OCR Text |
Show ft Com. -2- dissatisfaction_is'being caused among the Indians by such chicanery. A determined effort will be made by the traders and a few others to force an annuity payment in which it is hopedithat the money will as usual filter very promptly to ' throughAthe hands of the 'traders. All sort3 of devices are being and will be resorted to in order to see that a cash. payment is made.' 'The season has come when it is customary tc make it appear that it is necessary to dump a large sum of cash among these Indians. These Indians are not starving. ":7e of the Office force'here know these Indians, and ore know what they have and what they are getting, and they are NOT STARVING, all statements of both whites and Indians to the contrary notwithstanding. Some of these Indians are very poor, thanks to their having been schooled to be fed and paid by the Government for a few decades in the past, and they are almost living from hand to mouth. Children and old women among them would starve if we should cut off the issue of rations. Many of these Indian men are yet firmly insistent that it is the duty of the Government to feed them and pay them with absolutely no effort on their part. If ever anything is to be done with them industrially they must be dispossessed of that idea. I believe now is the time to do it.. They had good crops the unuaual past season. There is about noADlne3 3 among them. VJe have sufficient food-3tuffs for issue among them to prevent actual suffering and we have an organised force of emplovees who will |