Arizona republican., 1899-12-05

down to this poor. old. long-neGlected agency and note the contrast. It will demolish more high-fiCWn rhetoric than volumes of reply from master hands. These are the same tribe and kindred: in many cases, brother. sister and near kindred. yet at Needles one sees savage
 life with all it's horrors. it's crime. it's disease. it's superstition, it's barbaris;ns. it's utter hopelessress. On the ressrVa- ton there has not been a case Of drunkenness for years. Medicine men are discarded along with paint tattoo, and feathers. Civilized garD prevails entirely. No property is destroyed at funerals. and homes are permanent and as comfortable as circumstances will
 permit. Chimneys, doors with locks. glass windows. private sleeping rooms. and home life prevailing. Crime is less than in the saue-sized community of whites. The majority of males now wear short hair and a few months more will complete this reform. In other words We have here a crude civiiiza- tio0, gathering strength with every month, but still far from a proper ideal Last fall the government authorized the agent to employ Indians to bring in all agency and school supplies by row boats from Needles, Cal. instead of giving the contract to the steamboat company as heretofore. By this means they Were enabled to earn over S2,000 in a season of scarcity. This not only proved a great help to them financial ly. but gave them occupation when there was no work to be done on the farms for lack of irrigation. Not only this but our freight was delivered more promptly than ever in the history oi the agency, and not a pound was lost or damaged. The grade of goods was better than heretofore, especially in the line Of subsistence supplies.
 ; new industry has been fnaugtrated among these Indians this year-that of making and burning brick About 12O.-
 600 have been made and sold to the government for new school buildings,
 the price paid being S1 per thousand.
 Although having no previous expert erce. except that gained through mak- ing adobes. with the aid and direction of the white employees they have made their work Q success. The brick while not averaging so smooth as those usually made by whites, are good. ser Viceable brick. and will make perTaa- nent and well-appearing buildings. The dozen or more Indians at this work kept it up faithfully, although the ther- mcmeter in June ran up as high as 12J in the shade. Here is something more for those who write of lazy reserva- tion Indians" to note.
 The department. in February and
 March, authorized the building of 9 new dining hall, kitchen and employees quarters. also q brick laundry and an ice plant for the agency boarding school. Contracts for the material
 and machinery were let as soon
 as possible, but by the time the goods were expected at Needles the river was greatly swollen by the melting snows in Colorado and Wyoming. This made it
 difficult for the Indians to get their boats up the river, always too swift for rowing up stream. The agent. clerk. mechanic and farmer accompanied
 them. In some instances it took six days to set the boats up the river the necessary 1o9 miles. The Indians often UGded breast deep in the rushing water or climbed almost perpendicular ciitrs wi-h the ropes by which they pulled the boats. Barges and rafts were con stTUcted and the four carloads of goods were all safely delivered, notwithstand-