Page:U.S. Department of the Interior Annual Report 1877.djvu/12

X from the seat of the general government, and far-removed from its immediate supervision. Thus tempting opportunities were presented for fraud and peculation, demoralizing the service, and resulting, in many instances, in grievous disappointment and suffering among the Indians. Not seldom the promises made to them failed of the expected performance on account of insufficient appropriations. In this way the Indian has become distrustful of the good faith of the whites.

Taking all these things together: The interspersion of white settlers, reckless adventurers and more or less wild Indians in one another's way; the anomalous and, in some of its features, absurd treaty system with its ever-changing “finalities,” its frequent deceptions, unavoidable misunderstandings and incessant disappointments; the temptations to fraud and peculation in furnishing and distributing supplies; the careless and blundering management of agents, removed from immediate supervision; the sometimes accidental, sometimes culpable non-fulfillment of promises and engagements; the distress and suffering ensuing therefrom, and the comparatively lawless and uncontrollable condition of society in that part of the country which the bulk of the Indian population inhabits, we find in the “Indian question” an array of difficulties, complications, and perplexities, a complete solution of which, in a short period of time at least, appears unattainable. What, under such circumstances, can be done is, to adopt and follow a plan of systematic action calculated to mitigate the evils inherent to the existence of an incongruous population among us, and to confine them within the narrowest possible limits by improving the condition of the Indians as much as it is capable of improvement, and removing the causes of hostile collision between the Indians and the whites.

In my opinion, our efforts should be mainly directed to the following points:

1. The first thing necessary is that we should keep good faith with the Indians in every respect; we should never promise them more than we are able and willing to perform, and then perform what we have promised.

2. The pursuit of hunting is as much as possible to be discouraged among the Indians. The excitement of the chase stimulates their war-like propensities. When the Indians cease to be hunters, they will in a great measure cease to be warriors. To this end they should be permitted to possess only a limited supply of arms and ammunition, and their ponies should be exchanged as much as practicably for cattle.

3. As a number of Indian tribes are still depending, in part at least, upon hunting for their sustenance, their wants must be provided for in another way. They should be gradually gathered together upon a smaller number of reservations where agriculture and cattle-raising can be carried on with success, and where they can easily be supplied with their necessaries until they are self-sustaining.