Page:U.S. Department of the Interior Annual Report 1879.djvu/26

24 hay and cultivating fields on the bottom lands, many of them building houses for their families; anxious to have their children educated; many requesting that their boys and girls be taken to our schools in the East, and the universal wish to be permanently settled and led on “in the white man’s way.” Only one slight disorder interrupted their general good conduct. Similar things may be said of many other tribes. The rapid disappearance of game, which is to them a blessing in disguise, will greatly facilitate the introduction of civilized pursuits among several tribes which at present still prefer hunting to regular work. There is good reason to hope that if Congress will aid the carrying out of the policy above indicated by the enactment of legislation essential to its success, and if the citizens of the West will make up their minds to it that the Indians must have at least some land worth cultivating, We shall in another year make another long step toward that solution of the Indian problem which consists in so settling the Indians that they may become self-supporting, and that their presence among us will cease to be a disturbing element in American society.

In justice to the Indian service as at present constituted, I feel it my duty to say, that while it has been found necessary for the reformation of abuses to visit severe punishment not only on grave violations of duty, but even upon minor irregularities, and thus to make many removals and changes, such delinquencies have grown steadily less in number as well as gravity, and are now of very rare occurrence. Complaints, formerly so frequently heard, whether justly or unjustly, that supplies and annuity goods appropriated for by Congress and purchased for the Indians by the Indian Office, were not delivered to them, or that such goods and supplies were of bad quality, have almost entirely ceased.

It is a pleasant duty to acknowledge the valuable services rendered by the Board of Indian Commissioners in supervising the making of contracts and purchases, as well as the harmonious and effective co-operation of the War Department and the military authorities on all occasions when their assistance was requested.

The report of the Commissioner of the General Land Office gives an abstract of the operations of his office under the laws relating to the survey and disposal of public lands during the year ending 30th June, 1879.

During the year ending 30th June, 1879, public lands were disposed of as follows: