National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1875-10-19

any of the accounts presented for payment at that
o nan
| necessarily came before him for adjudication. A
list Of these claims, disalowed by that Board and
subsequently paid by the Secretary Of the In
| terror amounting TO near half million dollars,
came before for us for examination in a document
| resentatives, marked SEX. Doc No. I2s,n Forty
third Congress- The original vouchers and pa
pers upon which these claims were ordered to be
paid by the Secretary were called for and brought
before us for examination. They were carefully
examined by two members of the Commission
| Messrs Fletcher and Harris-who reported that
| none of them had been,rejected by the Board Of
Indian Commissioners because tainted with fraud,
but mainly because Of some technical difficulty or
an honest diversity Of opinion between the Indian
Bureau and the Board Of Indian Commissioners,
upon some question Of law arising in those cases.
such:payments made without having been sub
mitted to the law officer Of that Department, and
having his legal opinion in their favor.
1t is no part Of the duty Of this commission to
inquire into the exercise by the Secretary Of the
Interior of those large discretionary powers vested
in him by law. Whether HIS legal Judgment be
right wrong upon questions of law does not fall
within the province of this inquiry. If there be
of fraud corruption we have nothing to do with
Subsequent to the date of the claims embraced
in the document referred to- which only extends to
the sd of January, 1874 was the payment by order
Of the late Secretary of the Interior Of account
O Claimed 1m f p5s the Sd re tS
the new Red Cloud Agency. This claim we have
already referred to in previous part of this report,
quitous and fraudulent 1t might be unjust to
condemn the late Secretary for the payment of
Of the former agent, ~. ". Daniels accompanied
the voucher of Mccain. 1t is probable that 1t did
not and that Mccain relied exclusively upon the
voucher furnished him by Saville. If we had any
assurance that he directed its payment after hav-
ing seen that certificate, We should hold him OBJ
noxious to the severest condemnation.
The facts which our inquiries have elected, un-
der the charge OF ofheai delinquency and conceal
ment of fraud made by Prof Marsh against the
Secretary Of the Interior, are briefly these: We
can learn Of but three occasions upon which the
attention Of the head of the Department was
the Red Cloud and Spotted Tail agencies:
First. On the 18th of May, 1873, 1873 Colonel E.
G. Kemble and Henry E. Alyord, in connection
with other important duties in the West, were d.
rected specially to investigate and report upon
certain complaints of mismanagement at the
Sioux agencies. At that time ]. W. Daniels was
the agent at Red Cloud, and Col. Risley had, un-
til within few days previous, been agent ut
Spotted Tail, but had been removed from office,
and his place supplied by Major E A. Howard
On the 10th OF June these gentlemen prepared thei
report at the Red Cloud agency, and on the LIST of
July it was laid before the Interior Department.
This report limits its exposures to the Spotted
Tail or MILESTONE agency, and charges gross
frauds as between the agent, Risley, and the beef
contractor, alleging that the quantity of beef ac-
tualy received was less than that recepted for to
the contractor expresses the opinion that the In
dams are receiving subsistence much in excess Of
their true number; and further reports sssuch q
state Of irreguarity, confusion, and corruption at
this agency, the result of the management Of the
late agent, that they recommend q special inves-
tigation Of its affairs covering his whole term,
and suspension Of the settlement Of his ac-
counts and outstanding vouchers, and indebted
ness certified by him. until such investigation can
be had" They also exposed before that depart
ment the fraudulent character Of the Graves
transportation contract, and requested q suspen-
sion of any payment upon 1t: In accordance with
this Recommendation, ]. w. Daniels, formerly
offce Of Indian inspector, was deputed to make
this special investigation at the Spotted Tail
sion, Of September II, 1875, finds fault with the
Secretary Of the Interior for having nrusted that
Investigation to Mr.. Daniels, upon the ground
that he had Just ceased to be agent at Red Cloud,
and could not have exposed in detail the irregu-
larities and eorruptions Of his neighbor without
duplicating himself" We cannot concur in the
force of this objection of Mr.. Avord. We have
never heard Of any charges preferred against Mr..
Daniels while agent at Red Cloud. Messrs.
to inquire into Mr.. Daniels administration, and
while they date their official report from the Red
Cloud agency, make no charges against him. He
was deemed worthy Of promotion by the President
and Senate TO the important office of inspector,
and he has ever since held important trusts in
connection with Indian affairs without, as far as
We know, any assault upon his character. CON-
missioner Smith, in his examination before u.s.
states that Colonel Kembls certainly, If not Mr.
