, 1858-03-26
NO.. 18.

Superintendent Hedges amounts to $780,
900. r71
As Mr.. Hedges left no data in the Office
upon which TO base an accurate estimate,
! this can only be regarded as eonjectural--
1t is made up from letters and applications
addressed subsequently by the creditors to
the superntendency. a.f
From this it would appear that the total
amount due in Oregon for supplies purchas-
ed and salaries remaining unpaid under Su-
perintenderts Palmer and Hedges, and for
a fraction Of the second quarter Of 1851, is
$226,3Il 20. Of 1'f -1f lss
Under date of March Is, 1851 the de-
partment in its letter of appointment to
Mr. Nesmith says; "You will without de-
lay prepare and forward a suocinct state
ment Of funds required to meet existing
liabilities Of the service; and also a state
ment Of funds required for the expenses Of
the same to the 30th Of June next"
On the 5th May, Mr. Nesmith, in de.
tailed communication to the department.,
stated the condition Of the Office, and the
impracticablity Of obtaining specific details
of the outstanding liabilities He address,
ed letters to all the agents, requesting them
to furnish the desired data, aud on the l1th
of June transmitted the statements of
agents Metcalfe, Miller, Drew and Denni.
son, in reference to the debts on public ac-
count, incurred by them. Iu many instau.
ces tho creditors gave no vouchers, but sim.
ply received the certificates of the agents,
which they still hold as evidence of their
claims upon the government. These ered-
iiors are chiefly store-keepers, farmers, tra-
ders, and tOck-droVers, scattered all over
the country--so that II was not practicable
to obtain more detailed statements Of the
items, the,agents having usually kept only
the gross umounts, No statements were
transmitted from Superintendent Hedges
and Agent Raymond, because they were
either unwilling or unable 10 make them,
None we're received by the present superin-
tendent. 4. ,...,..,.. ....7. 4, ,,.e.,t.
In reply TO Mr. Nesmith's letter Of May,
9th, the Commissioner OF Indian Affairs,
under date of June 19th, says: Il cannot,
consistently with the rule made BY the, de-
partment for my government 10 this re-.
spect, make the remittances oE the gross
Sums mentioned in your letter without view,
ing the purposes for which they are specifS
cally wanted" BE further requires ''your
(the superintendents) estimates based on.
the reports to you Of the several agents to
whom you have written on the subject, be-
fore making the remitsanees 10 question y :
As already stated, these reports we're
Transmitted with the accompanying data,
on the 18th Of June. They referred to in,
debtedness incurred prior 70 the Let Of May,
when Superintendent Nesmith assumed the.
duties Of the Office. 1p reply, the commis.,
sioner, under date Of August 18Th. SAYS,
Il have 70 refer you to letter from thIs
Office Of the 10Th Of June last, relative To-
making remittances on account Of past lie
billies incurred for the Indian service IL
Oregon aud Washington, and again state
no funds will be remitted therefor nn-
ill the specific character Of such liabilities
are ascertained and reported tothls oflcs.g
Whilst admitting the proprioty Of these
restrictions, which are based upon the best
principles Of public policy, may Inot Be-
permitted to suggest that II the estimates
Of Superintendenls Palmer and Hedges
were regularly made aud transmitted to lho
department, they must now be on lllo. II
these estimates do not show Cor what pur.
pose the indebtedness was incurred III win
scarcely be practicable for the present su3
perintendent to ascertain IL The doparta
msnt has on record the amount called Tor
to meet the current expenses Of DE service.
and the amount transmitted II the csli.
mates were not made IN as detailed form
as the regulations require, it seems 70 NO
that the proper time 10 have applied ihs
remedy would have been during tie incum-
behcy Of the ofieers whose accounts are IN
question: and for whose sucglect Or derelicl
ton Of duty the service IS now seriously
embarrassed. ai o1rssa Ie1 ln a'ie
The principal effect Is the depreciation
Of governments credit, and general want
Of confidence in public oilc0Fs IL was
well understood that when the Indians were
removed from their homes, and coucenlrnt.
ed upon the reservations, large expendi
lures Of money would be necessary tomaln-i
tain them; that it would not be pfacticablsi
for them at once to procure subsislencb
for themselves The isupeFintendents and
agents were charged with the restoration
and maintenance Of peace How was this
to be aeeomplished3 Certainly Il could
not have been expected that such result
should be achieved by starving them. Bat
If tho allegations Of the agents can be re-
lied upon, it would appear that they were
forced to supply the Indians with food and
clothing on their own responsibility. IN con
sequence Of the nonFemittance Of the nee
essary funds. Such remittances as were
made were altogether below the estimates
and insufficient for the absolute necessities
Of the service The creditors Of the gov
ernment, on the faith Of its officers, furnish
ed the necessary supplies. and thus another
outbreak, more disastrous. perhaps, than
the last, was prevented. Many of them
are poor, aud still remain unpaid. What-l
ever may have been saved to governments,
by the iaterposition Of technical dificnlties
in the mode Of making out accounts, il has
been doubly lost by the subsequent dopre-