The Van Buren press., 1868-06-12
From I-t,l, Eocl Cy.Uta.
A Pretty Pair Of Senators -Anteeedents
Of Mcdonald, United States Senator
from Arkansas

from Arkansas.
II other argument, were wanting. N1y' the
Louisville Courier, the bad characters of the
carpct-bag senators foi.ted upon the people
of Arkansas. would condemn the whole radi-
cal policy Of Reconstruction. The exploits OF
/ b. T. Rice, one ofthose Senators, Nho lett this
State under the most disgr,ccfm circm-
stances, have already been narrated. That
/ the other senator Is proper yoke-icliow for
such creature is evident from the following
statements which we find In tae Washington
correspondence of the New York Herald
Hon. A. Mcdonald, republican senator elect
from Arkansas. is not altogether unknown 20
the distinguished body OF officials among
whom he claims seat. The honorable claim
ant Was member of the irm OF Mcdonald,
Fuller & Sells, Indian contractors In the
senate debate upon transferring the Indian
bureau from the Interior 10 the War Depart
ment Senator sherman read portion OF the
statement showing up some of that firms OPP
eraiiOnS little thinking that an embryo Uni
ted States Senator was in the case, Tue Official
records of the first session OF Thirty Ninth
Congress contain the following :--lSec Giybe,
part /, page 3Jj2.l Senator sherman said:
Il will read an extract from 4 memorial
signed by portion OF the Chcrokees. | am
not responsible for the facts here stated but
as they are presented regularly 10 us by them
ina written memorial complaining OF certain
grievances, ] read their statements as alleged
facts. they are true they certainly require
some inyestigation:'
by the act of March 3, 1866, the Secretary
Of War was authorized 10 feed and clothc the
pauper Indians in the Indian territory, from
the date of the passage Of the law until the
end of that fiscal year. On July |, 1865, when
the military authorities ceased to have author
ity TO feed refugee Indians there was an inn
menSe surplus of flour and corn on hand at
Fort Gibson, amounting to as much as all that
has since been issued TO paupcr Indians in
that country. These stores the commanding
officer at Fort Gibson offered to turn over To
the Superintendent of Indians Affairs at $3.50
per barrel for flour, and 81 per buShe for corn.
Instead of making this purchase, the Supern-
! tendent went To leayenWOrh and entered
into a contract with Mcdonald Fuller q Sells.
| (son of the Superintendent ut s. per huShel
for corn, and S3l per barrel for flour. This
contract was let, aS we are informed. and be-
| lieYc, without the requisite advertisement, on
! the pretcnce that there was not time to adycr-
! tiSe. The most of the flour furnished under
! this contract WAS sent BY steamboat from 1t.
/ lNi1Nf tuoAiil- NiIt A'illld'l'i dlbNN Sls anu
| the Indian Department S3i per barrel, while
a large amount Of the Ilour offered by the
| War Department 10 the Interior at SS per
/ barrel was being shipped down the Arkansas
I from Fort Gibson to Little Rock. The corn
| furnished by the contractors under this CON
tract was part bought from the Indians At -
| per bushcl, and part bought of the military
authorities of Fort Gibson by one Mckee, who
is understood to have been the agent and
| partner OF Mcdonald, Fuller a Sells, at cigh-
teen cents per buShcl, and turned over TO the
| superintendent at So per bushcl. The gross
amount of these supplies we are unable to
state, but are satisfied that il was several hun
| dred thousand dollars and he have iniorma-
| ton that it has all or nearly all been paid"
do not wish TO read any more from the va
riouS allegations made by these Indians |
only read this much to show that when the
War Department is charged with a certain
portion of the duties connected with our in
tercOurSe with the Indians and the Interior
Department with another position, there will
G;.~-~~|'r- r-,'"sS "a nauu dHu speculatlOus.
ms certainly is very serious charge which
is alleged by these Indians. Ii is that the
government being actually in possession of A
large amount OF stores and property through
the War Department, which offered to turn
them over to the Interior DcpartInent-corn
at g per buShel and flour at IS. 50 barrel
the Interior Department instead of takipp
tlem purchased flour at S34a barrel and corn
at IS Il bushel. 1t seems to me that if this
kind OF transactions can 90 under this system
ofmiXed responsibility it is time we should
put Il stop TO 1t.
have looked the record through in vain to
1nd any satisfactory explanation or defense
against these charges. senator Doolitflc
stated that the amount thus purchased was
" for very small supply. which the Supcrin-
tendent deemed necessary to take with him"
Inc chalgc OF buying corn of the government
for eighteen cents per bushcl and selling if
back again AT eight dollars per bushel is not
even noticed.
Besides the ability to drive sharp bargain
with Uncle sam and the Indians. am not in
formed of Mr.. McDuHald's other oualitica-
tion>; but the War Department records
would. If examined, throw little light The
LeaIcnWorth ldacS, the leading republican
paper OF Kansas. has the following, with
Whlch close for the present:
we are both aStoniShod and mortified to
see some "i the republican presses of Kansas,
claiming to occupy Il conspicuous place In the
ranks of the organization. indul1inu in M
some ana cNtravagant adulations of Mr.. A.
McDohtiu, VINO has recently been elected one
OF the senators from the State of Arkansas
II any one OF the journals referred to know
Mr. Mcdonald at all they know he Is utterly
unqualified for the high position Of United
states Senator, The very proposition is ri
dieulous, ana 1t lowers the character of the
profession for leading newspapers to hold up
u man ior what he Is not and can never be-
come. Hon. A. Mcdonald United Stotes
senator from Arkansas, Ii that isn't enourh
to make horse laugh nothing ever wa. :"
:.