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Show 8 2 REPORT OF THE COMML~~SIONERO F INDIAN AFPAIRS. special'legislation. The development of what has been known as the frontier West would thus proceed along the line of least resistance, to the ultimate advantage of our whole country. NONRESERVATION ALLOTMENTS. During the year just past little has been done in the way of al10t-ments to nonreservation Indians under the fourth section of the act of February 8, 1887 (24 Stat. I,., 388), as amended by act of Febru-ary 28,1891 (26 Stat. L., 794), because it has been necessary to assign to other duties the two special allotting agents who hare been engaged in such work for several years. This is to he regretted, as the rapidly diminishing area of public lands malres it imperative that this line of allotment work be diligently prosecuted if suitable homes are to be found for Indians entitled to lands on the public domain. By Department order of September 24, 1898,action on all fonrth section allotments in public-land Statei was suspended pending an investigation. Believing that the purposes for which the suspension was made have been fulfilled, on December 18, 1905, the Office recom-mended to the Department that the general suspension be relieved and that instructions be issued for the disposal of these allotments in their regular order. IRRIGATION. Irrigation on Indian reservations, like most matters of importance connected with the "Indian problem," was forced upon the service, and up to a comparatively recent date was without order or ~ystem. Long before the scheme for governmental reclamation of arid lands was put into operation, the Indian Office had spent considerable sums yearly in reclaiming Indian lands, and as a rule the moneys expended belonged to the Indians. The actual irrigation of lands mds not always the primary object sought, altho it was recognized as a valu-able by-product. As the old reservation policy denied the Indians all opportunity to do anything save eat their rations or forage on neighboring whites, some plan had to be devised for persuading them to labor for wages, and, altho they worked for their own money, it was a distinct gain to all concerned. The need of water appealed to some of them, and the benefits of irrigation were held out as an in-ducement. In those days the services of skilled engineers were not obtainable, and naturally the percentage of succePs from an irrigation point of view was not large; hut the advantage the device offered in affording employment for the Indians, on which their daily bread should depend, and thus undermining the racial prejudice against common manual labor, has, I think, in its own way justified the expenditures. Conditions rapidly changed. Irrigation by the white settlers who |