The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1861-04-04
INDIAN AFFAIRS.
Correspondence Of the \. Y. Tribune.I
WASHINGTON. March l3

w sA~ASh AO'
Mr.. Dole, the Commissioner of Indian
affairs, took the oath of Office this morn.
ing, and entered upon his dutes-just
one day too late. The lndian claimants,
believing this to be their last chance,
have been in full force for several weeks
at the Department, pressing their claims,
and up to a late hour last night the old
Commissioner was engaged in signing
warrants for their payment. The sum
total have heard estimated, variously,
at from 100000 to 100000.
The claims against the Sacs and Foxes
we're paid. This is one of those shrewd.
ly managed cases which leaves the Indi-
ans poor without giving them any osten.
siblc ground Of complaint. Last summer,
under the management of Mr.. Perry Full.
Ter, the resident agent, they made trea.
ty to sell their lands, and in the treaty it
was stipulated that the Commissioner
should pay the back claims. These
claims they had no definite knowledge Of,
but now, when the matter is settled, their
land is gone and their money gone. There
is general feeling in the community
that the Indians have been sadly cheated,
but by whom, and when and where no
body knows. The Indians complain, but
can prove nothing illegal against any one,
although facts like the following are of
frequent occurrence. In 1852 Congress
appropriated s65O,O00 to pay the Sioux
Indians for their lands in Minnesota.
Mr.. Lee, Of Mississippi, then poor man,
was Commissioner of Indian affairs Cos.
Ramsay of Minnesota Territory was cx
oficio Superintendent. Hon. II NJ
Rice, late NJ G. from that Territory,
made the agreement with the Indians
Hugh Tyler, claim agent, received FIVE
per cent, s32 800 for disbursing it. OF
this sum the Indians received only $3.50,
900, the remainder went for "claims -
The Indians complained and came on to
Washington for redress. An investiya-
tion was comcnced, but as nothing illegal
was discovered, it vas dropped.
One Of the last acts of Commissioner
Greenwood was to force through the
the claim of Hon. H. NJ. Rice of Min
nesoto for $4,000. The facts in
the case are these: Twelve years
ago Congress made an order to re-
move the Winnebago Indians. Rice took
the contract at $40 per head The num-
Der was stated to be 200. When the Job
was completed, FL tcher, the agent, who
appears to have been an honest man, re-
fused to sign the roll, claiming that
frauds had been committed-that the
Indians had been enumerated two or
,hre times over. Fletcher was dismiss.
ed and more pliable man was substitu-
ted in his place Rice then raised his
claim from S2l 900 to SAT 900 on account
of Fletchcr's refusing to sign the roll and
his having to subsst them in the mean-
time. Congress allowed the claim, and it
was paid ten years ago Immediately
after this was paid he came in with an
additional claim of s24 900 for extra
subsistence. That has been before the
Department for ten years. Mannypenny
refused it, Secretary Thompson refused
it. 1t was then examined in 1858 in
Congress, by the Committee on Indian
affairs, and refused As soon as Sscreta-
ry Thompso resigned, two or three
months ago, the Chief Clerk, Mix, made
a strong report in favor of the claim, and
the acting Secretary Kelly, directed that
if the claim was u t, it must take the US
ual course through the Auditors Office
and be paid Instead Of this, however,
the claim was not audited or examined,
but Mr.. Commissioner Greenwood order
ed Mr.. Cullen, the Northern Superin.
dent, to pay it out Of the Spring annui,
ties of the Winnebagoes. Here is an
open robbery in violation of law and
against the regulations of the Depart
ment.
The moral effect of these transactions
on the Indians is disheartening in the
extreme, and it is to be hoped they have
come to an end
Young politicians who have seen these
old stayers grow rapidly rich by such
dishonorablc means. may hope to till their
places, and attain to like results But
the Democratic party is dead, and with
it dies all this corrupt practice The
moral sense of the country is against it
The Republican party is against it. The
President of the United States is against
it. Mr. Secretary Smith is against it,
and Mr.. Commissioner Dole is against it.
And when the Chief Clerk, Mix, is re-
moved, there will be no connecting link
between the purse of the nation and these
ujust claimants.
1t is little less than farce to call our
agreements with the Indians treaties
They do not understand them as we do.
They have no power to enforce them, no
minister or consul to present their views
or defend their rights. The complica-
tions in which our long headed traders
involve them are entirely beyond their
comprehension They keep no record,
and understand no law but that of homes.
ty. Could they be met with the same
spirit of sincerity which they naturally
possess, it would be an easy matter to
lead them into habits of civilization
That they can be civilized is evident from
the condition of some of the tribes in
Kansas. The Shswnees are good farm
ers. They have given up their tribal re-
lations, divided up the land of the Re-
serve, per capita, and become citizens
and voters. Much Of their progress is to
be attributed to the kindly influence Of
the QuakeIs, who have had school
among them for fifty years--loug before
they migrated to Kansas.
The Wyandots have also divided up
their land and become citizens.