his office. The agency doctor, clerks, farmers, superintendents
of agency schools, and all other local employees report to him and are
subject to his orders. Too often he has been nothing more than a ward
politician of the commonest stamp, whose main purpose is to get all that
is coming to him. His salary is small, but there are endless
opportunities for graft.

If any appeal from the agent's decisions, they are "kickers" and
"insubordinate." If they are Indians, he can easily deprive them of
privileges, or even imprison them on trumped-up charges; if employees,
he will force them to resign or apply for transfers; and even the
missionaries may be compelled, directly or indirectly, to leave the
reservation for protesting too openly against official wrongdoing. The
inspector sent from Washington to investigate finds it easy to "get in
with" the agent and very difficult to see or hear anything that the
agent does not wish him to hear or see. Many Indians now believe
sincerely in Christ's teachings as explained to them by their
missionaries, but they find it impossible to believe that this
Government is Christian, or the average official an honest man.

Any untutored people, however, are apt imitators, and so these
much-exploited natives become politicians in spite of themselves. The
most worthless of the tribe are used as the agent's spies and henchmen;
a state of affairs demoralizing on the face of it. As long as the Indian
Bureau is run in the interests of the politicians, and Indian
civilization is merely an incident, the excellent and humanitarian
policies approved by the American people will not be fully carried into
effect.

It is true that good men and especially good women have gone into the
Indian service with a genuine desire to deal justly and kindly by the
Indian and to serve the Government honorably and efficiently. Such
people often become disgusted with the system and find it impossible to
stay, or else are forced out by methods familiar to the experienced.
When you clear your American cities of grafters, and purify your
politics, then perhaps you will be in a position to redeem the Indian
service, and only then. Alas! the skirts of the Goddess of Liberty have
never yet been quite clean!

The Indian is no fool; on the other hand, he is a keen observer and an
apt student. Although an idealist by nature, many of the race have
proved themselves good business men. But under the reservation system
they have