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Show COHMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. 13 culpated that officer from a11 the charges which had been preferred against him. A copy of t,he report of the special agent, with the accompanying papers, will be transmitted to you, to be laid before the House of Representatives, as required by resolution, which was not received here until after the close of the last session of Congress. In my report of last year I dwelt at considerable length upon the improvingprospectsof theSioux Indiansof Minnesota by havingadopted the policy of the government in restricting them to small reservations, and of dividing their lands among them in severalty; that they were "rapidly putting aside their barbaric costumes and ornaments, and adopting the dress as well as the habits and pursuits of civilized life;" that "it is stated that among those who have so changed are many of the chiefs and numbers of the most influential men of the tribe ; that two hundred men with their families, making together seven hundred persons, have done so within the last year; that five hundred more are now preparing for it, and that the confident expectation is that at the end of three years the 'blanket Indians' will number less than did those who wore civilized costume two years since, before the new movement commenced." Upon representations made to this bureau, that a portion of these Indians who mere averse to abandoning their tribal cdstume and habits had intimidated those of the tribe who had practically applied themselves to agriculture, and with a view to protect the latter in their laudable efforts for improvement, the War Department was requested to place a company of United States troops at the agency itt Yellow Medicine for the assisdance ,of t,he agent in protecting the ''farmers" in their vocations. This request was promptly acceded to, and the presence of the troops has resulted in affording the req&site protection. The disaffected individuals of the tribe exhibited their hostility to the "agriculturists," and their opposition to the peaceful pursuits of civilization by leaving the reservation on war and hunting excursions. As a consequence, a portion of the annuities to which they would have been entitled, had they been present at the annual pay-ment, was divided among the "farmer Indians." A report just received from the agent conveys the gratifying intelligence that, with the excep-tions above referred to, these Indians, one after another, have abandoned the chase, the dress, the feasts, even the superstitions of their fathers, and now occupy the position, recognize the obligations, and perform the duties of law-abiding, sober, and industrious members of the com-munity. Your special attention is invited to the interesting report from Agent Brown in respect to these Indians. The Winnebagoes continue steadily on the march of improvement. The greatest obstacle with which their agent bas to contend is the nefarious traffic, in the immediate vicinity of their reservation, in whisky, which remark is applicable to all Indians within our borders. The endgavor of their agent, aided by the reflect.ing Indians of the tribe, in prescribing laws for the punishment of offenders, merits com-mendation. The Cl~ippemas on Lake Superior, as well as those in Minnesota, parties to the t,reat,ies of 1854 and 1855, are reported as manifesting a disposition to 'avail themselves of tho beneficial provisions made therein for their advancement in agriculture and the mechanic arts. |