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Show REPORT OP WE OOMMISSIONER OF INDIAX A P E ~ S . 13 The campaign has been markedly successful in arousing interest in the Government's efforts to protect its wards from the introduction and sale of liquor. The interest was manifested in many eom-mendatory letters from local persons and others interested in the wel-fare of the Indians. On the other hand, vigorous oppositi~n has been encountered from special interests and others who feel that the Federal Government should not interfere in such matters. This opposition has crystallized into appeals to the President and other prominent officers of the Government. One of the most hopeful features of this work is the increasing co-operation of the state officials in protecting the Indians from the influence of liquor. In some States the officials have employed men to discover those selling liquor to Indians. In others they have agreed not to license any additional saloons, and in some States the county officials have passed ordinances prohibiting the sale of liquor to Indians. The superintendents of the various reservations and schools are realizing the importance of this work and many cases have been se-cured by them independent of the operations of the chief special office*. The superintendents in each State have been given copies of, the state laws on the sale of liquor to the Indians in drder that they may more intelligently work on local cases. It is gratifying to 6nd in a few cases that the Indians themselves have circulated petitions addressed to the home city or town councils asking that saloon licenses be revoked and the places closed. An act was passed by Congress during the year, amending the ad of May 29,1908, for the sale and disposition of a part of the Standing Rock and Cheyenne River reservations and provided that for a period of twenty-five years the lands allotted, retained and reserved, as well as the surplus lands sold, etc., shall be subject to all the laws of the United States prohibiting the introduction of intoxicants into the Indian country. SCHOOLS. An improvement of signal importance has been made in the administration of the schools of the service by providing for an adequate system of supervision. The whole territory has been divided into six supervisory districts with a supervisor in charge of each. The districts are as follows: First district, Xew Mexico, Colo-rado, Utah, and Wyoming; second district, Arizona, California, and Nevada; third district, Iow% Nebraska, and South Dakota; fourth district, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana; fifth district, North Dakota, Minnesota. Wisconsin, Michigan, and other Eastern States in which Indian schools are located; sixth district, Kansas and Oklahoma. |