be repaired before winter. There are no water, sewer, or lighting systems in any but the superintendent's house. It is recommended that these modern sanitary facilities, common even in the very smallest towns in Montana, be furnished.

Some of the young Cheyennes are quite unruly; they frequently commit small acts of violence against each other that require punishment. For instance, four young men were arrested to-day for cutting up the watermelon crop of another Cheyenne who displeased them. Moreover, white cattle thieves are arrested from time to time, and there is no place to hold them. It is recommended that a suitable jail be erected at Lame Deer.

SCHOOLS.

There are 335 Cheyenne children of school age, 212 eligible to go to school; 9 are at school away from the reservation. The capacities of the various reservation schools are as follows:

from which it appears that there are adequate school facilities available. It is reported that the heating of the Tongue River training school has been very unsatisfactory in the past, but this is about to be rectified and a Delco lighting system installed. The only industrial training is the work about the garden and stables for the boys, cooking and housework for the girls. There should be shops provided at Lame Deer and Busby, where young Cheyenne can be sent as apprentices to the blacksmiths, carpenters, etc., and every person capable of receiving it should be given instruction in the care and repair of farm machinery, so necessary to every farmer. It is reported that a new horse barn and poultry house is needed at Busby.

There is no principal at the school to prepare the school building at Busby, which must open in a few days. It is necessary for the superintendent to leave his important duties to attend to this matter until a principal is provided, to the great detriment of his legitimate functions.

FLOUR MILL.

The flour mill was completed in 1915 and has been an immense success. An Indian is made to save enough wheat to seed his land and can sell the remainder or have it ground for his family. This has furnished all the flour for their use during the last fiscal year, furnishing a market for their wheat and saving the transportation to the railroad both ways. There were 30,000 bushels of wheat produced on the reservation during the fiscal year 1919 by the Indians. Approximately 10,000 bushels of grain were placed in the agency flour mill by the Indians to provide flour for the Indians and their families as their needs required. Some Indians have as much as 1.000 pounds left from the fall of 1918. I have also been reliably

informed that a few of the Indians have had flour due them for wheat deposited in the mill continually since the fall of 1915, and that a number of this class of Indians have been permitted to take flour from the mill at any time they wished, but have never taken out the full amount due them. No wheat or flour has been purchased off the reservation for the Indians since the mill was completed in 1915. The failure in the wheat crop this year will probably make it necessary for 30,000 or 40,000 pounds of flour to be purchased at the railway, as no other wheat can be purchased within 50 miles.

HEALTH.

I did not see the doctor, a temporary employee, who was absent on leave, and who is reported temperamentally unfit for duty with Indians. There is no hospital and there was no doctor for seven. months of last year during the influenza epidemic when 70 Cheyenne died. The agency is about 50 miles from the railroad, and the roads are impracticable for sick people in winter. The superintendent estimates that there are 334 cases of tuberculosis of all kinds and 750 of trachoma, and but little attention can be given them under present conditions. It is recommended that sufficient pay be offered to obtain a competent physician; that he be furnished with a hospital, operating table, instruments, and drugs; that he be sent about the reservation to secure the confidence of the Indians and build up a practice among them. Furthermore, he should be furnished means of showing pictures on a screen emphasizing the principles and effects of sanitation and personal hygiene to illustrate his lecture. If the proper selection of films were made, information of great value of every kind could be imparted to these Indians, especially to the old whose education was abandoned years ago. They can be made to absorb information more readily and convincingly through the eye than through the ear.

MORALS.

The superintendent reports the morals of the Cheyenne of a higher order than those of any Indians with whom he has come in contact. This has been their reputation ever since the white man has known them. The difference between the morals of the Cheyenne and Arapahoe is yet to be accounted for. They have lived side by side in the same camps from time immemorial, have frequently intermarried, yet their morals are at opposite ends of the pole. These people marry by license gotten at Forsythe. The superintendent reports that he has yet to see the first Cheyenne under the influence of intoxicating liquor.

TRIBAL HERD.

A recent count of cattle on the reservation, exclusive of leased area, shows there are approximately 9,091 cattle on the reservation, 6,920 the property of individuals and 2,171 belonging to the tribal herd. Two thousand three hundred and forty-four calves were branded this year. This reservation has the finest cattle range within my knowledge;

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the land is extremely rough, the cattle well sheltered in the timber brakes in winter; many springs and streams run during the driest seasons. Deep snow usually falls in some sections in winter, which requires that the cattle be shifted to other districts. The grass is of the best beef-making qualities. The superintendent has very wisely divided the range by a wire fence into summer and winter pastures, with the result that he believes that he is going to have feed on the winter range, notwithstanding the severe drought which is causing the shipping of a large part of the cattle of other ranges out of the State, sufficient when eked out with the hay already purchased to carry the herd through the winter.

There are 7,000 horses on the range; most of these are small and of little value, but each one eats as much grass as a valuable steer. One sells for about $10, the other for about $150. I met a bunch of horses on the Crow Reservation belonging to a man who was purchasing 1,000 head, at $10 each, to be shipped to Seattle for slaughter for their hides and tallow. The Cheyenne have been horse Indians ever since they have been known to white people, and need many horses to go about the reservation to keep them satisfied and happy. There are, however, many scrubs on the range that could be culled to advantage, their hides sold for about $10 apiece, the full money value of the animal, and their meat frozen and eaten during the winter. There is, to be sure, a prejudice among some people against eating horse meat. The horses use only the same grass and water as do the steer, and have identical habits. The Indians, to be sure, have no such silly prejudice, and I myself have lived solely on horse and mule meat for two weeks at a time on the old Indian campaigns, and found it excellent. Such action would result in a benefit to the range and improvement in the horse herd, a realization of cash for property now unproductive, and a large element of their subsistence that would practically cost_nothing, because their hides alone represent their money value. I recommend that this action be taken, a sufficient number of the best horses to be maintained for breeding purpose and to keep the tribe liberally mounted. It is believed that the only objection of the Indians to this plan would be the natural objection of a horseman to kill a horse, in which I share; but this would be obviated by the superintendent purchasing the horses, doing the slaughtering at the agency, and selling the hides. The Blackfeet have 17,000 horses; the Crows also have many. Similar action could be taken at their agencies to advantage.

