Proposal for Competency Commission for Indian Affairs1945-03-06Schwabe, George Blaine, 1886-1952http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NKC/1.0/enghttp://congressarchives.org/record/CAC_CC_047_1_5_55_0011In the letter dated March 6, 1945, Mr. George B. Schwabe discusses his intention to introduce a bill in Congress to create a commission to investigate the individual competency of Native Americans and the removal of their restrictions. He believes that many intelligent Native Americans are capable of handling their own affairs and should no longer be considered restricted by the government. However, he also recognizes the need for a competency board to assess the qualifications of individual Native Americans before removing restrictions. He suggests that members of the commission should be selected from the tribes themselves and that the findings of the commission should be final, with the Secretary of the Interior issuing orders based on their determinations. Mr. Schwabe seeks input and suggestions from Mr. F. W. Files, an attorney with experience working with Native Americans, on the proposed bill.