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Show 18 REPORTS OF AGENTS IN COLORADO. GeneralHIIah held a conocil with them. TheIndians assured him they desired peace, and had and would cautinue to relusin on the reservation, which promise they faith-fully kept. General Hatch informed me that his troops were en route forAnimas, and would arrive a t the crossing of the Rio Los Pinos, 10 miles from the sganay, on the evening previous to the day appointed for the issue of annuity goods. Aa a precau-tionary measure, I requested that his command might halt at said crossing during the issue, that they might be available for the protection of the border settlers should an outbreak occur imruediatelg following the issue of blankets sud rations, as was gen-erally anticipated. Not being required, tho followiug day the troops proceeded on their march to Animas City. January 16, 18k0, in obodienoe to ihstructions received through General Hatch by authority of tbe Hou. Secretary of the Interior, I proceeded to Washington City with a delegation of Souther11 T:te lodiaos,for the purpose of con-sultation with 5 view to nlakiog a new treaty, the moat important feature being the permanent loontiou of the Inrliaoa oo land8 in ~ovoralty. The importaut features pru-posed by theHou. SeereLars of the Iuterior were agreed to by the Ute delegation, aud has since, with aome ameudulentu, bee" anthorired by Congresu, and will undo~tbtedly be signed by the requisite ~ r o p o r t i a no f the endire Utn tribe. The Indiau police force was organized July 20, I H i t i , by enrolling the nrmes of 14 Indians, all belonging to the Xnaohe baud, sod promiaiug them pay for services. No further amps scenled to have been taken, and, as is too often the case, the promises ~undew ere ignored. Soon after susurning charge of thia agency, in March, 1879, iu obedience to ixistruotions from the Han. Commissioner, the farce was reorgioized, the number increaked to twenty, representing the three bentle, the money formerly prom-ired paid, and uniform8 issued, and it is now usually worn by them. Owing to t,he fact that the Southern Utes are praetieally all blanket Indiaoc, none of whom spenk English, and also the feeling existing among t,he oitireus towi~rdath e Iudinns, I have deemed it unsafe to use tllese Incliau polica wbora their duties woohi bring them in eonteat with the citizens, except sa au edoort t,u accompany myself in investigating complaints, removing squatters and herders, dsc. Several lost horses have been brouqht to the agency nod returned to the owuers through the Indian police. As the lhdian advances in civilization the benefits of the police force will be mnch more apparent. The fact that aeveralof the chiefs and head-men wear the police uniform, aoaustalns them to citizen's clothing andseems to make others more favorably disposed towards the customs of civilization. The conduct of the SouthernUtes during the past year has beru anception~llyg ood. KO shaociug or killiog, and no difiiculties of isorious nature hare occurred. An ooce sional complaint has bee" made by stock-"!en, who intentionrrlly illlow their cattle tu range on the raservation eoutrary to eststioc~ laws, of Indiana killiog cattle, whioh iu danbtless true in some oases. Many comp%ints asre received of Indians firing the country malioioualy. I have thoroughly inve~tigated every oomplniut of this kind, and found but oue case where the charge was aub8taotiated. With the agreements and promiaes marla, faithfully kept, in the spirit and lstter, there need be no serians difficultj in controlling the Southern Ute Indians. Ail supl,lies received during the year were of good qoality, wit11 the esoeption of coffee-pots, whiob were uoaoitable for nse on oamp-firea, and citizens' clothiug, which was of very inferior quality and paarlysewed. The failure to deliver snpplies lor issue during the \rioter and npriog, prior to the roadn aoross the mountain8 beooming, as usual, impassable by deep snows, deprived the Indians of the proper qoautitx of ratioua a t the time when most needed-an un-usual large number remslning in the vicinity of the ngenov the past vioter; oonsr-queutly there was much privation, whioh would have been hvoided had supplies been deliverer1 at the proper time. The buildings st this agency are insuffiaient for proper storage, and soitsble ~ m r - ters are not furnished for agent aud employ4s. Indians respect those most who respeot themselves; and unlese ao agent has the respect andaontidenoe of hisIndiana, hemnst necessarily fail to accomplish that for whioh he i s sent amongst them; and while tho government is otfariog to build housesfor those Indians who will live in them, i t seen18 that at lectat suitable building8 should he furnished to properly cma for governmsut supplies and for suitable aceomn~adationsf or its agent and enlploy6s. Very raspectfilli~: HEKRT PAGE, United Statca I!td<na dgntt. Tlle C o x m ~ s s ~ o sob~' x1 sur . i~A ~'FAIRS. . |
