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Show 88 REPORT OF THE COMIMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. nations wereincompetent; that favoritism in the matter of the appoint-ment of teachers and other employees was freely practiced; that undue influencehas sometimes been exerted in order to obhin positions in the school service, and that school funds in some instances have been negligently and carelessly expended. This report, indorsed by the United States Indian inspector for the Indian Territory, made it clearly apparent to the Department that immediate steps should be taken to eradicate the evils mentioned, and the United States Indian inspeotor and the superintendent of schools mere accordingly advised that the 'LRegnlations concerning education in the Indian Territory" were appli-cable to the schools and orphan asylums in each of the Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek, and Cherokee nations, and said officials were charged with their enforcement. Under the superintendent of schools in Indian Territory, and subject to his directions, is a 1' supervisor of schools" for each of the Choctaw, Chickasaw, Greek, and Cherokee nations, whose duty it is to visit and inspect the schools and orphan aaylums of the nation for which he is appointed, and to assist in their organization, reorganization, report his recommendations, and to perform such other duties as properly appertain to his position. It is provided in the regulations that each boarding school or orphan asylum is to be under the immediate charge of a contractor, who is to act as superintelldent. This contractor is toreceiveno salary, but is to enter into a contract with the Commissioner of Indian Affairs to man-age the school, and to teach, lodge, clothe, and board a certain number of pupils at an agreed rate per quarter. The number and kind of employees at each school or orphan asylum are to be named by the Sec-retary of the Interior, the salaries of such employees to be paid by the United States Indian agent for the Union Agency. Although work in connection with these schools is as yet embryonic in character and extent, reports concerning the same have been grati-fying, and more satisfactory results are hoped forand expected'as soon as the United States has more completely asserted its authority over said schools. Some slight opposition has been encountered on the part of some of the officials who are averse to being divested of theirpower over the schools, but it is thought that the concessions which were made have in s, manner obviated a considerable part of it. The '~Regnlations concerning education in the Indian Territory" have been formulated as a temporary expedient, and it is not contem-plated that in their present form they shall be permanent. These regulations provide for the appointment of a general snperin-tendent of schools in Indian Territory at a salary of $3,500 per annnm, and in pursuance of this authority Mr. John D. Benedict, an able and representative educator of Illinois, was on Bebruary 10,1899, appointed. Mr. Benedict entered upon his duties with a zeal and tact which will produce most excellent results iu rescuing the educational matters of these Indians from their present chaotic condition. The labors inci- |