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Show office it is to draw contracts, to give legal advice, and to make collec. tions by law. The Indian Bureau needs the services of a competent solicitor in drawine contracts. in vassine on land and other leeal aues. tious, and in pros';curiug drfxuliing c.;;ntractor~, who, until reee;ltlJ., have beeu ~uffered to go for n;mt of a rosero rotor. The ontlag of three thousand dollars ver aunum for this vur~osew ould result in bavine t o the government &any thousand doll& a6nually. Such an officer iiin. dispensable for the proper working of the bureau. TRADE WITH INDIANS. A very important subject for consideration is that of Indian trader-ships. As the agency traders have daily intercourse with the Indians uaon their reservations. thev have unlimited ov~ortunitiesto influence them for good or evil. i'heirue interests of thk'1uilians are not always in hn1.mo11y wirh the persounl iuterests of the tr:iders. From time to time factscome to lieht which serve to urove that not all of them are wortbg of the rrcom&eudarion I I ~ O U\r .l~;ch their liccuheo were grautwl. The tier that in everp outbreak of' 1udi;ills it is ti~und that there is no lack of arms and ammnnition, Droves that at least with some traders. tlie acc:ompauyinp horrors of a kar sit11 sarakrs bare not alwajs been sui3icient to overcome their greed fbr gxiu. So, ~ O I I , tbe opportanities allbrded to dibhouest moll to cheat the ludian.8 through the noeof tokens aud tickets in lieu of mouey, aud again 0.y cleuoantliug of them ruuch higher price8 tlla~r are aslied of white mrll, even ahcu money is used, are far too frequently availed of. To enforce the laws respecting the sale of arms, ammnnition, and iu-toxicating drinks; to do away with the pernicious system of checks and tickets,, which by traders are misnamed dollars; to insist that na distinctron shall be made between whites and Indians in the prices to be paid for purchases and sales of goods, aod to guard against it by calling uDon the traders to furnish vrinted rice-lists which the In-clians'cau- onder3taud, for the p r i ~ ~ e i ~ a i n r l i c l e ~ ~wthbeyi cml ~ay hare to sell; to counteract as much an 110sslhlr tlte bad results ot thttt selt-aagraudize~ uenot n the Dart of trader3 which rpyults ini~iriouslrb orb to tKGpreseut interests an& future welfareof the Indians; in fine, bearing in mind that the trading business in the Indian country is to be con-ducted ~rimarilpfo r the benefit of Indians and but incidentallv for the benefit if the traders, to utilize the money-making instiuct, andUthrough a system of fair dealing to make the traders most potent instruments in the civilizing process, will be but carrying out that law which requires this office '' to make such rules and regulations as it may deem just and proper." That I have no desire to disregard or avoid the duty which the law has ~ n ut~ o nm e is made manifest by the fact that I have alreadv issued the Guisite instructions for the iccomulishment of the object; herein mentioned. A There are still other difficulties resulting from the establishment of traders in the Indian country. Eaoh gear <be Indians areclamorous to be permitted to hunt huftalo; and each year it becomes more and more certain that the proceeds of the hunt subserve the interests of the traders in securing huflalo-robes in trade for goods, and lead them to encourage the Indians in keeping up an enthusiasm for the hunt. Despite the annual losses of fences, dwellings, and out-buildings, occa-sioned by the prairie-fires which rage unchecked during the absence of their ownera, the trader's influence is potent in maintaining that habit |