OCR Text |
Show within the last year than any previous one since the sale of these lands began. Commissioner Snowden is of the opinion that the appraised value of some of the lots within the Indian addition to the city of Tacoma is too low. He recommended that they be reexamined with a view to their reappraisement and that meantime sales of the lots he suspended. Accordingly this ofice telegraphed him the 19th of last July to suspendsales of theselots until further orders, with a view to their reappraisement. August 2d last the Department approved the action of this o5ce as reported July 22, and made suggestions respecting the proposed reappraisement, as to which Commissioner Snowden was given full instructions August 13. SALE OF LIQUOR TO INDIANS. That illicit traffic in liquor with the Indians should be utterly stamped out-not merely suppressed-is the desire of every true friend of the Indian. It is feared, however, that this will not be accomplished I until the Indian shall have conquered his appetite for stimulants or until his white brother acquires a respect for the law. While liquor prosecutions have been as numerous during the past year as during prior years, many offenders have, as hitherto, escaped the penalties of the law through the inability or failure of the Gov-ernment 'toobtain competent testimony. It is well known that Indians are loath to testify against parties who supply them with intoxicants. This is especially true of allotted Indians, who feel that, as citizens of the United States and of the State or Territory in which they reside, they have a perfect right to drink whisky as the white people do, and they are consequently averse to betraying the liquor dealers. It has seemed to the o6ce that many di5culties could be overcome and that much good would result if it were provided with a special fund of, say, $5,000 or $10,000 with which to pay for the work of obtaining evidence on which to baae complaints against liquor traf-fickers. Such a fund would strengthen the hands of tbk o5ce and ite agents and would enahle it to obtain evidence in cases where now it is practically impossible to do so. Complaints frequently reach this office from officials and others of western towns and villages that drunken lndians visit their localities and cause disturbances and affrays. When requested to give evidence against the saloon keepers for selling liquor to the Indians the com-plainants either fail to notice such request or state that it is not their business to aid in the prosecutions. In other words, the white citizens of some localities are willing that the Indians should be punished for being "drunk and disorderly," but are not willing to aid in shutting off the source of the Indians' liquor supply by giving testimony against the dealers. |