, 1873-05-12
THE INDIAN CONTRACTS.

lie tRQlAs buA nNW10s
strange A.ynr,fa by tho INDIAN com-
:,nission--A1Icgett Partially ami Fn~
v0rittana.
From. tho Ned l'ork Sun, Maya.
Tho awartte Of conirtcts for lndan suprlioa
woro nlatlo on Saturday lnat. Tho, bids woro
tmo ia Happoaoa to hayo bocn takon mp in tho
responsibility Of tho bidders. Tho oommia-
ni"n consisted Of Mr; =. 7. g'nith, commss9nof
Campbell, Mr. john Y. Farnell, ard Mr.. W. D.
Dodge tito whole Commission being undcr tho
supervision Of hlr. y. II. Gown, Assistant Aec.
nlr, Folk II. Dr..not md h1r. Nathan bishop.
Commissioners Of Oontrnota for tho Delivery Of
Supplies to tho Indians.
Tho competition for these contracts wnR very
over ST ,ouo 900, to secure witch tbo1o Wa na.-
rally somothing Of . scramble. Bidders wore
present tn pe1son, or by ngents from Nevada,
NobrnBkn, KanBaB, and most Of tlie Territories.
ouch iu order to aoo,lro contracts, aud ovory ono
Of thom brought with him tho .moans for giving
ample and most satisfactory security for tho per-
forulanco Of whatever contract llo might under
take.
Tho suppos to DO furniBnod consist mainly Of
boot ION tho hoof), bacon, flour, colfoeo, brown
T s19 ara toon a ' ssnses aa to pbs bas sappe qgas
oorulng to Tho number OF IndianB olni1nea to DO
untor tho Immediate ohnrgo Of zach. For In
stance, tho Whotntono, Grand nisor, md He'd
Cloud Agenclos tho three lnrgest under tho In
weight Of boof cattle, OH tho l.oof !; BOZ, 600
pounds bacon, clonr sides, or $4,000 pounds POE
month 1,2O0,000 pounds Xxx 1our, or 100000
s psafas per month goo pounds sSse Tee green;
plug tobacco, III boxes $4,000 pounds boat
brown SOAP, In boxes 5000 pounda salorasus,
in boxoa
On tho othor hand Tho Dackfeot Agency cails
pounds ist best brown sugss; a,oSS pounds Lost
brown soap, In boxos 5000 pounds salt, 1no, In
barrels $1,000 pounds plug tobacco, in bo1cs.
Thoro were also bids tor transportation, as the
points, and thonco transported to tho aoyoral
outlying agonoiog.
THO competition among tho Western mon for
beef on tho hoof and transportation ia always
items fnll moro Immediately within tleir special
dealings. But thore Ia mover any lack Of rivalry
In every branch Of the businoss.
When tho Commissioners mot to opon thoir
bids it was found that thero .woro no less tlan
151 propositions. a number Of persons had,
however, bid OH more than ono article, SO the
| nunabor Of differont bidders was probably about
co. Aftor o week of consultation, in which It is
charged, thore WIS d great deal Of addition
| md division" done, mud a great donl Of " si-
! lonco promised, tho Awards woro lado public,
| and tho Commission instantly dissolved nnd aepa-
rated, III order It would BOOM to cut of oil chance
of appeal or remonstranco on tho part OF certain
ones who doomed themselves wrongod by tho
| awarte. CortaiD influential men from tito far
West. wIo camo hero with the means to g.iaran-
tce by tho most uuqucBtionabo money bonds
their ability to carry ot1t any contract they might
nuke, do not hoHltato to boldly charge glarlng
partiallty and favoritism in tho giving out Of tho
| various contracts.
They say that not only WAS Tho grosscst pref
oronce shown to certain frionls Of tho Commits
sioncrs in cancs whore tho Lids wore tiod Oh to
two, nd fairness and juatiso required bnt tho
charge is boldly mnde, aud is supported BY fig
uros TINT in several Instances the lowest bidders
Out, wllilo the awards wero made at q much
higher figure to tho friunds Of tho immaculate
| Indiutl Hug. md this was dono In purely
arbi trary manner, no rretcnco being mado that
tho lowest bidders woro not perfectly rosponsi-
| blo no exception wlntoycr being takou to their
| inlorHorB, but tho thing being simply carried
with high hand, and all reasons for the action
refused.
A gentleman from Omaha> statcs that he put
In u lid to furnish 10.000,000 pounds Of beef on
tho hoof at 42.72 per hundred; his bid was
thrown out, aud tho contract awarded to . spoc-
clnl friend Of ono Of tho Board Of $2.7215. Only
difference OF half cont q pound, 1t is true but
then half cont a pound on 100000 ts $50, :
600, which somebody divides, aud somebody else
| haB to pay. No pretonco was made that the
lowest bidder was not ablo to sbido By Lis con-
tract. Indeed, he was prepared to Rlve security
on his various lids to tho amount at half mill
lou Of dollars, but as he evidently didn't undor-
stand division, ho was counted out.
In another instance many thousands OF
friend of ono of tho Board at 10}3 cents q
pound, to bo delivered at Kansas City, whom
Rnothor bidder ofrored to deliyor 1t at tho Red
| Cloud Agency, whore it was wanted, Tor IL cents
,tr.1 IL nAp1
from Kansas City to Cheyenne GOO miles By rail,
then 100 1niloa BY wagon to Rcd CLOUD, tho trans
portation costing 21 conts q pound, boaldos the
shrnkage," which is q trilo over s per cent.
at 10 conta, ita valuo at Red Cloud, is $105o0o
which makes another nico little sum to divide,
The lowest bidder had agreed to deliver the ba.
con at Ted Cloud, full weight, for precisely the
nisaionors pay their friend and fayorite, aud
then have $1,000 pounds 'shrinkago."
A woll known contractor from Leavcnworth
o1Tored to dellvor beef on the hoof at any or all
Of tho agonoiea at an average price Of e2.46, hu'
contract awardod to others st from $2.7215 te
S2.7G11. Yet ho WAS able to Justify in the
amount OF million Of dollars, aud to furnish
any see,;rity, tllat might DO roquisod that lie
At the rooms Of tho Commiesionora tlero were
Inst Saturday botweon forty aud fifty bidders
who. although thoy had offered to talc the con
| tracts fur lebs money thnn those WHO actually
secured them, woro slut out Of tho gamt
ontisey. Many Of these were mon wllu Ind
travelled many thousands Of miles to got those
contracts, which thoy ca1l execute better tha,
any othorB because Of their knowledge Of the
busineBs and tho country.
ThoAe men assert TINT tho favoritiHm has boou
go barotaced md palpablo that they anticipate
no difficulty in having tho whole thing ripped
up, md tho contracts again thrown open to the
thoso Who woro so yot oret
by tho Commissioners. having collected full
statements Of iacts and ngureu started on Mon
tluy night for Washington to lay tho matter bo
80 strong TINT any honoat Secretary must bo con
yinced tlnt thoro las been unfair dealing some
where. If Dolano belongs to that class ho vii
redress whntoyer wrong Inns been dope and sayt
to tho United Btntos tens and porlaps hundreds
Of thousands Of dollars.