Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-01-16
THEINnIAXRING-

has written an open letter TO the Presi-
dent exposing the corruption of the
Indian Ring self-constituted
body already possessing some notoriety.
The letter rises above mere gossip, as
guaranteed by the circumstances of the
writer. He had been appointed by the
President chairman of the Commits
siOness who were to exercise Joint con-
troll with the Department Of the Inte-
rior over the disbursement of Indian
appropriations, but peremptorily re-
resigned, because, lowing 10 influences
from within and without the Depart
ment, the powers of the board were
limited to that Of a mere council Of
advice, instead Of extending to the
control Indicated in the act of Con-
gress." Like old Cato, he probably
said within himself, when vice pre-
walls and impious men bear sway,
the post Of honor is a
private station" Anyhow
he came out from among them, with
the good citizens resol, to tell what
he knew about the Indian Ring. His
narrative is not complimentary to The
Department of the Interior, nor eul5-
CYSTIC of its Indian agent Smith, but
rather holds the entire management up
to public Indignation. 1t is to be hoped
chat his revelations viii stir up some
concern in the sedate mind of the Pesi-
dent, who is, in some sense, responsible
for the peccadilloes of his subOrdinates
He first relates chapter of the official
record" of Agent Smith. This man
wild remember it in his meditations as
the pine timber contract" The fol-
lowing extract explains it:
The Secretary of the Interior was,
until | recently advised him, kept In
ignorance of a contract made by Agent
Smith. now the Commissioner of In
dian Affairs, on Nov. 8, 1872, for the
Illegal and, as l believe, the otherwise
wrongful sale of immense bodies of pine
timber, without the knowledge of some
of the Indians to whom it belongs, and
against the openly expressed wishes of
other bands who own a portion of it.
The Commissioners for investigating
half-breed scrip, Agent Smith and
Judge Jones, one of the present exam
ming Commissioners, had previously
reported timber, said to be far less val
liable than this, TO be worth $3.50 to So
a thousand, and yet this contract was
made with a. H. Wilder at SI.15 a
Thousand, without advertising or in
any other way inviting competition.
The understanding in the depart
ment was, that Wilder was to give q
fair pricefor the timber, and topay mad
vance about $50, 900. This advance was
required to alleviate the sufferings of In
dian owners Of the timber, who were in
a perishing condition, and to furnish
them with much needed seeds and i'm
plements for the then approaching
spring. 1t turned out that neither the
United States Treasury nor the starv-
ing Chippewas got the stipulated ad-
vance. Secretary Delano appointed
commissioners to examine this and 9TH
er speculations of the agent, Smith;
but Mr.. Welsh gives reasons to believe
that this investigation is a sham, and
says: Il stand ready to verify before
competent tribunal every charge that
I made against agent Smith or openly
to retract them, and also to add nu-
merous charges against his conduct as
Commissioner of Indian Affairs" Mr..
Welsh uncovers otherugly transactions
of the Commissioner, and proceeds to
discuss the Secretary. He says:
1.-The Secretary of the Interior should
not be made responsible for all the acts
Of those under him. l viii, however,
refer to acts for which he is directly
responsible When the Assistant Sec
rotary of the Interior visited Indian
agencies he was allowed, in addition to
all his expenses, eight dollars a day,
while receiving salary as a Government
officer. This violation of the law, al
though unimportant inamount, is ruin
Gus to the morality of the department,
as it practically sanctions still greater
irregularities by others who hold infe-
rior Offices. Moreover. vouchers, /
learn, TO the extent of nearly half a
million of dollars were rejected by the
Board of Indian Commissioners under
the belief that they were fraudulent,
and yet many Of these have been paid
by order of the Secretary OF the Int
rior. A beef contractor, whose fraudu-
lent practices are on record in the In