| OCR Text |
Show REPORT OF' THE COBfWSIONEB OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. ab and several suspects whom he has arrested are now under indictment and awaiting trial. John W. Green, formerly an officer of the Philippine Constabulary, was appointed one of our special officers on the 1st of January, 1907, entered upon duty early in that month, and has operated during the remainder of the fiscal year in TVashin,@on and Idaho. The condi-tions in these States, particularly among the Yakima Indians, were deplorable. Having been allotted, the Indians had come within the decision of the Supreme Court in the Heff case, and the county authorities were unwilling to put the taxpayers to any expense in enforcing the laws of the State against the sale of liquor to Indians. At North Yakima 22 saloons were open to Indians, and at other places they had no difficulty in obtaining all the liquor they wished. Mr. Green reports that hg visited every liquor dealer in North Yak-ma and called several meetings, and on February 6 succeeded in getting all of them to sign an agreement not to sell or otherwise dis-pose of liquor to Indians or to anyone known as a peddler to Indians. On June 30 he reported that he had recently received letters' from , North Yakima saying that an Indian could scarcely bug a glass of lemonade there, so well were the saloon men keeping their agreement. He also appealed to the county and city authorities at this and other places, and induced them to pass ordinances imposing a fine and revo-cation of license on any person who should be found guilty of selling liquor to Indians or to Indian liquor peddlers. He seems to have taken the only means available to stop the traffic thereabout with allot-ted Indians, and to have stirred up a public sentiment which I think will go as far as anything can toward accomplishing the desired result. In Idaho he has operated along the same lines with considerable success. The case of George Dick (referred to in my last annual report) is still pending in the Supreme Court, and will probably , be disposed of during the October term of that court. It is hoped that the decision will be such as to pennit a vigorous enforcement of the liquor laws of the United States among the Nez Perce Indians, as contemplated in the agreement with them. The current Indian appropriation act makes another appropria-tion of $25,000 for the suppression of the liquor traffic. An additional special officer has been appointed and assigned to duty in Nebraska, and by the time this report goes into print I am in hope of having still another at work in the Southwest. |
