New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-04-29
THE INDIAN RING.

,II.Y OF DETECTING FRAUD Al 1HE AGENCIES
-ucw HONEST c NTRACTOEs ARE KErT FROM
OBTAINING Contracts.
TYyoM IIE REOULAE COiuRIS PONDKNT OF THE TRlbUNfI
WASHINGTON, April 2S.-1he opportunities for
fr,ua in tho management of Indian affairs are 80 nu
m,Ious oven under IN honest and thoroughly eiii-
cient administration that The omis sion of any pre-
caution heretofore adopted 70 prevent the robbery of
the Governments or the cheating of the Indians, very
naturally gives riso to suspiciOns which destroy all
confidence not only in The honesty OF the Indian Bu-
rcau but of the Interior ID, p3rmcnt itself In re-
cont letter attention called to the fact that tle
system of allowing contractors to deliver Indian
Goods nj the agencies was found 10y tho Old Board OF
Indian Commissioners to make the detection OF fraud
so difficult that it abolished. and the supplies Ot
-four bacon, pork, &c, were then received al dePotS
where thcy could DO systematically inspected before
they were forwarded 20 the agents. Now the adver-
tsemeu,s for proposals. which were to be opened IN
Now York Yesterday, show that the Commiss oner
intends 10 return TO the old system and in recent
interview he SAID that the inspection would be rs
rigid now, before Shipment * at any ioTmor period.
1t requires very little knowledge of the ways OF
Indian contractors to undoTsan how this change OF
system makes fraud easy. The inspection OF goods
and supplies by members of the present Commission
in Eastern cities. If il possible IL by no means
the same thing an inspection at the point OF as
trbutiOu by Some prominent merchant, uneohhcc'cd
with the Indian service. Even the form of an IN
spociiOn before shipment will not generally be posi-
bic. Goods cannot he inspected until they are de-
livered and deliveries arc to he made at The ageI-
Cies. But even if they could be, such an examina-
ton would be OF very little value because the goods
aftervard remain in the hands of the contractor.
with ample opportunities for change before they
reach their destination ut the agencies An inspec-
tiou to be of any value, must be made by neA "ho-
IL disconnected with the Indian Ring and after the
goods have been delivered and have passed ont OF
the hands of the contractor. Again, contracting Tor
the delivery of goods at the agencies makes 1t lnuch
more difficult for the officers of the Treasury Depart
ment 10 detect frauds committed by contractors.
The Second Auditor, who acts upon all INDIAN ac-
counts, keeps record of the number of bales, bar
rcls, sacks &C. delivered by each contractor at any
given point and when the transportation contract
WAS separate one the amount OF goods moved ought
to agree exactly with the amount delivered so thlt
the two contractors and the agent OF the united
States who received the goods at the general depot,
and the man who received them at the agency had
10 be in collision in order that false vouchers should
pass through the Auditors Office without discovery.
Under the proposed system it is only necessary for
tie contractor Since ne does the transportation HIM
self to arrange with the mon in charge OF several
agencies 10 carry ont successfully the Old trick which
made in former years The Ring contractor may take
one steamboat load Of 1our land at the first agen-
CIV lao reaches get his vouchers for it, and then resp
il tOthe next agency whore the same operation may
he repeated. This has been d0no in times past and
may be done againf the necessary checks upon the
contractors are removed.
AGENTS GROWING RICH ON SNAIL SALARIES.
Commissioner Smith admits that many of his lndi-
an Agents are not lit for the positions they occupy.
and it is notorious fact in tho West that many OF
these men, who are paid salaries on which they can
barely live, grow rich very rapidly. Would an hon
eat Commissioner OF Secretary of the Interior, under
these circumstances remove any OF the checks wich
have been found absolutely necessary TO prevent tho
wholesale plumber of the Government and the Indi-
ans Attention has aI-o been called to the fact that
acoudian has been placed in the advertisement for
proposals for goods for tine Indians winch viii pre-
vent persons not in tho Ring from bidding for con-
tracts This condition is as follows
"Such articles may any respect fail 10 conform 20
the samples will be rejected and the contractor held 10
furn. others OF the required quality within five days
or falling in that tcy VIII be purchased at his expense"
OF course if goods should be rejected al any
Indian agency. II wOuld De impossible for any one,
even the contractor, to replace them in five days, as
the blankets &c, are manufactured especially for
the Indian Department, and cannot be purchased IN
the markets The members of the Indian Ring
understand tlis fact. and know that its condition
will never be enforced. A contractor who does not
know thus is forced to bid higher in order to be able
10 meet such contingency. Ii is an old trick to
" freeze ont" contractors who not III the Ring.
The method is a very simple one. Whom a man bids
very much lower than any else, and the Depart
mcnt is obliged to award the contract 10 him, bis
goods are rejected the slightest pretense and he
is haraS5rd in so many ways that he is Obliged to
relinqush his contract which is then given To some
member of the Ring at a greatly advanced price.
In this way the intimate friend of Commissioner
Smith 4. II. Wilder. got "a contract in the last fiscal
year The lowest bidder declined to perform The
contract it was given to Wilder at much higher
rate. and the latter then made snh-contract with
The man who had been the lowest bidder. making
handsome profit himself.
The circumstances under which the Secretary OF
the Interior secured 100000 to support certain IN
dian prisoners under military control until the end
OF the next fiscal year. and the subsequent order Of
the Secretary of War that the same Indians be re-
turned to their agencies, well the letting Of
beef contract to J. L. J.. Slavens under this appro-
priation have not been forgotten by readers Of TIE
TRIBUNE. The appropriation obtained by false
pretenses and the President and Secretary Dclano
will have TO divide with Congress the responsibility
for it. The contract in this case moi given TO
the lowest bidder and the fact that letter written
by a man in the Indian Office six days before the bids
were opened announced that Slavens would have
the contract proves that tho competition
farce IL was determined beforehand that Slaycns
should have tho contract and the fact that Cross
bid was lower and that it accompanied by
certified check, which would be- forfeited if he failed
10 perform the contract after il was awarded TO him,
cd IN wit If