92          REPORTS OF AGENTS IN          INDIAN   TERRITORY. 
fenses against person or property as these Indians. Their patience and forbearance

under acts of wrong and injustice to which they are sometimes subjected by
a certain 
class of whites, who have obtained a foothold on the surrounding territory,
are really 
surprising. 
In regard, however, to another class of offenses I cannot speak so favorably.
Their 
morals and social habits are abominable. While they acquiesce grudgingly
and 
under protest in the necessity of doing a certain am6unt of work and endeavoring

to provide by civilized methods for some sort of subsistence, when it comes
to the 
regulation of their social and domestic affairs they despise the white man
and his 
ways: In these respects I doubt if they have advanced one iota in all the
years 
during which they have been under the training and tutelage of the superior
race. 
They marry and unmarry at pleasure. Their daughters are held as legitimate

merchandise. Polygamy, though not universally practiced, is considered perfectly

proper and excites no remark. It is, indeed, practiced to a greater extent
than a su- 
perficial acquaintance would lead one to suspect. The woman as a rule accepts
the 
situation with the apathy of the race. Occasionally, however, the first wife
organ- 
izes a revolt against the interloper and succeeds in driving her out; but
sometimes 
she is driven out herself, and compelled with her brood to find lodging and
subsistence 
as she can. Some of these are cases of extreme hardship. So long as this
condition 
of things continues they can make no real progress; the emancipation of the
woman 
is one of the first steps in the civilization of any people. Moral influences
and the 
example of the whites have utterly failed to effect any change for the better
in their 
domestic relations. I think it is high time they were placed under the restraints
of 
law just as other people. I can see no reason why an Indian should not be
sent to the 
penitentiary for bigamy as well as a Mormon. One or two examples would do
more to 
break up the miserable practice than all that teachers and missionaries can
do in a gen- 
eration. 
Aside, however, from these and kindred matters which affect their moral rather

than their physical condition, these tribes have made perceptible progress
in the 
direction of independence and self-support. Of course it has been done under
con- 
stant urging. I do not believe there is any upward tendency in the Indian
nation. 
The very moderate advance these Indians have made in the twenty-five years
or more 
during which they have had teachers and helpers has been made under the constant

pressure of those around them; if that pressure was withdrawn they would
speedily 
relapse into utter idleness and barbarism. But the hopeful aspect of the
situation 
is that they respond more readily and kindly to the efforts put forth in
their behalf, 
and they will no doubt continue to do so as their muscles become inured to
labor and 
they acquire the skill which practice alone can give in the methods and processes
of 
civilized industry. 
The statistics accompanying this report have been obtained by actual visitation

from house to house, by personal inspection of the crops, and by the answers
elicited 
from the owners as to stock and other items within their knowledge. 
THE PONCAS. 
The Poncas are fortunate in occupying one of the most desirable tracts of
land in the 
Territory or anywhere else. In beauty, in fertility, and in the natural resources
of a 
farming or grazing country it cannot be excelled. If a community of five
hundred 
white people owned their reservation as the Indians do, they would in a few
years 
make it blossom as the rose. The Poncas in time, no doubt, will develop its
resources 
to an extent sufficient to meet their moderate requirements. In some respects
they 
have this year made a gratifying advance over last year's operations. 
The corn crop especially promises a much larger aggregate than that of last
year. 
If properly gathered and taken care of, it will be sufficient to afford them
a fair supply. 
It is unfortunate that the Poncas do not use maize in the shape of bread,
as it is much 
easier to raise and furnishes a more wholesome diet than the sodden cakes
of wheat-flour 
which they ordinarily use. The difficulty of getting it ground, perhaps accounts
in 
part for their not using it, as there is no mill nearer than Arkansas City,
35 miles. I 
am under the impression that if they were furnished with a mill attached
to the saw- 
mill engine, where they could have corn ground-say one day in the week-they

might be induced to adopt corn bread to a considerable extent, much to their
ad- 
vantage. 
Their wheat crop shows a falling off from last year, but the season was unfavorable

for this grain. Considering the signal failure of the crop throughout the
West, the 
Poncas have succeeded as well as any other people could have done under the
cir- 
cumstances. My experience and observation for the last two years have led
me to 
the conclusion that wheat is not a profitable crop for these Indians to raise.
It is too 
uncertain and too expensive. If they succeed in growing a crop, the various
expenses 
connected with the harvesting and care of it eat it up. It requires about
a dozen 
Indians to take up the grain after a reaper, and they all have to be paid.
They s( em,