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Show I 72 COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. by frequent correspondence, kept in touch with conditions and con-tingencies as they have arisen; though no correspondence can 'ade-quately take the place of the restraining and vitalizing personal touch between the office and its fixed representatives in the field. A comprehensive glance at the work of the inspecting o5cials as a body shows that much faithful and painstaking effort has been put forth to "thrash out" and get the right focus on the problems and situations involved in their assignments. Representatives of the office engaged in the work of general inspes tions should, however, with greater emphasis than ever, bear in mind the fact that the more the details of inspection work can be disposed of on the ground by a system of cooperation with the snperintend-ents, in the manner hitherto prescribed by the office, the more the field will he cleared for consideration and disposal of the bigger mat-ters revealed by their reports which demand so large a share of the attention of the office. In conclusion, I can report that the Indian service in all its parts has again shown an increased activity over the preceding year, not in extension of jurisdiction, but in grappling more deeply and more mtimately with the problems it has to solve. As I have said before, I believe the increased volume of business is transitory, leading to an early climax and denoting real progress toward the day when the United States will finally have lifted its hands from Indian affairs, and all Indians in all respects will stand on an equal footing with their fellow Americans. ROBERGT: VALENTINE, The SE~RETAOFR TYHE INTERIOR. Commissioner. |
