The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1875-07-30
PROFESSOR MARSH AGAIN.

- %! iIi.- Interior or the Commissions
Of I::dlan Affairs. when they publicl
announce their wish aud determinatio
To correct the present abuses in India
management; and he adds: The evi
dcnee now in my possession, reflects un
favorably on both Secretary Delano an,
Commissioner Smith, This comes from
one protesting TO be gentleman; on
who had no acquaintance with the off
cials assslilcd; who neglected. to call npoI
either of them to make his complaints. "A.
both duty and courtesy required; and
who, when solicited by Secretary DeIano,
and Commissioner Smith, to furnisI
them the information upon which he re
lied to support his charges. absolutely
declined. Add to this, the facts that he
retained his informOtiOn in his own keep
ing several months, knowing all the
time, if he is TO be believed, that the In
dians We're being fed on bad flour and
beef, to say nothing of the other wrongs
d5'iltiHt thtii NtiiCii iic 'iiitStS, itlu Liihi
when lie came to Washington he held
skulking interviews with the Indians
themselves, evidently for the purpose of
stirring up their discomfort, and it will
hc seen n. once, that Professor Marsh is
not the Immaculate philanthropist he
would lave the world believe him to be-
From this conduct of Professor Marsh, it
must be clear to every dispassionate
mind, that he had been prejudiced
against those officials, by some one: and
rs his charges were prepared in the 1FiJ
Hne Office and he is evidently being used
as the catspaw of that concern, there
can be no doubt that his mind was pois
oned against both of these officers by the
politicians who are endeavOring to make
capital out of the affair. 1t has thus
become party matter, and the Profess
or stands in the attitude, not ofa aphilan-
thropist, seeking to redress the wrongs
of the Indian, but of a politician, whose
statements may well be received with
dstrust
With his mind thus imbued with pref
udice, it was entirely natural that the
Professor sboH:t imagine that in his ''in-
tcrcOurse with these two officials, their
object has manifestly been to find out,
not so much what the frauds actually
were, as the eZtent of my information
concerning them, so as to prevent, by
every means in theirpower, all publicity
or exposure of them" This is the sage
conclusion of this man of science, who
clearly overlooked the fact that neither
Secretary DelanO nor Commissioner
Smith could correct abuses of which they
had no knowledge. Here is the gravest
kind of a charge, and yet, in his seven
columns of matter prepared in the TTi6-
uIle Office, and, we doubt not, by the
Tribune staff, there is not particle of
testimony to support the charge. 1t is
an outrageous and liagitious attack upon
gentlemen acting under the solemn sane
ticn of an oath, whose characters stand
as high as C.4t of this Mr.. Harsh,
though he IS ,, professor of Yale, and
demonstrates that even those occupying
his high position, may be destitute of
that high principle which torbids one
to bear false witness against his neigh
bOr.r
That, in making this charge against
Secretary pelano, Professor Marsh does
bear false witness against that officer is
clear from all concurrent testimony.
The Board of Indian Commissioners,
gentlemen selected for their high char
acters, and whose integrity Is above sus-
riclcn, all tostity to his Willingness to act
with the BOARD in the suppression of
frauds, and the effort to establish bet
ter administration IF i,ndian Affairs,
This stAtemfnt is supported by the
names OF sUcli men as General Clinton
Is. Fisk, h. N. kingsleyand Z. a. Hoyt,
and we doubt not, the other members of
the board will give similar testimony.
Some of these officers, after e long Off
cial intereourse withCominissionerS Smith
and Agent Sayille, also testify to their
confidence in the integrity of these Off
GERS. Certain it is, that the denomina-
tion to WhIeh Agent Saville belongs, and
which is responsible 10, disappointment,
stands by him, and he himself, as soon as
the changes come to his knowledge,
promptly demanded an investigation,
thus showing that all the officials impli-
Gated, at once, acted tae part OF inno-
Gene men. In'view of these statements,
coming from gentlemen of the unim-
peached character of those composing
the Board of Indian Commissioners, and
these facts, the public way, at least, be
asked ia await the action Of tue commits
sion appointed to investigate Professor
Marsh's charges, condemming the off
eials assailed. Upon that eGmmh sion all
parties sta represented; Ex-Governor
Fletcher, of Missouri, being n Repnbli-
can; Hon. B. W. Harris, of MasSaehu
setts, Liberal; snd lion. C. ]. Faulk-
neF, OF West Virginia, n Democrat. A
majority of this commission are political
ly hostile TO Secretary Delano and
OoIlmissioneT Smith, and the fact
that they consented to the appointment
OF these gentlemen, is certainly n strong
circumstance in favor oftheir innocence
of any completely in the charges of frand
preferred. This commission, certainly.
does not look as if it was tAa object of
Secretary Qelano and Commissioner
Smith, as Professor Marsh alleges, ''to
prevent, by any means in their power,
all publicity or exposure"
We DEEM is proper 10 say this much in
defense of Secretary Delano and Com
missioner Smith, upon Onr own melton,
for the simple Eeason that we believe
shat they are not only innocent ofaIl in
territorial wrong, but because we are sat
isfied that Professor Marsh is being used
by a set Of unscrupuions demagogues,
who, while seeking to make capital
against the Republican party, are at the
same time working in the interest of the
very Indian ring which they pretend to
denouDce.
In saying this, we do not wish TO be
understood rs vindicatine the manage