The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1874-04-02
FRAUDS UPON INDIANS.
Hon. william welsh Exposes the Du.
p1tcity Of Grantand DeIano in ReIa-
ton to the management of Indian az

Hon. William Welsh Exposes the Dus
pHcity of Grant and DeIano in ReIa-
ton to the management of Indian al
The Hon. William Welsh of Philadel-
phia, in letter to Secretary Delano, has
efectually exposed the mendacious char.
acter Of the report made by the commission
appointed to whitewash Indian Commits
sioner Smith The letter concludes with
the following significant allusien to the
course Of the Secretary of the Interior and
President Grant in shielding officials who
have been guilty Of defrauding the Indians
Your Commissioners, turning aside from
the subject under investigation, are pleas
ed to give the following good advice
This man is ever profuse in professions
ofconfdenee in the President Of the United
States. Then, why, if his object be in
good faith, to bring about reformation in
the service, and to secure the dismissal oi
dishonest officials, does he not go to the
President, and lay before him the docu-
ments which are claimed to be sufficient
to secure the conviction of these officials
or why does he not go 10 the Secretary at
the head of the proper department, to
whom he has been equally profuse in pro-
fessions, and request that he shall examine
the documents upon which be bases these
aecnEations2 He certainly mrGtyknow, il
his testimony is of the conclusive chaIac-
ter claimed, the dismissal of the officials
accused would be instantly ordered"
This is sound reasoning and perhaps the
only thorough sound reasoning in the re-
port. 1t seems to call for reply, and il
will afford nae pleasure to show how fully
have heretofore acted in accord with the
views expressed.
In the autumn of 1870, on my second
semi-ofieial visit of thet year to Indian
Agencies on the Missouri river, then un-
der nay supervision, 1 discovered that
General Parker, Commissioner of Indian
Affairs, was lending himself to stupendous
frauds. Immediately on my return home
| went to Washington, and as you know
had a private, earnest talk with President
Grant. He seemed
UNWILLING TO INVESTIGATE.
or have any investigation of Commissioner
Parker's doings. Owing to implicit conf
dence in his friends, he is too often blind
TO their wrong doIngs. l then laid the
whole matter before you, and perhaps out
Of respect to the chief magistrate, you
eYlnced no willingness to make the inves-
tigation. l finished my semi-oficial re-
port in your Office, and read it to you. As
the frauds affected the Indians then undel
my care, could not rest without trying
to remedy the wrong. | asked You TO lean
me the report for publication IN the Daily
Chronicle. You gave it to me for that
purpose, saying, however, that You would
have no responsibility in its publication.
1t resulted In Congressional investiga-
ton, by which huge frauds IN contracts
for freight and cattle and -four were re-
vealed and remedies attempted by legis-
latlon. Out of regard to the President,
the report of the investigating committee
was very mild, although it set forth all
the important facts, The following para
graph is part of the conclusion reached
ITO the mind of the committee the testi-
mony shows Irregularities, neglect, and
lncompetency, and, IN some instances a
departure from the express provisions OF
law for the regulations of IRdian expendi-
lures, and IN the management of affairs in
the indian Department" Yet this neg
lecttu5 incompetent and lawless Commits
sloner Of Indian affairs was allowei TO re
main IN office three months, and until ii
pleased him to resign.
Your investigating Commissioners will
thus see that my action at that time cor
responded with their views. When stu
pendous frauds occurred in the appropria
tions 10 the Teaton Sioux, and at Grand
River agency, on the Upper Missouri, I
conferred with you and with the Assist
ant Secretary, General Cowen, about it,
but never heard of any effort made TO
investigate these frauds, or to punish the
offenders. Recently when frauds in beet
and -four were perpetrated at the Red
Cloud and Spotted Tail agencies, over
which and my colleagues have official
oversight, and when the ChippeWas, who
claim me as their friend and with whose
missionaries have an official connection
complained of being wronged by fraudu-
lent sales of their pine timber, could not
rest on an unavailing TemoDstrance. You
know that sought a private interview
with the President, AID that for months
had been pleading in vsip to obtain a rem
edy. In spite Of all this, still hope thai
you will remedy the wrong done 10 the
Chippewas, now that the testimony taken
by the Committee OF the Minnesota Leg
islatuIe has brought TO light the truth
that your commission failed to reveal.
Yours respectfully,
@ WM. WELSH