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Show XXII REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. heathenish customs that have been for many years resorted to, by the worst elemerrts on she reservation, to retard the progress and ad-vancement of the Indians to a higher standard of civilization and edu-cation. The agent of the Nez Perc6 Agency, Idaho, says: The court and polioe faroe have worked wonders among this tribe, Friendpnd foe alike of tbe Iudiana in this vicinity aoknowls~lge the same. The agent of the Western Shoshoue Agency, Nevada, says: Itsexistence bas been a preventive to the commitment of any serious offenses com-ing under its purposes. The agent of the Standing Rook Agency, Dakota, says : Tt is growipg t,o be an important faet,or in the administration of affairs at this agency. Regular semimonthly sesaioua of the oollrt are held, where all offenders are. brought by the police for trial, and oaies impartially decided by the coort. A nnm-ber of ewes for violetion of offioe rule8 have been tried during the year psst, and the offender* punished either by fine8 or imprisonlnent in tbsrayency guard-house, and $he deoisians of the judges have, in every instance, been sustained by the Iletter olasa of Indians, and usually aocepted by the transgemor as juat end proper. The present judges are nremhers of the police foroe, but the judges of this court should be inde- . pendent of t h ~bto dy, ns i t places the pulioe ofnoera ia at1 embarrassing position when obliged lo arrest, try, and punish offenders. If there were saltaries of $20 per month attached t,o tbe "Rice of judge the best men among the Indians would be willing to serve in that ospacity, as the servioe is now beoorninp quite popnlnr, and having these two branches independent of each other would add to the usefnlness of both. The agent of the Siletz Agency, Orggon, says : I am well pleased with its workings. I have not had to reverse a deciaion made. The judges try in every oass to do the right thing, ternpe~ingju stice with mercy. I have every con6dence in them. They solve questions oftentimes that are knotty for me. The agent of the la math Agency, Oregon, says: The eon& of Indian offenses has been well conducted, sndmuoh improvement in its working has been meoifest. It haa been of mucll benefit to the Indians, and an im-portant factor in their advanoemsnt in civilieation. Offenses against morality sre be-ooming leas frequent, and a due respect for law has been 'oarefully enforced. The judges have become more.effioient with practice, and try the oases appearing before them with deliberattion and prodenco. The agent of the Oheyenne River Agency, Dakota, says: Since the organization of the court dsucing has beeu discontinued and plural mar-riages are unknown. Misdemeanors ere of rilre ooourrsnoe. The agent of the Santee Agency, Nebraska, sa,ys: I think the court hrts a good influence and is quite a help to the quiet government of the Indians. The fines assessed and collected at one of the agencies during the past year have reached as high as $395, and out of this money the agent has been anthorieed to pay his judges $10 each per month. Al-though it ba,s worked satisfactorily at the Nez Perce Agency, and has had no apparently bad effect on the decisions of the judges, I am well satisfied that it is not a wise or safe policy to have the salary of an offi-cer contingent on his own decisions, and instead' of having the 6nes |