Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1914-12-23
CATO SELLS REPORT.
Dubuque Telegraph-H erald)

Dubuque Telegraph-Herald) ..
The Hon. Cato Sells; Commission
er Of Indian Affairs, has given to- the
press advance copies Of his report
covering the period from July 8, 1913
to June 80, 1914. The report, which
outlines briefly the work that has
been done and indicates something OF
what he hopes to accomplish, is com
prehensive and creditable. a.
s Mr.. Sells, whose home 8 now lin
Texas, was formerly an Iowan. Dur
! ing his citizenship in this state, he
was prominent in state politics. - a
Mr.. Sells was made Commissioner OF
Indian Affairs, and within two days
after he had assumed office things
began to happen. His genius for Or
ganization and for orderliness would
no let him rest in a political sine
cure. . :. T.. = s,s.. b. 3d., Is
II The condition OF his department,
his first consideration. being regulat-
ed to suit him, it was only natural
that the condition Of his charges, the
Indians, should appeal to him next,
and he went about the work OF set
ting their houses in order after the
fashion Of his own with the same
boundless energy. Within the first
three months after he had been In
office he had visited every agency in
the United States and acquainted him
self with local conditions. He talked
with Indians individually and col
lectively, and he dug deep into
Indian correspondence in an en-
deavor to get the Indians point
Of view on the benefits OF lack OF
benefits they were receiving. By
the time he had completed his pre-
liminary work. and had filled his
head with information concerning
Indian affairs his bureau was recog-
nized and working as it should and
he. was able to turn his attention to
the matters needing REIMBURSEMENT.
!. This is what his department has &C
compushed during the first year OF
his incumbency:
The bureau itself has been thor
oughly reorganized on cooperative
basis, each department. being made
to feel It's responsibility to other de-
partments. Red tape has been elm.
mated and efficiency increased. -.
The number Of Indian pupils enroll
ed in public schools has been large
ly increased, and especial stress has
been laid on vocational training OF
the Indians. Z r., s !
4 Finding that much OF the resources
OF the Indian reservations, particular
". the fine grazing lands, have been
exploited to the benefit Of the white
man, to encourage the Indians to
take advantage Of their resources in
this line the grazing-leasing and graz
ing permit systems have been or
dered abandoned and instead the
Inians are being urge to go into the
stock raising business themselves.
To further this. end the department
has expended nearly $1,000,O00 for
the purchase Of high grade male AMI
mails for the improvement OF Indian
live stock and everything possible
has been done toward creating tr1b'
al herds on those reservations haV-
ing grazing lands. /
Through Mr.. Sells efforts Congress
was persuaded to appropriate $725, 1000
for encouraging industry and self sup
port among the Indians and COM
prehensive plan has been Formulated
for obtaining maximum results from
the use Of this money.
With regard to health conditions
the Commissioner calls attention to
the fact that"at the close Of the fis-
cal year 1918 there were so hospitals
with a combined capacity Of 1,40O
patients and six new hospitals under
construction, to care for a popula-
ton Of 100000 with high percent
age of tuber culosis and trachoma.
Out of $1,000 Indians on reserva-
tions there were examined last year
POI, and it was learned that tuber-
culosis was present in 5000 cases
and trachoma in 1000. 1t is estimat.
ed there are $4,000 suffering with
tuberculosis and $4,000 afflicted with
trachoma. From the 100000 appro-
priated by the last congress, there
was made available 100000 for hos
pital purposes besides direct appro-
priations for a, sanitarium in the
Choctaw nation, Oklahoma, and one
at Red Lake or Leech Lake and on
the Fond du Lac reservation, Min
nesota, also on the Rosebud, Pine
Ridge and Cheyenne reservations in
South Dakota. Plans have been pre-
pared for the building of seven small
hospitals at cost of from $12, 1000
to $4,000 each, on the reservations
where the need of medical attention
has been most keenly felt. The work
for the eradication Of trachoma has
been vigorously pushed during the
year"
Particular efforts have been made
to protect the Reds from intoxicants,
which Mr.. Sells declares are the
greatest menace to the American In
dian. The operations of the Indian
service are being extended in this
endeavor from the Atlantic to the
Pacific oceans, and from Canada to
the Cult.