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Show I REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. V suffering for food, and by inference the cause of thjs suflering was at-tributable to neglect on the part of this office; while on the contrary, the suffering of these Indians for lack of food, was attributable directly and entirely first, to the faat that the appropriations for them were not made until three months after the^ should have been made, and sec-ond, tbat when made,, the amount allowed was less 'than was asked for by this office, and consequently iusufficieat for the absolute wautv of these Indians. The Blackfeet, Blood and Piegan Indians, and those at Fort Peck and Fort Belknap agencies, were driven to great straits to sustain life during the winter and spring of 1883 aqd 1884, being com-pelled to kill many of their horses and young stock cattle fur food, and to resort to every possible expedient, such as eating bark, wild roots, &c., and t,here is little doubt that many deaths amongst them were the direct result of lack of food. Throughout their severest tria.ls, however, I am glad to beable to say that they have been guilty of very few acta of lawlessness or depredation. It is evident that owing to the entire disappearance of game and the inability of these Indians to support themselves for the present by agri-culture, and in the absence of stock herds old enough and large enough so that the increase might afford a permanent, even if very limited, snpply, they will be compelled to depend nearly altogether on the Gov-ernment for food for several years to come. These Indians, notwith-standing their late sad experience, are cheerfully endeavoring to make the best of their opportunities, and are anxious to help them-selves. Much has been done by them during the past year in digging irrigating ditches,fenciug and breaking fields, building dwelling.houses, &c., and they are, with few except,ious, diligently and patiently strug-gling for independence; and there is good reason to hope that with I proper assiatance, in a few years each household will own a team and have enough land nnder cultivation, which, with a few stock-cattle, will be sufficient to make a great majority of them nearly independent. In view of all thess circumstances, I believe that there has never been a time in the history of these tribes when judicious assistance and encour-agement. from the Government would have been so beneficial to them as at present. I have called attention to these things before, and now do so again, with the hope that Congress may see the necessity of making appro-priations for the Indian service as to time and quantity so as to prevent, in the future, all just complaints of this character. MANNER OF MAKING APPROPRIATIONS. In my last annual report I called attention to this matter in the fol-lowing language: r' Under the present system of making appropriations for the Indian-service, and the rulings of the accouutiug offioera of the Treasury in the 1 |