Durango semi-weekly herald., 1904-12-08

! done by introducing some system o
} selection and rejection into the pro
motions, We should be able. in the
event OF some sudden emergency. I,
put into the field one first-class ar
my crops. which should be. as Who'll,
al least the equal to any body o.
!. troops of like number belonging tc
any other nation
Great progress has been made ir
protecting our coasts hy adequate for
tihcations with sufficient guns. w,
should. however. pay much more heed
than at present to the development
OF an extensive system of floating
mines for use in all our more import
ant harbors. These mines have beer
proved to be a most formidable safe
guard against hostile fleets
Medals Of Honor in the Navy.
earnestly call the attention OF the
Congress to the needs OF amending
the existing law relating to the award
OF Congressional medals of honor in
the Navy so as to provide that they
II ay be awarded to commissioned of.
fi:ers and warrant officers as well as
to enlisted men. These justly priced
n edals are given in the Army alike
to the officers and the enlisted men
and 1t is most unjust that the com.
nissioned officers and warrant of.
ficers OF the Navy should not in this
respect have the same rights as their
brethren In the Army and as the en-
listed men of the Navy.
| Indians.
| The progress of the indians toward
| civilization, though not rapid. Is per-
hnps all that could be hoped for in
| past year many tribes have shown. in
degree greater than ever before. an
| appreciation of the necessity of work
| This changed attitude Is in part due
to the policy recently pursued of re-
| ducing the amount OF subsistence to
| the Indians, and thus forcing them.
| through sheer necessity, to work for
n livelihood The policy. though Sc.
we're. is a useful one, but II is 10 be
| exercised only with Judgment and
with a full understanding OF the con-
dtions which exist in each communi.
ty for which 1t is intended On or near
the Indian reservations there Is usu-
ally very little demand for labor, and
II the Indians are to earn their living
and when work can not r, furnished
from outside (which is always prefer
able). then 1t must be furnished by
the Government. Practical instruct
ion Of this kind would In few years
result in the forming OF habits OF reg
ular industry, which would render the
Indian a producer and would effect a
great reduction In the cost OF his
maintenance
1t is commonly declared that the
slow advance of the Indians is due to
the unsatisfactory character of the
men appointed to take Immediate
charge of them. and to some extent
this is true. While the standard of
the employees in the Indian Service
shows great improvement over that
of bygone years, and while actual cor
rnption or fragrant dishonesty is now
the rare exception. 1t is nevertheless
the fact that the salaries paid Indian
Agents are not large enough to at
tract the best men to that field OF
work To achieve satisfactory results
the officials in charge Of an Indian
tribe should possess the high qualin-
cations which are required In the
manager of a large business, but only
in exceptional cases is 1t possible to
secure men of such a type for these
positions. Much better service. how
ever, might be obtained from those
now holding the places were 1t practi-
cable to get out or them the best that
s in them and this should be done by
bringing them constantly into closer
touch with their superior officers. An
agent who has been content to draw
his salary, giving in return the least
possible equivalent in effort and SER
vice. may. by proper treatment, by
suggestion and encouragement, or per-
sistent urging. be stimulated to great
er effort and induced to take more
active personal interest in his work.
Under existing conditions an Indian
agent in the distant West may be
wholly out of touch with the Office OF
the Indian Bureau. He may very well
feel that no one takes a personal in
terest in him or his eff )rts. Certain
routine duties in the wav OF reports
and accounts are required of him,
but there is no one with whom he may
consult on matters vital to his work
except after long delay. Such a man
would be greatly encouraged and aid
ed by personal contact with some one
whose interest in Indian afYairs and
whose authority in the Indian Bureau
were greater than his own. and such
contact would be certain to arouse and
constantly increase the interest he
takes In his work.
The distance which separates the
| agents-tho workers in the field
from the Indian office at Washington
| is a chief obstacle to Indian progress.
Whatever shall more cicsely unite
these two branches Of the Indian SC e
vice, and shall enable thin to coop
| crate mere heartily a1d more efiec-
lively. will be for the increased efflc-
| iency Of the work and the betterment
| OF the race for whose Improvement the
Indian Bureau was established The