AlyOrd also, specially recommended Mr.. Daniels,
who had then become an inspector, TO follow out
the investigations which they had commenced,
but were unable to finish. HE was recommended
to me as the proper man to push ii through"
Mr.. Daniels made his report on the 3oth Of
august, 1915. IN MS report, AFTER the
fact that he had met the late Agent Rlsley in
Omaha with the papers connected with his duties
as agent, he prOceedstO say:
AFTER full investigation of affairs connected
with the Milestone agency, under the late Agent
Risley, do not find that there has been any more
supplies receipted for than were received. The
issue of rations was made upon the number of
lodges as given by the Indians themselves and
dsnterested parties, both whites and Indians, and
that there were from one thousand five hundred
10 two thousand lodges present TO receive sup
plies during the fall and winter ofls72-TS; also,
at times the actions of the Indians in supporting
their demands for the number of lodges stated,
where such as to render the lives Of Govern
ment employees insecure, unless conceded He
reports the number of laborers employed Mt the
agency TO be in excess Of what the public service
required. He confirms the fraudulent character
of the Graves transportation contract and it may
here be remarked that the claim of Graves for
compensation under that contract, has been ever
since repudiated by that department ION account
second. On the 18th Of octO6eT is1 Samuel
Walker clerk Of the board of Indian commits
sio1ers, was deputed by that board to visit the
make report of what occurred TO him worthy of
observation. On the 9th of December of that year
Brunot president of tbSt hoard "a ne h G rsport
was highly unfavorable to the administration of
affairs at these agencies, and presented details of
tgation. By an inadvertenee upon the part of
Mr.. Brunot, which is explained in his letter of the
to me copy Fl e1s
he, having from other sources, about the 4th Of
February, 1874 learned Of its existence, wrote to
the Secretary on the l1th Of February. On the
10th Of March, 1874, q commission, consisting of
Bishop VIM. H. Hare, Rev. S. d. Human, for IF.
teen years missionary among the Santee Sioux.
]. W. Bevier, United States Inspector, and F. H.
Smith, one of the board Of Indian commissioners,
agency TO investigate the facts embraced in Mr..
Walkers report. AFTER more than q months in
yestigation the commission, on the I'D Of April,
Sayille and Howard from the charges Of fraud,
and declaring the administration Of their respective
agencies "deservingof commentator"
There does not appear, therefore, in any Of the
transactions above referred to, and which occurred
prior TO the personal interview of Professor Marsh
with the Secretary of the Interior, any evidence
that this ofcer had been long aware Of the abuses
At the agencies without making any single effort
TO investigate and reform them.
Third. We now come to the imputation by Pro-
lessor Marsh Of a want Of public zeal manifested
the Secretary of the Interior in relation to the
abuses and frauds, the existence Of which he
sought TO impress upon his mind in his personal
interview with him, and we cannot better dispose
of this delicate branch of the inquiry than by pre-
senting the account given by both these gentle
men respecting that interview.
Secretary DelanO, I'm a letter addressed to this
commission under date Of July 20, 1875, speaks as
follows:
1.-THE first time that met Professor Marsh was
during the council of the Sioux Indians, in this
city, in May last and after much had been said in
the public prints in reference to his complaints
earning the Red Cloud agency, when being in
formed that he was in the room ut one of these
meetings, and being DESTROYS to learn from him
what he knew on the subject referred to, I made
myself known to him and requested him to call
upon ne. Subsequently he came to my Office and
during that interview earnestly requested him to
furnish me with such Information as ne had and
with all the proofs that he could refer to against
the agent at Red Cloud, which he declined to do.
General Eaton, Commissioner of Education, was
present during this interview, and shall endeavor
10 obtain from him a letter referring to II.
Il have now stated, think, correctly, my entire
intercourse with Professor Marsh, and have re-
ferred to all that has ever transpred between us,
either orally or in writing"
Professor Marsh, in his examination before the
Commission on the twentieth of July last, in the
city Of New York, testified as follows:
Nv hen was in the Indian Bureau, the Secre-
tary sent IN messenger stating that he was in
his room, and would like to see me, and then
vent In and had long talk with him.
20. That was in May?
"a. No, sir; June s. Then he asked me for
any information in regard to the Red Cloud
Agency that was the first request had from him
for it. He asked for 1t in a conversational way.
told him that when the committee was appointed
understood they would call on me for informa-
tion, and when they did would give them spec
inc information in regard to the matter. Then he
asked me to give 1t TO him. told him 1t was not
reada that was going back to New Haven, and
when got there, II he wished for this Information
before the committee was appointed, If he would
write to me, making request for 1t, would send
1t TO him. He requested II orally, and although
did not decline, did not say / would give IL to
him alone. Then he made another request, and ]