price; and I (now no reason to suppose that the public business of the country can be carried on more cheaply through the War than through the Interior Dept. As was very justly remarked by the Senfrom Wisconsin, we make our appropriations for the Army in the luin, by the tens and the 100s of millions of ( ollars. Instead of appropriating a few 1,000 dollars, ten, 20, or 30,000, as the case may be, to take supplies to an Indian tribe up the Missouri river, we appropriate $30,000,000 for transportation purposes of the Army. Whenevert e Army needs to move supplies up the Missouri river it charters boats at $600 a day or $70021day, and nothing is ever said or thought about it but if an Indian agent charters a boat at half that price, the matter is inquired into. None of us ever know the details of the expenditures in the War Dept. There has come to my knowledge, in connection with Indian affairs, within a few days upon the Indian Committee, a fact whichI will state. The War Dept has had control of a tribe of Indians known as the Navajoes for the last 2 or 3 years. We had a war with them. Our armies captured them, placed them in acertain locality, and have been guarding them for several years, at an expense last year of more than 1200,000 dollars for feedin and taking care of them. The SecyWar a plied to the SecyInterior to take charge of those Indians. The War Dept wishes to get rid of them; and the SecyInterior has sent in an estimate of the amount it would cost that Dept to take care of' the Navajoes for the next year; and how much do you think it is? About 700,000 dollars. I cannot give the exact figures, but it is more than half a million less than it cost the War Dept this year. The ComIndAffrs, however, have thought it bet ter, as those Indians were now in the control of the War Dept, to leave them there, and have not recommended that appropriation. It being stated that it was necessary to use some military power to control the warlike tribes, it was thought better to leave them entirely under the control of the War Dept for the ensuing year, although it cost last ear more than 1200,000 dol ars for the War dept to take charge of that single tribe of ndians.