| OCR Text |
Show REPORT OF THE COMMIBSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. XXHl Wa,r Department [sections 2139 and 2140 U. S. Revised St'atntes], the penalty being Kimprisonn~enft or not more than two Fears, and a fine of not more than three hundred dollars." N~xmerons complaints have been received during the Few of the in-sufficieucy of the law to prevent Indians from obtaining liquor from white persons who reside in the vicinity of Indian reservat,ions. And although the penalty for furnishing it ma?/ be severe, yet the di%cnlty of detecting oEe11ders and the frequent leniency of courts in prescribing and enforcing punishment make the law to a great extent inoperative. A case in point is brought to attention by the agent at Warm Springe Agency, Oregon. He reports that while most of his Indians ~villn ot toach liquor some will drink every t.ime they go where it is, and the parties furnishing it will make the Indians promise not to reveal the fact; and be cites a recent occurrence in which oneIndian complained of another for severely beating him. Examination of the matter before the Indian council disclosed the fact that both the Indians had been drunk (having obtained three bottles of whisky at The Dalles, on the . Columbia River), and while drunk the stronge,r and least intoxicated had committed the assault. The council fined him a good horse for his crime, and the Indian assaulted was fined an ordinary liorse for being drnnk. The white man who fnrniahed the iiquor was detected, brought before the Unitea States court, plea,d gnilty, was fined ten dollars, and liberated after confinement one night! In this case the witness fees, paid by the United States, amounted to nearlyfivetimes the amount of the fine imposed by court, and the other expenses were doubtless fully as much moFe. The agent apt,ly remarks : Until soch flqraut ~iolai t ionof~ the ixws oan be more severely pnnished,on agent need hardly waste time and money in hooting op offenders and having them pon-isbed. The danger to be apprehended from drunken Indians certainly calls for such legislation as will not only totally prohibit the introduction of liqnor into rese.mations but will also, as nearly as may he, make it impossible for Indians to obtain it ; and experience has shown that where soldiers obtain liquor Indians do get it. I know of no good rea-son why authority should be conferred upon the War Department to introdnee it into tbe Indian conntry. If it is bad for Indians it is no less sofor soldiers, and, therefore, with a view more effectually to snp-press the traffic among Indians I respectfully recommend that Congress be urged to amend sections 2139 and 2140 of the United S t ~ t eRs evised Statutes by repealing the provisions therein which permit the intro-duction of ardent spirits into the Indian country by authority of the War Department, and that the penalty for fnrnishing liquor to Indians be a fine of mot less than one hundred dollars for the first offense, and imprisonment for not less than one year. As a more effectual remedy for the evil complained of, I also recom-mend that Congress be asked to enact a law absolutely prohibiting the |
