REPORTS OF AGENTS IN INDIAN TERRITORY. 
 
ing land, a typical cattle-range, and the bottoms embrace as fine land as
the sun shines 
on; it is all fairly well watered, but there is little timber. Occasionally
the prairies 
are broken by a wooded water-course, and on different parts of the reservation
there 
are countless secluded caions. cut deep down into the red soil, and crowded
with 
stunted pines, cedars, and cottonwood. Buttes or hills stand out like pillars
on the 
beautiful prairies, from the tops of which is commanded a splendid view of
the sur- 
rounding country. The principal streams are the Canadian, its north branch,
and the 
Washita and Cimarron, with numerous tributaries which flow across these beautiful

prairies, and go speeding on to the Arkansas River to mingle with the restless
absorp- 
tion of the sea. The climate for the greater part of the year is delightful,
and the 
nights in summer are perfect. 
These are nearly all "Blanket Intians." They have no written language,
no code 
of written laws, no systematic government, and the "court of Indian
offenses" has 
not yet been established-only such rules as are made by the Department or
agent 
are in force(?). They should be made amenable to the law, so that they could
be 
speedily settled and encouraged to make improvements of a permanent nature.
They 
have no use for 4,297,771 acres of valuable land. In their more savage condition
they 
roamed over it for game, but now there is no game, and the sooner they are
given to 
understand that they must cease their savage ways and settle down to work,
the 
better for them and the Government. 
Some desire to do so now, and the number will increase as they are placed
under 
control, and see that it is for their own good. Those who have fenced farms,
with 
corn oats, millet &c., to sell, are a stanling encouragement to the others.
In the 
near future, if they are controlled, they will all want some of the rich
bottom land, 
fearing it will be taken up. 
In my judgment it only requires wise measures honestly administered and faith-

fully adhered to to make these people wholly self-supporting in the next
ten years. 
I speak from a long personal experience with Indians, who only 13 years ago
were con- 
sidered the worst in the United States-the Modocs-who to-day are fairly civilized,

and can support themselves by agriculture without one dollar of Government
assist- 
ance except that of an experienced farmer as instructor. But they were first
wholly 
subdued! When that is done here, the progress of these people under proper
manage- 
meitt will be marvelous. "The same mens will produce the same results."
Will 
it be done ? An agent must have no difficulty in his way in securing the
unqualified 
indoisement and support of the Government. The Indians must be taught to
work, 
and, if need be, compelled to do so. They must be made farmers, and stock-raising

will follow. They must support themselves, and the Government must be relieved
of 
the contract. It is not in the nature of things that this vast quantity of
land should 
lie vacant for any great number of years. They have leased 3,832,120 acres
to cattle- 
men, but still have left 130 acres per capita, or an average of a section
(640 acres) of 
land to each family, comprising thousands of acres of as fine farming laud
as is te 
be found anywhere, while all is superior for grazing purposes. 
ARAPAHOES. 
The Arapahoes seemed to take a new lease of life last winter, and commenced
by 
filling up their school. The cold weather and the anticipation of troops
coming helped 
some. They are generally easily managed, and would like to be separated from
the 
Cheyennes; but if they are all subjected properly, I cannot see that it will
be nec- 
essary. They accept instructions in manual labor willingly, and our farmers
have 
done most satisfactory work with many of them the present season. Last year
the 
whole tribe did not raise to exceed 100 acres of crops. This year they will
harvest 
corn and other grain, not weeds, from 500 acres. The fields have been well
tended, 
and the yield will be splendid. 
Many of the young men are as headstrong as the worst Cheyennes, and should
be 
deprived at once, absolutely and rigorously, of their fire-arms-conipelled
to obey 
the law precisely as the whites do. Such a policy would sound the death-knell
to 
their rascality and insure peace to the Indians and whites alike; any other
policy will 
only encourage them to disobey your wishes. The practice of depredating is
general, 
and from lack of restraint they are emboldened to an alarming extent. On
the night 
of 2d of May two young men took nine head of oxen from the post wood contractor's

teams; the oxen were soon missed and trailed to the camp of "Tall Bear,"
an Arapaho 
chief living on the South Canadian. They had not twenty minutes before slaugh-

tered two of them, and were eating the meat; the others were under guard
by 
Indians in a cation near by. The heads had been buried and hides thrown into

the, river. Tall Bear is one our best Indians-I mean best, for he has for
years been 
friendly aid engaged in farming-but it is not considered a crime any longer,
even 
if it is found out. The only regret that Tall Bear expressed when I talked
to him of 
it was that they killed work oxen when there were so many cattle just as
handy to 
get at. They have been threatened, &c., but feel that the authorities
will do nothing