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Show I REPORT OF THE COHldISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIR*. 7 I It is possible that some of those who are able to wpport themselves may volun-tarily withdraw from the ration roll, and thus contribute to the cause by their examnle. To the knowledge of this office there have been instances of thia, and ~lo!.btlcss i f the uhjvtt to he <,btainrd acn? properly pn.srutc.d there would bt.t,thcnl. It i j a hnitted that i,erhn~n~ wrwsrs i l l ha aluw, h~tth c time u, br&<ni t is hcrr, I and the object of this letter is to hing the Indians to a realizing sense of the attitude of the Government. At the proper time it is proposed to send you, as was done last year, a statement of the quantities of subsistence ~urchasedfo r your Indians for the next fiscal year. ' They are believed to be ample for the needs of all who should receive rations if the spirit of this letter is observed. There is another clw of Indians to whom the issue of rations would seem to be uncalled for. I refer to those drawing a salary from the Government. The number of these is large, many of them holding desirahlepositions, with very liberal salaries. A haaty examination of the salary list of the Sioux agencies show that over 150 of the agency employees alone are Indians receiving salaries from $840 per annum down to $120, very few, however, of the latter. The majority of these earn as much as, if L not more, year in and year out, than the average laborer of the country. There is no question in the mind of this office that the issueof rations to these should atop. There are also a. large number employed in the schools with salaries from $300 - down, besides quarters and other conveniences. The impression prevails here that many of these, if not all, draw ra.tions. If so, the office can see no reawn for the continuance of the practice. . These two classes, therefore, should be eliminated from the ration roll. The Indian police are excepted from this ruling, as their salaries are very smal! and their duties are peculiar. There may be other exceptions ta the rule; if so, the office will consider them on their merits. It is the desire of this office to have this new departure go into effect as soon after the beginning of the new fiscal year as pwihle. This letter ha4 been add-d to the agents in charge of the Sioux of different tribes, except Santee. I Later on in September, 1901, a similar letter was sent to all other ! ration agencies on the ground that what was good for the Sioux was \ good for all, so that by the fall of 1901 all of the ration agencies were on the same basis with respect to the self-supporting. While this was a ~ t e pin the right direction, it did not remove the great evil to be overcome, which was the support of Indians in idle- I ness. The extent and demoralizing effecta of this evil were generally recognized and universally condemned, except, perhaps, by a mistaken philanthropy, which, ignoring the natural law that man must earn his living by the sweat of his brow, would exempt the Indian from labor and carry him upward on flowery beds of ease. Much had been said ahout this evil, and sporadic attempts had been made to check it, hut with little avail. For years the Indians had been fed and clothed and aIIowed to spend their time in the devil's workshop. It was felt that it was time for a change. Heretofore the dealing had been with the tribe; it would now he with the individual. He would no longer be looked upon simply as one of a dependent com-munity to be dealt with as a whole, but would be considered independ- . - ently and treated as one capable of developing those qualities which |
