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Show I COMMISSIONER INDIAN AFFAIRS. 41 SUPPRESSION OF THE LIQUOR TRAFFIC. Below is an extract from my address at the conference of field supervisors held at Washington February 16,1914: I believe that the greatest present menace to the American Indian is whisky. It does more to destroy his collstitution and invite the ravages of disease than anything else. It does more to demoralize him as a man, and frequently as a woman. It does more to make him an easy prey to the unscrupuloiis than everything else combined. Ifit us save the American Indian from the ciirse of whisky. We have a force of men engaged in the suppression of the liqllor traf8c. That is their special business. But it is my business and it is your business to do everything we can without injecting ourselves offensively into the work of others or assuming a duty that is not properly ours to create an atmosphere and suggest conditions that will be helpful in this respect, and, above all, to be a personal object lesson inviting the Indian to banish liquor rather than to be guilty of anything that may cause him to look upon one of us ae a jiistification for doing that which leads him to the destruction caused by the use of whisky. There is nothing that could induce me, since I have taken the oath of office as Commissioner of Indian Affairs, to touch li single drop of any sort of intoxi-cating liquor, and thIs regardless of my attitude on the prohibition question. As a matter of good faith to our treaty relationships, to legislntive ennct-ments, to the Congress which appropriates $100,000 n year for the su~lpressiou of the liquor tramc among the Indians, we should do everything rensouilbly within our power to justify this approprintion and insure the best results obtainable. This accomplished, we have laid a substantial foundation for all of our work in salving the Indian problem and made a long step forward look-ing toward their equipment for the responsibilities of citizenship. That these ideas should receive the careful consideration of all the employees of the service and imbue them with a realization of the tremendous importance of this work, I addressed a personal letter to every employee of the Indian Service, containing the above quota-tion from my address to the field supervisors. The same letter was also sent to many persons whom I knew or thought to be interested in the uplift and advancement of the In-dians. it is a pleasure to acknowIedge the nation-wide expressions of strong approval and offers of cooperation. This letter was also sent to many leading Indians of the various reservations and has brought numerous promises of hearty cooperation and active as-sistance. The 6th day of April was set aside on which this letter was directed to be read to the student body of every Indian school, including those under Government, mission, or private supervision, when many of the schools adopted resolutions of earnest commenda-tion. In many instances we have found where the Indian leased his lands that the lessees introduced liquor thereon in the belief that there was no law prohibiting same. In order to give such parties proper notice and warning and to afford the Indian greater protec-tion, a formal notice was printed, calling attention to the law and |