of any tribe, and sooner if the President thinks it best, the Secretary of the Interior may buy any lands the Indians may be willing to sell, but the purchase will not be complete until ratified by Congress.

Every Indian to whom allotments of land are made under this new law, and every Indian who has left his tribe and is living in civilized ways, is declared by this law to be a citizen of the United States, and is entitled to all the rights, privileges and immunities of such citizens, and his citizenship does not impair or in any way affect his right to tribal or other property.

It is of the utmost importance that the work of careful and thorough observation and accurate reporting, which the Indian Rights Association has performed with such excellent results on some of the reservations, especially on those of the Mission Indians in California, should be speedily extended to all the reservations of our country, and to the condition of the Indians in Alaska. I am often asked by public-spirited and philanthropic men and women what special work for the Indians is most important, or most deserving of assistance and support. I know of no work for the Indians which is more practical or direct, more fully abreast with the time, which will yield larger results in proportion to the

or

means employed, than that of the Indian Rights Association. Its directors serve without compensation. They should have twenty-five thousand dollars for the work of the Association for this year, and twice as much for the next. Neither the Association nor any person connected with its management has any pecuniary interest in any school, or land enterprise, or business venture, anywhere in the Indian country, or receives any pecuniary benefit from the success of any of the measures which it supports.

On some of the largest reservations which I visited, the Government makes no provision of a team or conveyance, or even of a single horse, for the use of the Government physician. As the Indians no longer live near the agencies, it is, of course, impossible for a physician to visit them without a team. On most of the large reservations the character of the country is such that the Government physician needs two good horses and a light strong wagon for his work. Some of the agents said an impression appeared to prevail at Washington that street cars and elevated railroad lines run all over the reservations. The benefit of sending a physician out without such supplies as are indispensable to his efficiency is mostly nominal. This matter should be looked into during the next session of Congress.

There

should also be a hospital established immediately at each Indian agency, with suitable buildings and supplies, for the benefit of Indians requiring such medical aid and nursing as cannot be supplied in their cabins or lodges. I know of no object for which reasonable expenditures would be more helpful in the work of civilizing the Indians, or more humane than this, and I believe all Indian agents concur in this view.

It is often said that we shall have no more Indian fighting. I am not sure of that. I think it possible that we may yet sometimes have pretty serious work with some of the tribes, arising partly from encroachments by white men, partly from the difficulty of at once establishing efficient administration everywhere, and also, in some degree, from the obtuse and unsubduable Indianism of some of the chiefs. I have no doubt that

coercion will sometimes be necessary.

On many of the reservations I found Indian courts-courts composed of Indian magistrates or judges. Most of them appeared to be good men, and several of the Indian agents regarded the courts as highly useful. The men are not paid. They should be, if their services are valuable. If they are not, the courts should be discontinued. The work requires much time, and working for

nothing is not usually a civilizing process for either Indians or white men.

The following passages from recent reports of Indian agents to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs afford independent support to the views I have expressed in this volume regarding the selection of subordinates on the reservations :—

FROM THE REPORT OF CAPT. J. M. LEE, U. S. A., INDIAN AGENT AT CHEYENNE AND ARAPAHOE AGENCY, INDIAN TERRITORY, AUGUST 31st, 1886.

**One additional farmer was removed to make place for one appointed by the Department. The appointee in this case, though a most excellent old gentleman, is, I regret to say, by reason of old age and permanent infirmity, not suited to discharge the duties of his position. I presume the Department was not aware of this when the appointment was made, though the facts have since been made known. This farmer has done no full duty since July 8th, and the agency physician reports that he will never be able for active duty. I am now compelled to employ an Indian to perform the duties.

I am glad to realize that it has not been deemed necessary to change the experienced, efficient and reliable clerical force which has "in and out of hours" so ably, zealously, and loyally seconded

every effort that has been made to meet official requirements.

It may perhaps be pertinent to express my views in relation to the removal and appointment of agency employés, and I do so in no spirit of disrespect to the higher authorities. If an agent uses his position to bestow personal patronage upon his friends and relatives because they are such, then it is quite apparent that if corruption, fraud and inefficiency-not wholly unknown in the past histories of some agencies-creep in, the agent, to correct these evils, must rise to the Roman standard of patriotism and duty; and abuses "in the family" may escape even the all-seeing eye of the dreaded inspector. If, on the other hand, the Department, from a long way off, appoints the clerks, farmers, carpenters, herders, et al., without the recommendation of the agent, without a personal knowledge of the applicant's qualifications, without an acquaintance with the peculiar necessities of each agency, it is equally apparent that these new and untried employés will be a constant source of embarrassment to the agent, and instead of accelerating the progress of the Indians will be a certain hindrance to their advancement. The constant changes in one of the most difficult branches of the service, requiring, above all others, experience, tact and earnest