The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1873-05-24

$50 ~ Ast t-lL---
Three or four years ago, and for an
indefinite period before, tho Indian af-
fairs of the United States, costing from two
millions to ten millions Of dollars year,
were controlled By private spectators and
official peculators The contractor" for
Indian goods and supplies were few in
numbers, they had everything IN their own
hands, and their profits amounted to many
millions. Their annual incomes were
"psineely,p they spent money freely, and
they were ranked about the agencies and
in the Department" as "princes of good
fellows" They had their confedeates in
every branch of the Indian service from
the lowest to the highest They had
agents who would receipt for goods never
delivered; they had officials who would
certify to false weights and give full GER
tiiicates for short quantities they had
convenient tools in the Indian Bureau and
its various ramifcations, by means Of
whose help they were able to shut out fair
competition, and this at last resulted in
shutting out all competition they got
two or three prices for all the goods and
rations they supplied, and ali eyes were
closed to the bad quality of the goods
their accounts passed through all the
grades OF the Indian service almost with
out challenge; their circle of " influences"
was complete, beginning with themselves
and their friends in the Indian Bureau at
Washington, from whom the swindling
contracts were received, extending through
all the Indian agencies, where their false
weights, short quantities, and bad goods
were accepted, receipted for and certified,
and coming back to the Indian Bureau,
where the accounts were passed and order
cd to be paid Thus they furnished one
OF the most felicitous illustrations of what
is meant by Ring" This was the
Indian Ring, close, compact, complete,
and the result was the unehallenged en-
loyment Of millions of dollars Of plumber.
We have before us the figures and facts
concerning one operation in beef cattle in
single year, by means Of which the Gov
eminent was cheated out of half million
dollars.
That Hing has been broken up. 1t
has been derived OF its "princely rev.
enues, deprived from fraud upon the Gov
eminent and plumber from the Indians.
Is 1t any marvel that they fill the air with
their howls When the Honorable Ben
Jamin Butler, the inventor and shameless
champion OF the double back action
Congressional salary grab, assals the advo-
Gates OF civil service reform, everybody
understands the exact nature, force and
meaning OF the KIND OF objection ne offers.
30, when the foiled, broken, scattered In
dian piundercrs from whom the chance to
make ml,iiohs OF ,i-gotten gains mas been
wrehcned, assam the men VINO nave done
that thing, by establishing justice and
commercial honesty as the rule Tor the
Government ana the Indian, every one
ought TO De able without lnrther explana-
tlon 10 understand tie character ana value
oi mer 'irtuoaS noWis ior iair pay
10 she MIND OF average intelligence the
recent ciamor does not rise to the dignity
OF case requiring explanation But the
ihuian ADVISORY commissioners VINO are
tne SUBJECTS oil these ciamors seem think
,hey 10. strong IN tnelr integrity, their
hohor as men oil good repute, ana their
commercial experience as business men,
tney nave asked LOT the iuiiest inVestga-
tioh' that VIII give toevery one the amplest
opportunity 70 DC heard' ana that Will give
the widest pupiiclty 70 al that may be
| SAID, as well az to all that has actually
peen done. ihey are charged with IA
voritism' we are OF tne opinion that tney
hare shown preferences lhey have ruled
out al irauds ana all the known perpetra-
tors OF frauds they nave ruled out nett
tious bidders, the "Personators OF the
OLD piunderers they have ruled out law
yers IN the Eastern cities VINO bid for
contracts TO carry ireights on the plains ;
they nave ruled out the oid trick OF pri-
ya.ely changing ana modiIy,ng D'ds @fer
the reading OF the public bids IN open COM
petition; by means OF which trick the pre-
ordained contractor could have things just
as ne wanted them tney nave ruled out
the OLD trick OF receiving BIDS Tor goods
10 De deheered ~ NE agencies, where the
contractor couid nave MS tools TO certiiy
70 any weights ana Quantities, any quail
ties, according TO the requirements OF the
case they nave ruled out the old trick OF
calling Tor goods according to one particu-
lar sample, winch enabled some one par
t,cu'ar man or house 70 get the contract ;
they have ruled out the whole machinery
whereby bids ana contracts Tor Indian
goods and supplies We're confined to doz-
en- bidders and haif a dozen contractors
they have ruled IN merchants and dealers
VINO actually manufacture or deal In the