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Show 5®cretary~3 • i cine men and no common Indian dares to go against them, or tell the truth if they lie; that this makes the task of securing children for the schools by the superintendents exceedingly hard, as the children are hidden and no one will tell where they ere, but all sorts of lies are tola to mislead the white men; that it is not strange they are idle for they do not need to work, but. the only wonder is that any of them are cultivating farms, as some are doing; that they have the finest agricultural land on the reservation in the arid region, with an unfailing source of water supply in the Uintah Mountains; that a considerable number are now raising alfalfa, but many prefer to live by hunting and keep as far from the agency as possible, refusing to receive rations; that in his judgment the rations should be cut off at once; that the time lost in going for them once a week is a serious consideration, as thoir absence from home throe days in the week interferes with the proper care of stock, and gives an opportunity for frequent talks among themselves which are not conducive to civilisation; that if rations were cut off there would be more inducement to send children to school in order to have them fed. The Indian police, it is said, cannot be relied on to do anything except to draw their salaries; that they are under the dominion of the chiefs and medicine-men, and those who would obey orders are afraid to do so for fear of witchcraft or more tangible vengeance. This means therefore that superintendents can get no help from the police in gathering the children into school. The Supervisor says they fear the soldiers; that in his talk with the chiefs nearly all they said was that it was wron.,., to bring |
