New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-02-16

DuuuS ana Interest," tl-t sam VI ''''
In the mean time certain claim agents and attorneys
managed to got themselves employed by the Choc-
taws and by the time the matter. wac so far ar
ranged that The Secretary Of the Treasury coald
issue the bonds the account stood thus:
Fees Of delegates Of CIoctaw natou...... $4,000
Claim OF T. COCIraac.... ..--....-.-..--.- lttu
Claim OF Gilman. .......-... 4atc'0
Claim OF GT3ysOu. ..--..-....--......- 4''Io
Total. -.....-.... .seof'oV
So in their efforts to get their money the Chloe
taws found their principal and interest and some
thing more than 100 per cent additional claimed by
these coumorauts. At this moment there came an
interesting episode. A man named Nathaniel Paige.
formerly a law partner of Lewis Deaf. the
Presidents brother-in-aw, represented to the
Secretary Of the Treasury that he could iproduce
evidence to show that the whole claim was a fraud.
and offered if the Secretary would give him 10 per
cent OF not exceeding $4,000 iu7the aggregate, 10
make such disclosures that the bonds need not be
ISSUED. So memorandum of agreement was drawn
up between Paige and Mr.. Boutwell, and the attempt
TO defeat the stipuatons Of the treaty WAS begun.
the Solicitor of the Treasury, T. C. Bdnield, acting
as The gO-between. The Committee here say:
Pages informant, upon whose statements he and his
accomphce have attempted TO draw from the Treasury
4 ward h. Grlyson, a man whose conduct before the
Committee convinced 1t that he was totally without
The garbled extracts from Tie public records were made
by Grays0n and his accOmplces Page and krEV God,
and furnished TO Banfeid the solicitor VINO Or reasons
that the Committee not certain thai ne can * h
palmed this garbed record upon the House ana senate
official report This act Is as reprchenslbe as that
vi Page, KirkHood, and GraysOn.
The whole scheme is pronounced a fraud. and as
Banfeld took pains to have his garbled report
printed and laid on the desks of members, it showed
degree Of interest not to be accounted for on
ordinary principles.
yHE INDIANS THEMSELVES CORRUPTED BY THE
AGENTS.
Not only will these agents rob the Indians them
selves, but they corrupt the agents sent by the
Indian nations to secure from the Government a
recognition of these rights. -Four delegates or com
missioners were thus sent by the Choctaw and
Chickasaw tribes to Washington in 1896 to make a
treaty with the Government. Between these dele
gates and their secretaries and certain at
toncys and claim agents, through one ID. Ii.
Cooper, there effected a collision and fraudu-
lieut. contract. which, upon testimony
given by themselves. exhibits condition of
corruption and malfeasance in Office, violation of
official trust and honor the part of these Indians
and a want of professional and business integrity
on the part of the counsel employed, that. in the
opinion of the Committee, vitiate any contract or
agreement heldby such counsel against the ChOctaw
and Chickasaw nations. These ChOctaw dele
gates, under the advice Of d. II. Cooper made a con-
tract with j. II. Latrobe of Baltimore. Coopers
brOther-in-law. for the sum of 100000 which
amount to be divided one-haf going to the del
egates, and the other half being divided between
Latrobe, Cooper, and COchrane similar contract
made with the Chckasaws
This money was paid and divided according to the
terms Of the contract The services to be rendered
for the same were OF an exceedingly indefinite char
acter, and in the opinion of the Committee extended
only to the drawing of the funds. Latrobe is
q lawyer of some standing in Baltimore and a
man Of fortune; Cooper was for many years
clerk in the Indian Bureau At the
breaking out of the Rebellion he was acting as an
Indian agent and left the North with S20OOOO in
money belonging to the ChOctaws and Joined the
Southern Confederacy. To this sum add interest at
SIX per cent for II years and IL months, and he
stands defaulter TO the Choctaws in the sum of
S24l,697 s. Cochrane was an agent for the Chloe
Jaws for many years at the time of his death in 1866
he held contract made with them in 1855 for 30 per
cent OF all sums paid by the United States TO the
Cloctaw nation. Notwithstanding the fact that he
heid ths contract for personal services to be rem
nereo 10 them IN all matters pertaining to their
tights he joined Latrobe and Cooper to get from his
cheh's the $4,000 which he received as Latrobe's
representative and partner in 1866 He also received
large sum from the $3.50 900 paid under the Ammo.
prauon act although this payment was already Gov.
eIed by his contract Of 30 per cent.
AIhEAlf WHICH COST THE INDIANS A or,prrD ON ,
MILLION IN COUNSEL YES
No better evidence is needed Of tho ,,. :,.,
enee with which the patrimony of the Indiono !.
equandered than the cost 70 them of matin', ~
areaty of 1866. While it cost the United statos
$2l,l2S s. for making the joint treaty with a.,
Chickasaw and ChOctaw Indians, it cost the Ina;an
for making the same, S2S0,0OO. This enormous snn
paid for counsel fees; more than was paid by tn
United States for the same purpose in making IN
recent treaty with Great Britain touching the Ala
bama claims. Aud this was DONE too in the face O
the fact that the United States had offered them fu
and free pardon and had sent by Commission to For
Smith to treat with them after the close Of the Re
bellion.
Inc committee leave no room for doubt upon thei
atutnde toward the Department for permitting thi
wicked waste OF money There can be no doubt abou
their opinion that, If the Commissioner of IndiaI
Affairs az the time these treaties were made was no
interested in these frauds he must necessarily hay,
been incompetent as public officer 1t was found
by The Committee that s. S. Smart, formerly Gov
s'nment agent held fraudulent contract with Il.