The Catholic Indian Missions and Grant's Peace Policy, 1870-1884

The Grant administration, which took office in 1869, sought to replace the system of Indian agents, both civilians and army officers, who were proving unsatisfactory, especially in controlling the outbreaks of Indian unrest. Grant's Indian Peace Policy was for the civil administration of each Indian agency to be entrusted to the religious denomination that had an established mission among the Indians. These denominations would have the right to nominate agents, subject to the approval of the Secretary of the Interior, and call for their removal. Since much of the mission work among the Indians was carried out by Roman Catholics, the Church expected to receive at least 38 of the 72 agencies.

Unfortunately, the President's original plan was amended so that various Protestant churches received the majority of the agencies, with only eight going to the Catholic Church. The frustrated American bishops, determined to do full justice to their allotted agencies and to struggle to gain control of additional ones, selected Ewing as the first Catholic Commissioner for Indian Missions, a position within the newly established Catholic Indian Bureau. As a Catholic lawyer based in the nation's capitol, it was thought he was best suited to protect Catholic interests against Protestant encroachments in dealing with the federal government over Indian affairs. Ewing had already acted on behalf of Catholic Indian missions in the past, and he soon secured the assistance of Rev. Joseph Brouilett, Vice General of the Diocese of Nesqualy, Indian Territory.