The Cheyenne were a proud, moral, and high-spirited race. Under the firm, wise, steady, and sympathetic treatment they receive from Superintendent Buntin, in whom they have confidence, assisted greatly by Mrs. Buntin, who takes milk to the little ones and visits the sick and afflicted, they are regaining their spirit, taking hold on agriculture and progressing more rapidly than any Indians I know of. If the proposition to kill their scrub horses for meat be adopted, they and their cattle, notwithstanding the severe drought, will be able to pass the winter very much as in normal years. Respectfully submitted.

H. L. SCOTT,

Member, Board of Indian Commissioners.

The honorable the SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR.

APPENDIX D.

REPORT ON THE FORT PECK INDIAN AGENCY, MONT., BY HUGH L. SCOTT.

POPLAR, MONT., September 16, 1919.

SIR: I arrived at Fort Peck Agency on inspection duty September 5, 1919. This is the agency for the Assiniboine and Yanktonais Sioux. They were formerly one tribe, but so long ago that many have forgotten this fact and consider that they were always enemies. The Assiniboines number 772 and the Sioux 1,259. They speak different dialects of the Dakota language. Most of them have been allotted lands on the reservation. The remainder of the reservation has been thrown open to homestead settlement. The Assiniboine are settled more about Wolf Point, a subdistrict, 20 miles west of Poplar, on the Missouri. The Yanktonais center about Poplar. This section has suffered from drought, like every other portion of Montana east of the mountains, but there is more feed for cattle on these ranges than has been seen elsewhere, and there is not enough stock to eat it.

The Arickaree and Mandan Indians developed a corn in prehistoric times that has adapted itself, during a long period, to this climate. It is called "Ree," or "Squaw Corn." It grows about 3 feet high, has a short season, and almost never fails to make crop. The stalks stool out and have several small ears in a hill. I have seen this year dry-land crops that were estimated by those familiar with this subject to average 40 bushels to the acre, notwithstanding the drought. Indians and white men say it seldom fails. It has been crossed with corn from some more southern sections, with the result of making the ears larger and the plant just as hardy as the "Ree" corn. Very little corn, however, has been sown for some reason. Replies to questions are that cultivation takes too much work, but it would seem to an outsider to be better to get a 40-bushel crop of corn than no crop at all, as many have done for the last three years. It is believed that the planting of this crop should be stimulated by prizes and competition. Flax has done well here on the upland as well as in the valley, and a good price is being realized for the seed at the railroad. Through this means the Montana Farming Corporation expects to get back the expenses of installing its plant on the leases it has on this reservation. Nine thousand nine hundred and seventy-five acres are being cultivated by Indians, but this year most of these crops have failed. Corn and flax are the only crops being realized on.

IRRIGATION.

There are four irrigation projects on the reservation, none of which has been finished, and much land is without water that would have abundant crops if the projects had been finished one at a time. There are many ditches which have no water and will not have, when most needed, until storage dams are built for the conservation of water that now runs to waste. The Missouri River runs across this reservation for about 80 miles, through a magnificent valley capable of producing immense wealth if water is put on it. The matter is

very feasible, one engineer stating that water could be taken out of the Missouri, which has an abundant flow, for $20,000, the rest being a matter of the cost of the ditches. These ditches should be put in, as they will benefit very many people and enrich about 300 square miles with certain water. This is said to have been the original plan. but was changed for fear of the silt that comes down the Missouri, which it was thought might be damaging, but this has not proven so in the lower Yellowstone Valley, and indeed the silt of the Nile and similar rivers is the source of inexhaustible fertility.

OFFICE.

Last year 850 communications were received from the Washington office; total received, 5,850; sent to the Washington office, 725; total sent, 5,500. There are permanent appointments in the office. The superintendent, E. D. Mossman, has been here two years and he seems to have the interests of the Indians very much at heart. He has the reputation of fighting for them to the limit. He receives them in the office in a very sympathetic and kindly manner. He has an accurate knowledge of their personality and their holdings. Nevertheless, his time is occupied very much in the office. He disburses over a half million dollars a year and looks after the interests of 2,000 people. It is recommended that he be freed from much of the office work by the appointment of a bonded disbursing officer to enable him to give more time to the Indians and less to their property.

MORALS.

Last year there were 32 arrests on the reservation of Indians for misdemeanors arising from intoxicating liquor; 2 for rape; 1 for stealing; 4 for adultery; 2 for assault; 41 in all. A remarkable contrast to the list of crimes committed in any white community of the same size. There have been 4 divorces by legal procedure. There are no plural marriages on the reservation. The morals are said to be those usual in an Indian community.

HOSPITAL.

The hospital was visited in company with the superintendent. A neatly capped nurse was in charge and there were two patients in the male ward. It was a pleasure to note the neat appearance of the whole establishment and the adequacy for its purpose; it had instruments, drugs, operating table, and a place could be found in which to isolate infectious cases. Three hundred and ninety-one cases were treated last year in this hospital. It is estimated, however, that there are 265 cases of tuberculosis and 200 of trachoma. Many of these undoubtedly get no treatment by competent physicians. These latter usually wait for the case to be brought to them, but they should go out into the byways and work up a practice, make friends with the poorer and more important classes and induce them to submit to treatment. There were 79 deaths last year.