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Show 30 -' REPORT OF -THE,C O ~ B B I O N E EO F PJDIN ~ F ~ ~ I R B' . , . , ' be generally improved by tbe em~loyment of students returned from training schools, who will be competent for such duty. . , INDllUY TRADERS; , No branch of, the 1ndians7 preparation for citizenship has pe&aPs received less attention than that which pertains to commerce. "Trad-. ing" has been monopolized by 'white men, and no systematic effort . has been attempted to train the Indians to commercial habit& With a view to ascertaining the present condition of the system of trading, the following instructions have been issued to special agents : Hereafter when i n s p e c t i Indian agencies you will please give speoial attention to the subject of Indian traderships. Yon will carefully aaoertaihandreport a. tothe general reputation of each trader for honesty, fair dealing with the Indians, and good infloenoe among them. Yo11 will alsorepo~specifically~to8 t hequality and suffioienoy of the atook of good8 kept by the trader; whether he deal8 in srtioles whose sale in ' h j n r i 0 ~ 8t o the Indians ; whether the prioea oharged are reasonable ; whether the ' sohedale of prices displayed so that the Indians can he well informed thereof; ' whether the trader sells intoxicating liquor nuder sny guise, or arms or fixed ammu-nition, or trades with the Indians for goods furnished them by the Government, or in my vay dolate8 the letter or spirit of sections 23,31, and 33, relating to theabove ; . whether his store is kept open on Sunday ; whether it is used as a resort for loafers; whether wmhling, demoralizing dsnoes, or my other preotioe or smusements hurt-ful to the Indim8 are alloved upon the premises, and, in general, whether the trader , and his employes are sober, reapeotahle people whoae oondnot and example among the Indians will tend to elevate the Indiana morally and aooisllg instead of there- VerBe. Inclhsed please find copy of the "Lsws and regalations relating to trade with In-disntribeq" pubfished by this Office, from which you will see what the Office expects from an Indian trader, and he able to judge rand report to what extent, if any, a trsder fails to meet the requirements. . . GRAZING UPON LANDS. In the annual report of this Office for 1885, attention was invited to the perplexing status of the question of cattle.grazing upon ludian res. .~. ' ervat,ions existing under the opinion of the Attorney-General of July 21,1885, wherein it is held that Indians are not legally capable of leas-ing their reservation lands for grazing purposes, and that neither the Secretmy of the Interior nor the President has authority to approve such leasea except they be authorized to do so by special prodsionsof law. The urgent necessity for some legislation by Cougress authorizing the grazing of Indian lands under proper restrictious was thoroughly emphasized in that report, and also in each succeeding anuual report of this OftIce; but so far, Congress has not. seen fit to enact the news-sary legislation. In order to overcome in a measure this difficulty, a d to enable the Indians to receive some benefit from the spontaneous products:of their lands, the Department has authorized several tribes to take a.limited number of cattle to herd and graze upon the reservations at a stipu- |
