All of this, it is understood, is no reflection on the Honorable Commissioner or his able assistants. It merely indicates that the Indians, as a body, have not progressed to the extent that we would desire.
| Acreage agricultural lands cultivated by Indians | Crops Raised by Indians | Stock Owned by Indians | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hay Tons | Corn Tons | Wheat Bu. | Oats and Barley Bu. | Horses | Cattle | Swine | Sheep | ||
| 1912 | 558,503 | 158,478 | 1,525,334 | 1,343,213 | 1,001,504 | [[5]]$22,238,242 | |||
| 1904 | 365,469 | 405,629 | 949,815 | 750,788 | 1,246,460 | 295,466 | 297,611 | 40,898 | 792,620 |
| 1898 | 352,217 | 215,163 | 1,339,444 | 664,930 | 599,665 | 328,866 | 214,474 | 37,359 | 1,041,315 |
CHAPTER II—THE U.S. INDIAN OFFICE IN 1913
The Bureau of Indian Affairs was organized in 1824, and was under the War Department. On March 3, 1849, the Interior Department took over the management of the Indians. Since 1832, there have been 31 Commissioners of Indian Affairs. The longest tenure of office was that held by Honorable Wm. A. Jones.
The present Commissioner is Honorable Cato Sells of Texas, who took charge June 4, 1913. Mr. Sells has already inaugurated a new and progressive policy and his work is highly commended by every person having the welfare of the Indians at heart.[[6]] A splendid tribute has been paid him by M. K. Sniffen, Esq., Corresponding Secretary of the Indian Rights Association. Honorable Edgar B. Meritt, who has served faithfully for many years, is Assistant Commissioner.
There are in addition to these high officers, Second Assistant Commissioner, Honorable C. F. Hauke; and Honorable E. B. Linnen, Chief of the Inspection Service. I have always considered the Inspection Service the most important of all. It is therefore very satisfactory that we have as Chief of the Division, a man who has had twenty-five years’ experience as Inspector and former Secret Service official. And right here, I wish to state that if the Inspection Service had been efficient in past years, the horrible scandals in Minnesota, Oklahoma and elsewhere never would have occurred.
There are Chiefs of Divisions in education, land and finance; Chief Supervisors of schools, health, industries, irrigation, forestry and construction. There are ten Supervisors and eight Special Agents serving in the various Divisions. The roster of officers for this year contains the names of hundreds of conscientious and competent men and women scattered throughout the entire West and in Washington, whose sole purpose is to make of these Indians good American citizens. No one who has investigated the Indian situation as it presents itself today can do other than accord to all these persons the full meed of praise. They labor under great disadvantages. If they are radical, they call down upon their heads the wrath of those who covet Indian lands; if they are conservative, the officials of various benevolent organizations accuse them of aiding and abetting the grafters in their nefarious work. If a single mistake is made—though unintentional—it is pointed out by some disgruntled person living in the Indian country. The complications, the situation, and the opposition which they are called upon to face might well cause many of their critics to timidly decline to exchange places with them.
I am entirely sincere in the above statement. Because it has been my unpleasant duty to point out needed reforms—not to use a stronger term—a few good people have imagined that I criticised the personnel of the Indian Service. That would be not only unkind, but also unjust, and in all that I have published, written or spoken, I have never thought to criticize any man or woman save those who were engaged in defrauding Indians.
As will be presented in the final chapter of this book, the Indian Office machinery is efficient, and the personnel competent. The only question—and it is a great question—is whether our manufactured product is what it should be. Our machines are perfect, but do we run them properly?