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Show 12 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. imaginary grievances. Surrounded by this race, compelled by inevitable neces-sity to abandon aU their former modes of gaining a livelihood, and starting out in pursuits which to them ate new and untried experiments, they are brought in active competition with their superiors in intelligence and those acquirements which we consider so essential to success. In addition to these disadvantages, they find themselves amenable to a aystem of local and federal laws, as well as their treaty stipulations, all of which are to the vast majority of them wholly nnint$ligible. If a white man does them ap injury, redress is often beyond their reach; or, if obtained, is only had after delays and vexations which are them-selves ernel injustice. If one of their nnmher commits a crime, punishment i8 Blue and swift, and oftentimes is visited upon the whole tribe. Under these cir-cumstances, it is not surprising that very many of tbefn regard their future prospects as utterly hopeless, and consequeutly~cannot he induced to abandon their vicious and idle habits. It is gratifying that so many of them are steadily and successfully acquiring the arts of cirilization, and becoming useful members and, in some instances, ornamente of society. Very mnch of the evil attendant upon the location of Indians within the limits of States might be obviated, if some plan could' be devised whereby a more hearty co-operation with government on the part of the States might be secured. It being a demonstrated fact that Indians are capable of attain& a high degree of civilization, itfollows that the timewill arrive, as in the case of aome of tbe tribes it has doubtless now qived, when the peculiar relations ex-isting between them and the federal government may cease, without detriment to , - the& interests or those of the community or State in which they axe located; in other words, that the time will come when, in justice to them and to ourselves, their relatiohs to the government should be identical with those of the citizens of the various States. In this view, a more generous legislation on the part of most of the States within whose limits Indians are located, looking to agradual removal of the disabilities nuder which they labor, and their ultimate admiesion to all the rigbts of citizenship, as from time to time the improvement and ad-vancement made by a given tibe may warrant, is earnestly to be desired, and would, I donbt not, prove a powerful incentive to exertion on the part of the In-dians themselves. + Having premised this much, 1'will now present such information and sugges- - tions, in relation to the various superintendencies, as are deemed important. -i NORTHERN SUPERINTENDEWGY. The condition of Indianaffairs within this superintendenmy is roast deplorable and unfortunate. As is generally known, it has been the ecene of the mo@t atrocious and homhle outbreaks to be found in the w a l s of Indian hiatory. The events are of too recent occurrence to justify me in an attempt to elucidate and explain all the causes which led to the diitrous state of now exist-ing; and unfw!xhately I have not as yet received the annwl report of Xr. Gal- |