“Since the Agent took charge of the agency in June he has made some regulations restricting the Indians from leaving their land (allotments) at any and all seasons, by requiring each Indian to get a pass from the office before leaving the reservation, and this regulation has cut down the revenue of some of these towns, so much so that an attorney of low caliber and an ex-judge made and circulated a petition among both Indians and Whites, requesting an investigation of the Agent’s disciplining the Indians be made, which was supplemented by a request that he be removed. Their charges were heard by an officer at Yerington and the testimony submitted in a way that was more amusing than many theatrical comedies; one of the witnesses even turned to the attorney and asked what it was he told him to say! The smell of whiskey on the attorney and some of the witnesses was very noticeable.

“The so-called Medicine Men are, I think, the greatest hindrance among the tribal evils that the Paiute Indians have to conquer; when they are ‘doctoring’ a sick person and are convinced that the patient is going to die, they accuse some progressive Indian of being a ‘witch’ and claim the sickness is due to a spell cast over them by the ‘witch’.

“I think it would be better if the Indian children were not forced to go to school at such a very early age (five to six years). The change from a free life at home to a strict routine school life is hard, especially at such a tender age. I do not doubt that in a number of cases it weakens the constitution and makes them far more susceptible to tuberculosis.

“I also am convinced it would be far more to the benefit of the Indians if a great percentage of the money which is yearly spent in large non-reservation schools, would be used on the reservation in order to develop more water and to improve more land, so that every Indian could get enough agricultural land, so as to make it possible for him to make a living on his farm. A part of said money could even be spent to assist him in fencing his land, procuring farm implements and the like. With such a start and well-meaning officers, who, when necessary, even would strictly insist that all cultivate their lands properly, most of the Indians would, within a few years, become self-supporting and also support their children. These children, as they grow up, in turn should be made to assist their parents in their home duties.

“Reservation day-schools, as a rule, should suffice also for the Indian children. In these they could surely receive such an education as is necessary for an honest and happy living. Most of the white children in country districts have no better opportunity.”

Correspondent, Phoenix, Arizona

(Formerly lived at Yerington, Nev.)

“Competent Indians should be given control of their business; full-bloods or near full-bloods educated by the retention of coal royalties, or schools maintained by direct Congressional action. Oklahoma needs schools for Indians more than it needs Federal buildings or battleships.”

Correspondent, Muskogee, Oklahoma

“The general tendency of the Government to take away the safeguards over the Indians’ property and person, while of course in line with the generally agreed plan for ultimate citizenship is proving very destructive at the present stage of advancement. It is the general rule that Indians given patents in fee sell their holdings and waste the proceeds either in riotous living or foolish investments or manipulations of their affairs. Such procedure cripples the coming generation more than the present one.