Collection: Directories and Documents > Tanis Thorne Native Californian & Nisenan Collection

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Title: Malfeasance or Indirection [California Indian Superintendency] Collection Type: Directories and Documents Collection Name: Tanis Thorne Native Californian & Nisenan Collection # of Pages: 12 Download PDF: User Login Required Download OCR Text: User Login Required

Date Scanned: 2024-09-03 22:12:09 OCR Software Version #: tesseract 5.4.1 Item Sourced From: PDF First Created: 2025-03-17 03:22:44 Last Updated: 2025-03-17 03:22:44

Original Held At: Searls Historical Library Location: 161 Nevada City Hwy, Nevada City, CA 95959

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The Historical Society of Southern C. alifornia ment.” Three years later, Ames still had not received his money. Agents, considering it unjust to drive former employees from the reserves, permitted them to remain.” The whole situation was potentially detrimental to the “civilization” policy. For one thing, it created a group of dissatisfied hangers-on. Such was the view of Henley, who perhaps for other reasons, cautioned that “their influence instead of being exerted in favor of the progress of business, is rather thrown onto the other end of the scale.’ In the opinion of Geiger, dismissal rendered administration of the reserves more difficult. As he putit, With Twelve hundred acres of land in grain scattered over a distance of ten miles, with five hundred head of stock belonging on the Reserve, and fifteen hundred more on its immediate boundaries, the agent is allowed only a single man (the farmer) with Indian help, to protect the growing crop, herd & care for the Government stock. prevent depredations by stock of others; and more, all this is to be done in addition to over looking the other necessary work to be performed on the Reserve." Neither apparently understood or appreciated bureau objectives. Payment failure also undermined Californian’s faith in the government. As one lamented, ‘‘claims against the Indian Department cannot be sold here. nor are they security for money borrowed.’ Returning to the questions posed at the beginning, it is evident that the superintendency’s business affairs were not always properly managed. The preceding examples of indebtedness, misapplication of funds, direct remittances and regulation of lower level employces support such a conclusion. The reason appears obvious enough—official misconduct or malfeasance on the part of superintendents. But this conclusion is too simplistic; for bureau indirection fostered much of the misconduct. Uniform reporting procedures and bookkeeping practices, for example, were either not established or enforced. Bureau instructions were occasional and usually of a gencral nature. The bureau it appears was often at a loss when it came to furnishing specific directions and, thus, left the superintendent to his own devices. The overall tone of the superintendency’s official records makes this painfully [ 286 J California Indian Business Affairs clear. Indirection was, however, a symptom of a larger and more basic problem, a problem originating from inherent difficulties beyond the immediate control of bureau officials. One basic reason for indirection was the administrative structure within which the bureau operated. The office apparently lacked a staff equal to the magnitude and complexity of Indian affairs. “The business can scarcely be kept up,” complained Commissioner Lea in 1851, “although several extra clerks are employed, and much of the labor is performed out of usual office hours.” Eleven years later, Dole lamented, “At no time since I have been in the discharge of the duties of this office has it been found possible to transact its current business.” In response to frequent requests for additional permanent clerks, Congress generally provided a few temporary ones. As a result, not only was efficient administration frustrated but, as Secretary of the Interior J. P. Usher observed, the shortage of clerks made it “impossible to prevent irregularities.’ The enormous task confronting bureau Officials is suggested in the declining dollar ratio of office to field personnel. In 1850/51, the ratio was 21¢ to the $1.00 but had fallen to 14¢ in 1871/72." Thus, a mounting work load caused by the establishment of relations with more tribes, increasingly complex duties with others and a shortage of clerks made prompt and efficient handling of current business difficult. The hiring of additional clerks, albeit a temporary solution, failed to get at the crux of the matter, What the bureau desperately needed in its opinion was power and influence equal to its _ complex responsibilities. Commissioner T aylor clearly understood the cause and the remedy, when he wrote: The War Office operated the bureau seventeen years and it did not give satisfaction. In 1849 it was transferred to the Interior Department, where it has remained ever since, and still its conduct of affairs is assailed. Each department in turn, with ample time for trial. has failed to manage Indian affairs with popular approbation. If either department is to blame, both are, for both in the public mind have failed. What is the remedy? To know this we must first ascertain the cause. In my judgement, the cause lies on the surface and is simply this: there is too much . cargo for the capacity of the vessel, and too much vessel and freight for _ the power of the machine. We have crammed into a bureau, which » under the supervisory and appellate power is a mere clerkship, all the [ 287]