The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1904-12-09

nished by the Government Practical
instruction Of this kind would In a few
years result In the forming OF habits
Of regular industry. which would rem
der the Indian a producer and would
effect a great reduction in the cost OF
his maintenance.
It is commonly declared that the slow
advance of the Indians Is due to TIE
unsatisfactory character Of the men APP
pointed to take immediate charge Of
them, and to some extent this Il true.
While the standard of the employees
In b indian Service shows great inn
proyement over that OF bygone years.
and while actual corruption or fragrant
dishonesty Is now the rare exception,
IL Is nevertheless the fact that the sal
aries paid Indian agents are not large
enough TO attract the best men TO that
field OF work. To achieve satisfactory
results the official I'm charge of an In
dian tribe should possess the high
qualifications which are required in the
manager of a large business, but only
In exceptional cases Is it possible to Sc
cure men of such a type for these posi-
tons. Much better service. however.
might be obtained from those now hold
ing the places were 1t practicable to get
out Of them the best that is in them,
and this should be done by bringing
them constantly into closer touch with
their superior officers. An agent VINO
has been content to draw his salary,
giving in return the least possible equiv.
alent in effort and service. may, by
proper treatment, by suggestion and
encouragement, or persistent urging.
be stimulated to greater effort and in
duced to take a more active personal
interest in his work
Under existing conditions an Indian
agent in the distant West may be whol-
~ out of touch with the Office of the
Indian Bureau. He may very well feel
that no n takes a personal interest
I'm him or his efforts. Certain routine
duties in the way of reports and ac-
count are required of him, but there
Is no one with whom he may intelligent
ly consult on matters vital to his work,
except after long delay. Such a ma
would be greatly encouraged n aided
by personal contact with some n
whose interest In Indian affairs n
whose authority in the Indian Bureau
were greater than his own, n such
contact would be certain to arouse and
constantly increase the interest he
takes in his work.
The distance which separates the
agents-the worker in the feld-from
the Indian Office in washington is a
chief obstacle to Indian progress.
Whatever shall more closely unite these
two branches of the Indian Service,
and shall enable them to cooperate
more heartily and more effectively,
will be fore the increased efficiency Of
the work and the betterment of the race
for whose improvement the Indian Blu
reau was established. The appointment
of a field assistant to the Commissioner
of Indian Affairs would be certain to
insure this good end. Such al official,
If possessed of the requisite energy and
deep interest in the work, would be .
most efficient factor in bringing into
closer relationship and a more direct
union of effort the Bureau IN Washing
ton and it's agents in h e field; and with
the cooperation of its branches thus
secured the Indian Bureau would, in
measure fuller than ever before, lift
up the savage toward that self-nelp and
self-reliance which constitute the man.
Jamestown Tr~icentcnnial.
In 1907 there will be held at Hampton
Roads the ~tricentennial celebration of
the settlement at jamestown, Virginia,
with which the history of what has
now become the United States really
begins. I commend this to your favor-
able consideration. 1t is an event of
prime historic significance, in which all
the people of the United States should
feel, and should show, great and general
interest.
Postal Service.
In the 'Postofice Department the SER
vice has increased in efficiency, and
conditions as to revenue n expendi-
ture continue satisfactory. The in
crease of revenue during the year was
50, 55S, 1S1. 10, of 6.9 per cent, the total
receipts amounting to S143. 3S2. s24.3
The expenditures were S152, 62,116. 30,
an increase of about 9 per cent. owe the
previous year., being thus $S,9I9, 1925
in excess of the current evenue. In
cluded in these expenditures was a
total appropriation of S12, 956, 637 .35 for
the continuation and extension Of the
rural free-delivery service, which was
an increase of s4,9O2,2S7.35 over the
mount expended for this purpose in
the preceding fiscal year. Large as this
expenditure has been the benefcent re-
suits attained in extending the free
| distribution of mails to the residents
of rural districts have justified the wis
dom of the outlay. Statistics brought
down to the list OF october, 1904, show
that on that date there were 27,13S
| rural routes established, serving ap-
| proximately II, Zoo. 0Co of people in rural
| districts remote from postofices, and
that there were pending at that time
1859 petitions for the establishment OF
new rural routes. Unquestionably some
part of the general increase in receipts
is due To the increased postal facilities
which the rural service has afforded
The have also been aided
| greatly by amendments in the classif-
cation of mail matter, and the curtail-