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Show 6 REPORT OF THE COMMIS8IONER OF INDIAN AFFAIR&. shall be under the orders null direction of tho Secretary of the Interior. esuept at agencies where, in the opinion of the President, the pablio servioe would be better promoted by the appointment of n. civilian. I hereby detibil tho folio~viog affinllrs of tho united States Anny to act aa Indian agents at tho ageuoiasaet opposite their respective names: * * * aRov~R CLEYELASD. The order ooutaine~lt he name3 of twenty officers thus detailed, and sirnilar orders have since been issued, so that twenty-seven out of fifty-aeven Indian agencies are now tinder the charge of Army officers. This makes a decided change in the policy of administering Indian affairs. Of its practical effects it is now too soon to attempt to speak fully, and from a theoretical standpoint the subject has already been widely dis-cussed. In selecting Indian ageuts for agencies where the President has deemed it for the interest of the service that civilian agents should be appointed, it is the policy of this OEce to recommend persons, as a nile, who do not reside in the vicinity of the reservation ttpou mhich their services are to be rendered. It may as well be taken for granted that the advancement of any degraded, ignorant people must be brought about by some sacrifice of money, time, or comfort on the part of those who have attained a higher scale of eulightment. Ultimately the re-sult will be, of course, gain all around; but in the proress it means temporary loss. Difficult as it is for individuals to act upon this prin-ciple, it is still more so for communities, and proverbially so for corpo-rations. Tlrerefore the immediate interests of the iuhabitants of au Indian reservation and those of white settlements or towns near by are apt to be, or to be considered, con0ioting. Hence it is a very difficnlt matter for any one identified with the progress of a town, a county, or a State to enter an Indian reservation and when any local question comes up involving the interests of both races to go divest himself of a strong prejudice in favor of his own race as to enable him to see fairly the needs or rights of the other race, and having seen the.m, to supply the one and defend the other. Experieuce proves, what theory would indi-cate, that agents who come to Indian agencies from a distance are more ready than those living near by to give their best efforts to promote the welfare of those whonl they are employed to aid. ESTIlfATES FOR APPROPRIATIONS. Every practicable effort is being made to reduce the cost of the Indian Service. Careful examination has been made of existing agency and school positions, and wherever it cou~ldb e done without detriment - t o theservice, positions have been dispensed with. The estimates sub. mitted for appropriations for the entire India11 Service for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1895, amount to $6,931,756.61, which is $193,639.83 less than the amount appropriated, and $1,191,454.70 less than the esti-mate submitted, for the current fiscal year ending June 30,1804. |
