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Show REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFIUIRS. 53 l ever to satisfy their craving for strong drink, and it will become well-nigh beyond the power of this O5ce or its agents to cope with the sub- I ject unless the special fund asked for be provided. I strongly urge thrtt it be granted. EXHIBITION OF INDIANS. In view of the continued policy of the Department not to authorize Indians under its control to be engaged or taken for show and exhibi-tion purposes, but few requests for such permission have been received, and in all of these cases the Office has declined to consider them favor-ably. However, in a number of instances officials in charge of annual State or county fairs or festivals have asked that Indians from various agencies be allowed to participate as an attraction, and all such requests, with one exception, have been refused by the Department. Its position is shown by a case in point as follows: In August, 1901, the chairman of the Indian committee of the Fes-tival of Mountain and Plain asked to be allowed to take 50 Indians from the Southern Ute Agency, Colo., to attend and participate in the seventh annual festival and carnival held in Denver, Colo., during the first week in October last. This request was duly submitted to the Department, which advised thi Office in reply, dated August 19,1901, as'follows: There is nothing unwual or exceptional in the proposed fair or celebration to be held in Colorado, being presumably of the ordinary county variety, and I therefore see no reaaon to depart from the rule established in the Fargo case (request to have 200 Indiana from Standing Rock Agency, N. Dak., participate in the fire festival held at Fargo, N. Dali., June &7, 1901), which has been the rule far several years past, viz: "It has not been the policy of the Department for some time past to authorize or sanetion the absence of bodies of Indians from reservations to engage or take part in exhibitions of any ch-ter, and in the interest of the public service and the indi-viduals themselves the necessary permit in this case is denied." So in this case, the permission asked cm not be granted. The exception above mentioned was in the case of the annual Daw-son County fair held at Glendive, Mont., during the week beginning Septemper 25,1901. In thia case the Secretary decided, September 4, 1901, as follows: In view of the statements of the agent that this fair is to he strictly a "Live stock and a%ricultural exhibition of the products of eastern Montana," md ha4 nothing of the character of Wild West shows, and in accordance with your recommendation, permission is herehy granted for a reasonable number of In- of the Fort Peck Agency, Mont., who are pmdwers, or are engaged in school work, to attend the Dawson County fsir at Glendive, Mont., during the time above specifid; with the distinct understanding, however, that the Government is to he at no expenae, and theIndians are not to be allowed to participate in the fair in any way except as mhib-qf their stock, famz produd, and school w r k , and are to be in chs.rge of a a d - cient number of agency polioe and mompmied by a reliable echo01 employee. |
