Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1871-12-29
Fl GAZETTE.
CEDAR FALLS DEC. 20, 1871.
Senator HarIan's Letter.

Senator HarIan's Letter.
WASHINGTON, ID. c., Dec. Is, 1871.
GEN. J. A. WILLIAMSON, Des
Moines, Iowa, Dear Sir:-In refer
ence to my connection with the pay
ment ofIndian pensions, the material
facts were these: In the spring of
1866, my attention was called to
claims filed by attorneys, chiefly by
a man named John w. Wright. for
Indian claimants for pensions
When I entered the Department 1
found him with other recognized at
torneys in the different Departments
for such clients as chose to employ
him. 1 knew of no sufficient reason
for disbaring him, or refusing to con-
slider claims merely because people
chose to trust him with their bust
ness. I was informed by the pension
clerks that the evidence produced in
favor of many of these Indians SEEM
ed to be conclusive +; and that it was
sustained by the records of the War
Department. If the business had
proceeded In the usual mode, those
sustained by this proofin the absence
of rebutting evidence would have
been allowed, the names would have
been enrolled, and the pension GER
t~ificates issued as a matter of course.
But distrusting the reliability of
evidence taken ca pa,te in the Indi>
an country, and the propriety of is
suing certificates to Indians to be
collected by attorneys, fearing that
the funds might not reach the Indi-
ans, I determined to have these cases
re-examined on the ground, in the
presence of an officer of the Depart
ment, and where found valid, pay
ment made to the Indians in person.
Hence, 1 ordered their names to be
enrolled temporarily and l appointed
Hon. George G. Whiting Special
Pension Agent for Fort Gibson, and
sent HIM out to perform this service,
instructing him to see the Indians,
examine each case, take down the
substance of the new evidence in
writing, pay those who were found
to be legally entitled, take their re-
ceipts in due form, and report those
not found entitled to pensions under
the law, to be stricken from the rolls.
He gave bond and security as any
other pension agent, drew the
amount of money deemed necessary
by the Commissioner to pay them,
and proceeded to the Indian country.
He started sometime about April or
May, and before he made his report,
I had retired from the Department.
This is the whole case 60 far as I
had any connection with it. Here
my official action ended. I made an
honest effort to guard the rights of
the Indians and at the same time
the Trea sury of the United States
The man I sent was at the time
principal appeal pension clerk in the
Secretary's office, had served some
years as Commissioner of Pensions,
as Chief Clerk of the Department,
and as Acting Secretary of the Inter
ior. His capacity and familiarity
with the pension laws and modes of
proof were undoubted-and his in
tegrity has not been questioned
But suppose Whiting had been a
rogue and participated in frauds, he
and his bondsmen would be respon~
sible, and not the Secretary. Hi.
accounts, however, have been adj
justed by the proper accounting of.
ficers of the Treasury Department,
and not n voucher has been thrown
out for illegality or insufficiency OF
proof, His report was made Jan.
18th, 1867, four months after 1 had
resigned. But 1 have examined 1t
on the files. And his accounts stands
thus: He is charged with .requisi-
ton SIS 900, the amount supposed to
be necessary topay the honest claim
ants, and $3.50 found by him in the
hands of his predecessor, making in
all $50 $3.50. He is credited with
something over $4,000 returned to
the Treasury-a little less than $23,-
900 paid out to pensioners, including
$500 or S400 commission. and all of
this has been approved by the Audit
or and Comptroller as legal and cor
rect-sxcept $i,O49 suspended "for
informality, want of proof of mus
ter In as officer" or something of
that sort. But these slanderers say
that Judge Wright has been arrested
for fraud connected with this mat
ter. He says in a published card
that he has not been. But suppose
he has been, and suppose he is guilty
how does that effect me? 1 did not
put any money into his hands, nor
trust to the sufficiency of his evid.
ence. Prove him guilty and you
justify my caution in not trusting
him with money or pension certif-
Gates, and I'm not relying OF the ev-
idence filed by him. Because 1 ex-
ercised this caution in cases present.
ed by a man who they say Is a
scamp, and refused to trust eithe r
him or his pork, / am denounced for
his supposed crimes.
Yours, truly,
JAMES HARLAN.
GEN, J. A. WILLIAMSON, Des
Moines, Iowa.
THE House of Representatives at
yuy--- 100000 L.lI