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Show REPORT OF THE 'COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. v medical expert, charged with an oversigl~ot f the sanitary condition of t11~Indians. Without sufficient he43 iu the office it is simply impos-sible to have the work done as it should be. Those nGw employed are faithful, industrious, and generally competent, but the work is too much for them and must and does suffer. The Commissioner is paiufully aware of this fact, but is powerless to help it. The Indians, with whose welfare and civilization he is charged, are widely scattered, and the territory in what is known as Indian res-ervations embraces not less thau 181,000 square miles. The Narajo Reservation is in extent almost an empire in itself-12,800 squaremiles. The means of communication between the Bureau and the agents are at best imperfect, and in some instances very unsatisfactory. It is im-possible for the Commissioner to visit and inspect all the agencies, he can not always rely upon official reports, and it is often very difficult even for the agents to have a personal knowledge of the territory and the people over whom they are placed. A great obstacle is found in the strange languages still used by most tribes. They communicate with their agents and with the Bnreau through interpreters, who, in ,some instances, are entirely incompetent for an intelligent trahsaction of business. Further, the various tribes differ so essentially among themselves in languages, habits, and customs, as well as in environment, as to makeit very hard to adapt to their vary. ing necessities any policy which may be adopted. The entire sjstem of dealing with them is vicious, involving, as it does, the installing of agents, with semi.despotic power over ignorant, snperstitioos, and helpless sul?jeots; the keeping of thousands of them on reservations practically as prisoners, isolated from civilized life and dominated by fear and force; the issue of rations and annuities, which inevitably tellds to breed pauperism; the aisbursement of millions of dollars worth of supplies by contract,, which invites fraud ; the niaiute-nauce of a sxstem of licensed trade, which stimulates cupidity and extortion, etc. The small salarics paid toagents and physicians 'renders it very diffi-cult to procure the serrices of thoroughly e6cient and honest men who are contented to devote their entire energies to the good of the service without hope of other reward thau their meager salaries. (See pages XIX and oxv11r.) The still all too prevalent public sentiment whichlooks upon Indiana with contempt and regards them as the kgitimate spoil of white men, has its influence in lowering the grade of this branch of the public servioe. The white people who hang on the borders of the reservations, those who have allied themselves by marriage with the tribes, and eventhose who have from time to time been in Qovernment employ, have, im many cases cartainly, presented to the Indians a txpe of character and a practical philosoph~ of life on a par with, if not inferior, to their own. The natural conservatism of t.he Indians, which leads them tu cling |
