Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1874-02-04

sWH Hc yvu tSheHcos, suos
said that my belief 10 the integrity
Of the Secretary Of the Interior bad
not been impaired, and that having
thoroughly cordial relations with him,
desired 10 exert every persuasivoi 10.
fuence before invoking your aid. Al
these efforts have faIIed 10 procure
tho reforms in the Indian Once neces'
aary to protect tho Indian and ~.
Government, ! ncs prcscnt the cAss
70 you In an open letter, as do NOT
feel free to confer with you privately
about the duties Of a Cabinet officer.
notified Mr.. Delano, as q friend
that he was surrounded by influences
that were operating adversely to the
interests of The Government and the
Indian. He insisted upon my prefer.
ring specific charges against his off,
GERS, instead Of looking into the Office
Of the Second Auditor, and also into
the Returns Office himself. lie could
in tho latter Office have seen that the
law was constantly violated by keep
ing contracts from public observation,
although there is penalty OF impris-
onment if each contract is not speedily
recorded in that Office, where il is to
be kept open for public inspection--
The Secretary Of tho Interior was,
until ! recently advised him, kept in
ignorance ofa contract made by Agent
Smith, now the Commissioner of In
dian Affairs, on the 9th day Of Novem.
Der, 1872, for the Illegal and, as l be-
lieve, the otherwise wrongful sale Of
immense bodies of pine timber, with
out the knowledge Of some of the In
dians to whom il belongs, and against
the openly expressed wishes of other
bands who own portion OF it. The
commissioners for investigating half.
breed scrip, Agent Smith and Judge
Jones, one Of the present examining
commissioners, had previously report
ed timber, said to be far less valuable
than this, to be worth So so to SO a
thousand, and yet this contrac, was
made at s115 q thousand, without
advertising or in any other way 10.
viting competition. A portion Of this
timber had been previously sold by
Agent Smith TO Clark at Sl.35 per
thousand, and Clark tostifies that he
was willing to give that price for the
whole, but Agent Smith subsequently
notified Clark that the contract he
had entered into with him was void
because the Indians at Oak Point had
determined not to sell,their pine tim
Der. subsequently this timber, with
large bodies Of timber belonging TO
other Indians who had not the heen
consulted, was sold to A. II. Wilder at
is, as before referred TO.
1t is true that this contract received
the approval of that most honorable
gentleman, General i. A. Walker, the
tben Commissioner Of Indian Affairs.
His explanation is given in the fol-
lowing extracts from letters written
by him to me, dated December 5 and
Is, and to General b. r. Cowen, AS.
sistant Secretary of the Interior dated
November l3, 1878 General Walker
sent copy Of the latter letter 10 me,
from which il appear that General
Cowen was party 10 the negotiation.
December 50 "With reference to
the specific matter of your inquiry. l
would say that / do not remember
ever to have heard of the refusal of
the Indians ut Oak Point to allow the
Clark contract TO be consummated,
until l learned it from you at our in.
terview at the Ebbitt House on Sat-
urday last. II it was ever reported
TO the Office it either never reached
my eye, OF | was inexcusab bl y needless
in respect to II, for ! cannot recall the
circumstance. -t
December is.) "Agcnt Smith was
thoroughly cognizant OF the situation,
yet he recommended the sale of the
timber, and approved tho terms Of
sale in detail and as a WHOLE
Novomb Der 13 to General Cowen..-
"Mr. Smith, then agent for these In
dams, now Commissioner of Indians
Affairs, being ut the time in Washing
ton, represented to TIE Office in very
strong terms the inadequacy Of the
provision that would be effected by
The sale of the timber first offered" Tto
Wilder, being the same timber that
had been sold by contract TO Clark I
"and the necessity of doing som ething
more to relieve tho Leoch Lake Indi-
ans from tho miserable condition Of
vagabondage and almost of starvation
in which they wero." ain the mat
ter Of fair price for tho whole
body of tho timber | had a rea.
sonable reference TO tho judgement Of
Agent Smith, who stated that he was
fully conversant with this location and
deemed the sum named to be reasona-
bio and adequate" "The question
submitted by Agent Smith seemed in
effect TO be whether the Indians should
DO permitted TO starve in possession
Of valuable property which they could
not use, or whether that property
should be put into form which would
allow them TO receive their own self.
support" "Certain / am that it was
this view of the case as presented by
Mr.. Smith which determined mo 10
recommend that tho department en-
iertain Mr., Wilder's proposition for
the entire body Of the L.ech Lake
timber, and accept the same on two
conditions first, that q fair price
could be obtained tor tho whole; sec.
ond, that Mr.. Wilder would make
payment In advance OF q considerable
sum q think $4,000 was the stu
mentionedl TO enable the agricultural
improvements TO be commenced with
tho opening of spring. Upon the
question in this form the consultation
between you, Mr. Smith, and myself
was free and informal" nWc arc all
responsible, therefore, each in his own
place and degree, you and | Tor giving
undue weight TO the representations
Of the agent, the agent for making
represent ntations which IL false he must
ha, known TO be false" "Thc amount
which Mr.. Wilder was required to de-
posit In advance To- tho order of the
Indian Office, and tho snbstantial
a -.