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Show BEPOBT OF TEE COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. CXLIII missed an employ6 for political reasons, and in every case in making selectionsfor t,heseimnortaut uositious I hwemade the uuestionof fitness for the work the cruGal test.- I an1 very sure that the present hopeful condition of the schools is due very largely to this policy, and I can not too stronelv urge that the one absolute condition of their future SIIC-cess is theipplic%tion of the solitary test of fituess, and the exclusion of any and all other considerations. Any other nlan of ad~oioisterine the skhool service, which is designed to emboJY and illustrate the Ct~ristianc irilisntiou of the nost enlightened nation of the nineteenth wutory, and t.o bring the bellefits of modern culture home to the North American Indians, is uuworthy of the Government and of theage. These views are clearly set forth in a new form adopted for applica-tions for emulosmcnt in the Indian school service. which will be found in appendix; p&e CLXII Bleventh. Thereis a necessity for some improvement in the matter of sun~lies. The Indians made at some ulaces serious comnlaints re-gardi'ng the quality of goods furnished io them under treky obliga-tions, n.nd their criticisms are in many cases well fountled. Some of the clotl~inea nd much of the machinerv and aericultural imulements which have'j3een funlished them have bekn of ;very inferior' quality. They have such poor facilities for having clothing or toolsrepaired and the service to which thev subiect both isneccssarilr so hard. thatreeard far onliuai\y ewollmy :ns"\vell"aii fairucss dicratcs ;hut theS'bo pro<;ded wit11 nrriclesof good ~lunlityi, ~~a t r a dtitn~osfe of a v*!ry inl'erior grnilo. Of mursc it is tlesil.;ible r11;it i)roi,t2re no~lornvs hor~ldb e zxevcisctl in the pumhasa of Indiili~s ~~8~ditO.iuir; I submit rl~aitt is not economj to I I I I i~ri t'erior articles. In r l~eri n~~li:ille tting i l l Sew York, of c.011tracts for supplies for the Indian service, the practice has too largely pre-vailed of buying the cl~eapestg rades of goods offered.' This is neither good economy nor good sense, and when applied to medicines, edged tools, agricultural machinery, and even to clothing and other articles, it is waste. Nothing should be bought for the Indians mhich is not serviceable, and the cheapest in price is oftentimes the most costly. There is a most urgent necessity that the ut~nosct are should he taken: (1) In the matter of advertising for supplim, to have it understood that goods of good qnality will 50 purchased in order that those who are intending to bid may not feel obliged to offer inferior articles. (2) That the supplies selected be choseu with special reference to the uses to which {;hey are to be put, and that only those be bought which are serviceable. (3) That the goods delivered be equal in quality to the sample upon which the contract is awarded. It is still diflicult to secure from con-tractors goods of a quality equal to their samples, or to the terms of their contracts. Thereis yet avery common notion that an Indian con-tract means large profits, and that there is some process by which goods inferior in quality or deficient in quant,ity can be thrust upon the Government for the Indians. The utmost vigilance ou the part of inspectors and of agents does not, in all cases, secure the fulfillment of the spirit of the contract. Large quantities of goods of various kinds are to he found at the different aeencies which are. for oae reason or another. uracticallv use-less. ~hid'hnrse sulted ill sibme vases from tlic careleakr;ras with kl~ikh agents llavu nratle reqursitions for supplies, which seem to bare been made often at random. It is my purpose to call upon the agents for a detailed statement of all surplus goods now in store, and to take such steps as will secure the proper disposition of them. |
