Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-02-02
HOW THE INDIANS ARE ROBBED
- UNDER GRANT -

11O w AK OEE II ~ I'D
UNDER GRANT.
The robberies of the Indians by collu-
sion between contractors and agents al
most exceed belief. Mr.. Welsh, of Phil
adelphia, who was appointed a member
of what is known as the f'Peace Com
mission by Grant, soon became convinced
of the fact, and resigned the position,
and since then has been devoting some
| time to exposing these frauds. His letters
to Vincent COlyer establish the fact that
''a clique of avaricious contractors,
| backed by few ambitious politicians,
and some unprincipled land-jobbers,
still continue to plumber and defraud the
Indians to such an enormous extent that
scarcely more than twenty-five per cent
of the money appropriated for their bene-
| fit ever reaches them, ''three-fourths
being taken by political and other plum
derers, chiefly in Washington. These
are grave charges, but Mr.. Welsh does
not leave them unsupported by facts. In
his first letter he states that ''the pecu-
liar influences that have long
been brought TO bear upon the Interior
Department, and especially on the Indian
Office - forming an infectious malaria
within its walls-became manifest soon
after the enactmentof the law appoint
ing the Commission. He charges that
the Commissioners were baffled by Gen.
Parker, the Commissioner of Indian At
fairs, in their attempt to examine the
goods purchased in New York for the
use of the Indians; that although "evi-
dence of the customary fraudulent intent
on the part of the bidders were discov-
cred" and the Commissioners were pre-
pairing to 20 into a thorough investiga-
ton, Gen. Parker frustrated their inten-
lions by having the examination otherwise
made. This is one of the charges brought
against Gen. Parker, to show that he is a
member of the "lndian ring" To show
how completely the Commission was
stripped of power through the efforts of
the "ring, " Mr.. Welsh cites the following
instance:
"a prominent clerk Of the Interior De
partment was charged with the distribu-
ton of 800, 600 to tribe of Indians.
One of the Commissioners was asked to
supervise the distribution, and he beg
ged the clerk TO desist until special in
| struCtions were received from Washington,
as he learned that a man, who alleged that
he had procured the appropriation, was tC
get one third of the sum. 1t seems thai
the claimant is the bOndsman of the clerk
of the Interior Department. The remOn
STRANGE was uuheeded, and $780, was
taken by him from the Indians by pre-
vious agreement"
The case referred TO here was that Of
the Quaqusn Indians to receive $50, 00C
last summer. OF this sum $4,000 wert
paid to Gen. Blunt, who claimed that fet
for services in obtaining the apprOpria
ton, and about $40, 900 to other parties
Mr.. Mitchell, Indian agent, and brother
in-law of Senator Harlan, stood by ant
saw this money diverted. In fact, he as
sisted at the operation, and for reason
easy 10 be imagined. The Washington
Patriot states that Gen. Blunt, VIII
figured in this transaction, and who's
testimony the investigating committee ha
sought to obtain, is conveniently out o
way of being reached by subpoena.
is also stated that the CherOkccs wer
compelled to pay siXty-three per cent GU
: OF an appropriation of 100000, an
= the Choctaws scventy-thrcc per cent, 70
pretended services. Although the i'm
preston Is sought to be conveyed that tn
Indians receive their money and then VI
UNFAIRLY pay these outrageous fees in &C
cOrdancc with contracts, the truth is the
would not get a dollar, unless the harpie
were first secured. Mr.. Welsh and other
witnessed the operation, and saw tn
agents who were appointed TO prOteC
these poor Indians colluding with tn
plUnderers, with whom they undoubtedl
divided the spoils.
= In his second letter to Vincent Colyer,
Mr.. Welsh asserts that his previous state
mants ''Of improvidence, or sOmethin
worse, in the Indian Department, are full
sustained by the books and vouchers.
6 He shows, from the official RECORDS, tina
zone favored contractor was paid mi
lion and thirty thousand dollars with
in a few months, and that contrary t
f the law on the subject, all but ninety ST
p thousand dollars of this sum was on pr
q vate contracts. He estimates the Pre-
6 fits of this 'favorcd contractor" at nc
) less than four hundred thousand dollars
Other instances, equally fragrant, ar
4 given, in which the law was deliberately
5 violated by the Commissioner Of tn
. | TrEiaD Rr,raor7 IN mt pnOrmOr1S DrOfit