Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1872-01-05

the theatre, paying therefor at one
time $l40 during the engagement
of one professional.
Elijah Sells had scarcely reached
his Superintendeney when he semitic
following telegram to tho Commits
sioner Of Indian Affairs:
"JuNE 26th, 1865.
The Indians will be destitute of rations
ON the 80th of June, and to advertise un.
der the law win delay moro than .
month. would greatly prefer to buy
by advertising, but to do 10 will BE- starv.
alton to the Indians. II viii DO economy
to the Government 10 buy for the indians
ut Fort Gibson for . full quarter, a. we
issue nothing but half rations Of -four fov
tho month Of August and September, and
the whole can be sent by one train. I
should greatly prefer to buy BY aduertis.
ing, but to do 20 piN b starvation to the
Indians. What shall dor PLEASE RE
FER THE NATTER TO THE SECRETARY or
THE INTERIOR.
(signed) ELIJAH SELLS,
Supt., &C.
Hon. VIM Dole was then Com
missioner Of Indian Affairs, u. N.
Cooley, ofDubuque, not having got
in until the 18th of July following.
Mr.. Dole, as requested, referred the
telegram to Mr.. Harlan, who at
once gave authority to buy it in
open market, and we find from
vouchers ON file, the following sam
Piles Of Sells open market pssr-
cAases: "Oct. LIST, 1865; bought of
Perry Fuller & Co., 400 bushels of
wheat, at IS 05 per bushel-$3,22e,-
90. Oct. 5th, 1865; sos bushels of
wheat, at $s,o5 per bushel-$4,.
$500. Oct. I'd, 1900 bushels of
corn at 81, IS per bushel-$l7,o5o-
co." Observe, the telegram was
da.ed June 26th; these purchases
were made in October; four months
after,oa,ds; farther than this, this
same Sells, who was so DESTROYS to
buy by contract, according to law,
that he so expressed himself twicein
the same telegram, went on under
Mr.. Harlin's authority, buying in
open market for nearly q year,
drawing in that time, for such pur-
chases, over a MILLION OF DOLLARS
out of the treasury, without adver-
Using, without competition-near
ono hundred thousand dollars per
month, near four thousand dollars
per day, was paid out by Elijah
Sells, Superintendent, principally to
Perry Fuller and VIM Sells, his
son, for such articles, and It acas to
pay vouchers for such purchases Of
said parties-,ch;ch vouchers had at
ready been, passed upo'a IL the Inter
Tor Department-that the Special
appropriation Of 100000, herein
before alluded to ,oas asked for by
Messrs. Harlan; Cooley, Sells & Co.,
and out of which Perry Fuller
stated to member of Congress at
the time, he contributed $4,000 to-
cards the expenses Of Mr.. Harlam's
election to the United States Senate.
1t may not be smiss to add that in
addition to the special appropria-
ton panied, a half million dollars
more was put in the general appro-
priation bill the same session for
feeding these same refugee Indians,
which Sells dre,c out Of the Treas
ury IN a lamp on the goth of Au-
gust, 1866. Think of it farmers of
Iowa. Wheat at $s,O5 per bushel,
corn 1918. Where is Tanmany
now.
Let it be borne in mind that dur
ing this period Mr.. Harlan as Secre-
tary of the Interior was responsible
for the management Of the Indian af-
fairs, D. N. Cooley of Dubuque,
was Commissioner, Elijah Sells,
Superintendent, both his particu-
lar friends, both virtually his own
appointees. Under Sells, as In
dian Agents, were two bothers in
law Of Mr.. Harlan, several cousins
and one or two old special pets and
chums of Perry Fuller, known as
such by NJ. Harlan prior to their
appointment. Indeed, there was
not a single agent in that whole
superintendency who was not the
special pet of Mr.. Harlan, Cooley,
Sells, or Perry Fuller. All of the
parties including the Secretary,
Commissioner, Superintendent, and
down to most of the Indian Agents
went in to Office poor, and within a
brief period came out rich. The
only business they were known to
be engaged in during the time was
to hold Office and feed Starving In
dians."